Hey all. I've been around the board for a little bit and thought it was time to do a real breakdown from a Wisconsin point of view. We'll see how it goes.

Starting with the offense; UW uses a LOT of play action. Excepting third and long, nearly every pass will be set up by some kind of run action. We like to go over the top a lot to our WR's, who almost always have one-on-one coverage as a result of the run threat. Often this will be set up by two play fakes in the backfield We also like to run quick dig and ace routes to the flat, which allows our TE's and linemen to set up blocks downfield. 15-20 yard outs and comebacks are another big part of the passing game.

This clip gives you a decent idea of what we do.

Wisco Passing

The TE's are a huge part of our O and run a lot of seem routes and crossing patterns. It is not unusual for us to have three TE's on the field either blocking or running patterns. We use a lot of pre-snap motion to dictate match ups and get angles for the blockers. We will come out 4 wide, shift into a tight ACE or I, then send a TE or two to the other side of the line. Pretty much every play will involve at least one shift, usually two or three. This works to get the defense moving around before we snap the ball and come downhill at guys who are just getting into position or to give our receivers an extra step at the snap (something we will definitely need against LSU).

Combined with the pre snap motion, we run a RB (who lines up wide) or a WR in a jet sweep motion to freeze the backers and keep the backside pursuit from crashing in. As the year went on we saw less and less actual handoffs to the motion guy as defenses adjusted to Gordon's speed. This helped James White have some huge games down the stretch as D's keyed on the sweep. That is a big part of why UW can be so successful on O despite having a mediocre pass game. You have to pick one, the I-back or the Wingback, both of whom can beat a team by themselves. It may be a little different this year with Clement, who is much more of a power back than either James White or Gordon, but I doubt it. I think LSU will still see quite a bit of Gordon out wide with Clement in the backfield.

However, the run scheme has a couple key points that will not change. The offensive line uses a lot of pulls and combo blocks to gain an advantage at the point of attack. The WR's are excellent blockers (though that may be less true this year with so many freshmen in the mix) who tend to get good position and lock on. Unsurprisingly, this is Wisconsin after all, downfield blocking is something the WRs take a lot of pride in here and they put in the work to show it. The TE's play a big role as well. They are tasked with sealing the edge long enough for the jet sweep or pulling linemen to get around them before breaking off and heading downfield. Our FB is JJ Watt's little brother and he will soon be joining big bro in the League. He is used on a lot of iso or down blocks, the latter when we run our misdirection.

The WR's are a question mark. We have relied on Jared Abbrideris overwhelmingly last year but he is a Packer now. The new guys don't scare you on paper but that is kind of what we do here, lull you to sleep before hitting you with a big play over the top. The young guys have been the stars of camp and based on the reports, may have turned our biggest worry into a strength. We'll see.

Finally the RB's. Its Wisconsin so you know who you have to stop if you want to win. Gordon you know, I'll not add to that discussion. The #2 guy is a true Soph named Corey Clement who was a big time recruit out of New Jersey. He runs with an attitude and surprising quickness for his build (5-10 215). He ran for over 500 yards last year in mop up duty and showed flashes of greatness. He is going to be a star if he stays healthy. If UW is going to pull this one out I think he will be a huge part of it.

I think most have see these already but I'll add them here to keep it all in one place.

Clement

Gordon

Overall the Badger O gets a bit mislabeled as a three yards and a cloud of dust throw back. While that is certainly true of the line, it doesn't really fit the scheme anymore. Last year UW was a big play O and that should continue this season. The running backs are both capable of taking it to the house on any play. The run sets up the pass but the passing game gets underrated because of the former's success. While not explosive in general terms, it relays on big plays to be effective. We will test LSU over the top, despite how silly that sounds on paper. If we are able to hit on one or two that could be the difference in the game.

That will do for now. I'll come back with the defense later but I doubt it will help much as the D we roll out this season is unlike anything the Badgers have run before. 9 days and counting!!!