Sep 7, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during warmups prior to the game against the South Dakota Coyotes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
There are some positive takeaways, but those are saved for the bottom of this piece. The overall feeling after Saturday’s win is discontent. The team again appears to be far away from where it needs to be in order to compete in the Big Ten.
One reason for that is linebacker play. Wisconsin remade the room with several transfers on both the inside and outside. Those transfers were supposed to elevate the defense to another level, back toward where the program was under Jim Leonhard.
That just hasn’t happened yet. South Dakota successfully pulled Wisconsin’s linebackers out of position constantly. It was a big piece of the team’s rushing success. Those second-level defenders were not impactful enough, while the pass-rushing outside linebackers were again mostly nonexistent.
This is not a ‘this player had this stat line’ takeaway. It’s a thought that while watching the game, it’s easy to see the linebacker room isn’t playing well enough.
Note: This will become a larger focus with Jake Chaney ineligible for the first half against Alabama.
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 12:49:00
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