In 2012, the Badgers’ defense was 15th in the nation in yards per game. In 2013 it was seventh and in 2014, the Badgers finished the year ranked fourth overall. This season, the Badgers defensive continues to prove nearly impenetrable.
Through 10 games, the Badgers again rank fourth in the nation in overall defense, allowing only 272 yards per game. Accordingly, one of the main strengths on the Badgers’ defense is their balance, as they excel at both stopping the run and defending the pass.
Wisconsin’s run defense ranks sixth in the nation, as they allow under 100 rushing yards per game. Freshman inside linebacker T.J. Edwards, who is part of the replacement for last year’s reliable linebacker duo of Marcus Trotter and Derek Landisch (who combined for 176 tackles), leads the Badgers rushing defense, recording 66 tackles already this season. Additionally, outstanding senior outside linebacker Joe Schobert has been a force in the run game, leading the Badgers with 15.5 tackles for loss this season, sixth most in the nation.
Wisconsin’s passing defense is not far behind, as they rank 14th in the nation, allowing only 175 yards per game through the air. Senior safety Tanner McEvoy leads the way with four interceptions, while junior cornerback Sojourn Shelton leads the defense with six pass breakups.
UW’s defensive success this year has been crucial, as the team is having one of its worst offensive years in recent history. In 2014, the Badgers had the 22nd-ranked offense in the nation, in 2013, the 18th, in 2011, the 14th and in 2010, the 21st. The Badger offense is currently 68th in the nation, as the Badgers accumulate less than 400 yards per game.
Specifically, in 2014, the Badgers put up 34.6 points per game, compared to their 28.7 this season. Similarly, the Badgers were averaging 6.77 yards per play in 2014. In 2015, however, the Badgers are averaging more than a full yard less every play, which is an unusually large and significant decrease. Notably, the time of possession numbers have been identical the last two seasons, but the offense is doing much less when they have the ball.
The offensive strategy has been subject to incredible change this year in terms of play calling and production under first-year head coach Paul Chryst. Last year, behind star running back Melvin Gordon, the Badgers ran the ball 46 times per game, while this year they are running the ball only 37 times per game. More significantly, in 2014 the Badgers averaged 320 rush yards per game (fourth in the nation), which is more than double the production this year, as they average only 154 yards per game—good for 89th in the nation.
As a team, however, the Badgers have seen a drastic improvement in their turnover margin from last year (–9) to this year (+3). Even though the defense has a relatively similar amount of takeaways (17-15), the offense is taking much better care of the ball, only turning it over 12 times compared to last year’s 26.
Clearly, the Badgers’ defense has been tremendous this year, but in order to win the last two games of the season, the offense will have to keep taking care of the ball while finding a way to be more productive.
