After a tough loss to the Oregon Ducks last weekend, it makes you wonder what needs to change. We recently fired the offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, and everyone seems happy about that. There has to be a shift in the whole team, even as far as potentially benching Braedyn Locke. After throwing another interception and being sacked twice makes you wonder if he is the issue. We have a 4-star quarterback on the bench, but we must allow him to turn this program around. But there is so much light to this because we could show the world and the FBS that the Badgers can be lethal with the right weapons. The team will be heading to Memorial Stadium to play the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Badgers are now 5-5 and searching to find a win. On the bright side, they can still get a bowl game.
With Nebraska at 5-5, it will be a good matchup for the Badgers. The team will need to show up again this week and prove wrong to the community and the city of Madison. The city is fed up with how we have played and the choices the team is making. The Badgers' defense moved up a ranking to 34, but after watching that performance, it should be way higher; they managed to stop the passing game and forced the Ducks to run the ball more. They also managed to hold the Ducks under 20 points, a major staple after Oregon averaged 35 points per game. The Badgers defense also felt a change as star safety Hunter Wohler left the game after a hit. He did not return. It isn't all negatives. The Badgers showed they could come to play; the defense showed up to play. The Badgers also put a heavy workload on the running game and gave Tawee Walker more reps than usual, and he proved that he could be lethal. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are coming off a close loss to USC this week, only 20-28. Dylan Raiola is a weapon. He is a very good player, which can be shown if allowed. Seeing how he adjusts and plans for the Badgers' defense will be interesting as he is only a freshman. Here is the breakdown of the things the Badgers will need to do to get a win finally.
Quarterback Change
The Badgers need to change up the QB position. After the last 7 games Braedyn Locke has played, he has thrown for 9 interceptions and been sacked 6 times. We have a freshman 4-star Quarterback, Mabrey Mettauer, sitting on the bench. We need to give him a shot to show why he is a 4-star. The whole FBS has seen a bunch of freshman players make a significant difference on their team, and they have put up great numbers. After Luke Fickell announced the offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, it will be interesting to see how the offense will change. The last time Mabrey Mettauer got playing time was against Purdue, where we won 52-6. After seeing social media, I realized everyone wants Braedyn Locke out of the top QB spot. Locke is a good player, and I am not saying he costs us any games, but we need to change and see what Mabrey can do. On the Locked on Badgers podcast, Ryan Harings and Kendrick Stumbris discuss how Mabrey Mettauer could see a start ahead of Saturday.
To be honest, if the Badgers don't give Mabrey more opportunities, he will transfer. It is unknown how the freshman will play and see what he can do. He is a true freshman, and not everyone is always guaranteed to be a star. But for the sake of the team and the weight of being able to get a bowl game, it might have to be a risk that Luke Fickell and the staff will need to make.
Finish Games
We cannot finish the games, and that costs us games. The Badgers come out to play for the first 3 quarters and perform very well, but in the 4th quarter, they crumble. This has to change because we have seen it more than once; it happened against Penn State and, most recently, Oregon. After watching the Oregon game, we are running into an issue. We always come out hot, but in the 4th quarter, they let off the gas, which always seems to be an issue with any team at any level. The coaching staff needs to do a better job of keeping the players ready and becoming more prepared to come out to play; the players also need to hold each other accountable and pick everyone up. Even Luke Fickell said in an interview, “We just right now haven't found a way to finish.”
Hats off to Luke Fickell for staying composed and calm during the interview. It is a hard loss, and he gives the credit to every player. The Badgers are on the horizon and on the brink of being a good team. For the future, the Badgers need to start to capitalize on the opportunities they are given. Additionally, the team must rely on the run game and keep it simple. The coaches need to start calling the correct plays on 3rd, long, and 4th down, depending on the score.
Pound the Rock
The Badger will need to lean on their running backs more in the next couple of games. The Badgers Air raid offense is not working as well as they want, and that was shown during the Oregon game. Tawee Walker will continue to get the reps along with Darrion Dupree. After watching Locke last Saturday, he is unable to sense the pressure in the pocket, and he is also unable to throw the ball even if it was an easy pass; he did make good throws, but it's the ones that seemed the easiest he missed. The Badgers have the talent and experience to play with any team in the FBS. Suppose the Badgers want to win out in the next two weeks. In that case, the running backs will need to take on the workload until Locke gets more consistent or puts in Mabrey Mettauer and sees how he is throwing the ball. Maybe the Air Raid offense can be successful. With USC rushing the ball in the last game against Nebraska, it shows that the run game can hurt the Nebraska defense.
With the Badgers' history of playing good teams this season with tons of future NFL stars, it will be interesting how both 5-5 teams will play against each other. If the Badgers take Mabrey over Braedyn, it will be a good test matchup to see what the freshman is made of. It will be interesting to see how the Badgers will play coming off a loss and how they will play against the Cornhuskers. Suppose the Badgers' defense can show up again and put up a great defense performance. In that case, it will be interesting to see how they stop Dylan Raiola. And moving after this weekend, the last game of the season will be the Axe Game. It will be another test for the Gophers and the Badgers. How can the Badger bounce back after a tough loss?
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