The Wisconsin Badgers did not have a great performance last weekend against the UCLA Bruins, and they’ll need to bounce back fast with the USC Trojans coming up this weekend at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers were diced up by backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, who threw for 264 yards to lead the Bruins to a 17-7 victory. While UCLA scored just 17 points, they did convert 13 of their 20 third downs, which kept them on the field for nearly 38 minutes of game clock in this one.
After the game, with Dieffenbach’s strong performance, many took to social media to call out defensive coordinator Mike Tressel for failing to disrupt the backup quarterback enough.
So, I took to the film to evaluate what happened with the Badgers defense on a night where they stopped the run quite well, but could not get off the field on third downs.
Here’s a full drive-by-drive breakdown of what I saw on film from the defense in the loss to UCLA.
Drive 1
The Badgers punted on their first drive after getting a first down, setting the Bruins offense up deep in their own territory at the 10-yard line.
1st & 10: Wayne Knight actually seemed to miss the hole here, and the Bruins got just three yards on the ground on 1st down.
2nd & 7: UCLA set up the screen with a 3v2 look to the left side. Credit Bryce West for fighting through two blockers, not allowing one to get to Jai’mier Scott, who made a very solid 1-on-1 open field tackle to force a third down.
3rd & 2: Good play call. UCLA set up a QB option with Dieffenbach, and Cooper Catalano bit on the fake to the running back, setting up a first down.
1st & 10: Once again, it was a screen and once, again, Bryce West and Jai’mier Scott were in the action with solid tackles. Gain of five.
2nd & 5: Up until this play, the Badgers had shown a very similar look with four down linemen, two inside backers, three corners in man coverage, and their two high safeties. Here, Wisconsin showed seven at the line. Junior Poyser got the early win at the line of scrimmage, and the linebackers cleaned things up for four, but UCLA converted on 3rd & 1 for a first down.
1st & 10: UCLA went play-action on 1st down, looking for the crosser. Javan Robinson called it out, passing it off, but Cooper Catalano wasn’t full aware of the route in coverage. Set up a completion for a first into a tight window for Dieffenbach, who was patient to hit his receiver.
1st & 10: Badgers had their same look, but blitzed Bryce West from the nickel. Was a good call from UCLA on play-action throwing into the blitz side, getting a five yard completion.
2nd & 5: Big lack of communication here from the Badgers secondary. Aaron Witt, in coverage, bites on the flat. Cairo Skanes is late to pick up in coverage and late to communicate to Jai’mier Scott to pass off his receiver to get to the boundary in zone. Leaves the slot wideout open on a wheel for a big gain. This was the big bust on the drive.
1st & 10: UCLA went slot fade. Badgers had Scott in the nickel and West on the outside here, and great, physical coverage by Scott, with West instinctively helping with the ball in the air. Incomplete.
3rd & 7: After a run of three, Badgers had another chance to get off the field here. Cairo Skanes was matched 1-on-1 in slot and just gave up too much space on a crosser. Matt Jung also late to help and UCLA converts another 1st down. Ton of man coverage early from the Badgers.
Goal to Go: Badgers had three solid plays here. First was the wild scramble from Dieffenbach running across the field before no gain. D-Line stepped up on 2nd down against the run and Aaron Witt flew in for the tackle. On 3rd, Badgers collapsed the pocket and tipped the pass at the line of scrimmage, forcing a field goal.
Drive 2
2nd & 6: After a four yard run on first down with nice tackles from West and Marvin Burks, Badgers had another nice stop in the run game. Outside run play and Sebastian Cheeks read it well, with Burks, West, and Scott rallying to the ball for no gain.
3rd & 6: First time I saw a whistle (or lack of) go against Wisconsin. 2 issues on the play: 1) clear OPI. UCLA sets up pick play, but WR blocks Skanes well before ball is thrown and 2) Skanes shuffles inside too early, leaving the slant open and big gain after a missed tackle from Jai’mier Scott.
2nd & 5: After a five-yard run on first down against a five-man front, Badgers had great coverage on 2nd down 1-on-1 all around. West, Skanes, and Burks all had good reps in coverage, and Justus Boone and Nick Clayton force the pressure and Dieffenbach’s incompletion after scrambling out.
3rd & 5: Another chance to get off the field, another lapse in execution. Cooper Catalano is late to the flat covering the running back on a quick dump off, leads to a first (barely).
1st & 10: Tyreese Fearbry gets the early pressure, Mason Posa cleans things up as Dieffenbach tries to step up, ends up being gain of one.
3rd & 5: After a run of four due to a missed tackle on an outside, run, Badgers have a 3rd & 5. This was just a great play from the offense. Tressel shows a sim pressure, dropping two edges, while blitzing both linebackers. Gets pressure, but Dieffenbach delivers to Brian Rowe, who had a great route on a good coverage play from Bryce West and an outstanding diving backshoulder grab for the first. Just a play you tip your cap.
1st & 10: Once again, good coverage. Nobody open, Dieffenbach tries to step up, and Nolan Vils cleans it up for gain of one.
3rd & 5: After good play from Catalano on a receiver screen, Badgers get another 3rd & medium. Go man coverage everywhere, and Mason Posa’s beaten on texas route from the RB. Leads to big catch and run and 1-yard TD on next play. LBs picked on in coverage a few times in this game.
Drive 3
1st & 10: Junior Poyser gets a pressure on a 1st down throw, forcing the throwaway.
3rd & 6: After a short run, Badgers in 3rd & medium again and the defense delivers. Great call from Tressel, who has been calling man coverage all game. Shows 5 at the line with the same two-high shell, but drops a linebacker back and replaces into Cover 3. Dieffenbach confused, Badgers get the stop on an incompletion.
Drive 4
1st & 10: After a first down on three plays, UCLA has a new set of downs. On 1st here, they drop back, and Badgers drop into Cover 3 again. Good coverage across the board, Dieffenbach tries to scramble out, and Hammond Russell able to get there for a sack. However, Russell was called for illegal hands to the face and it’s a 15-yard penalty. These are the ones that killed the Badgers in this game. Just can’t happen.
2nd & 7: After a good Posa tackle on another quick curl, Badgers drop back into zone again on second down and Dieffenbach tests Jai’mier Scott deep. Good coverage, incompletion.
3rd/4th down: Nick Clayton goes offisdes, granting UCLA a 3rd & 2. But the Bruins hold on 3rd & 2, pushing them back 10 yards and killing any shot of them scoring again before halftime. Wisconsin forced an incompletion on third down and picked off the Hail Mary attempt on 4th, ending the half with a 10-0 score.
2nd Half
Drive 1
1st & 10: Badgers have great coverage downfield, forcing a quick checkdown to the flat. Bryce West with a great open field tackle on the running back, forcing a loss of three.
2nd & 13: Charles Perkins gets great push on the run, and the RB trips on his own OL for no gain. Big play.
3rd & 13: UCLA tries a trick play, unnecessarily, and Mason Posa tips the WR’s pass for a Marvin Burks interception. Also, just an awful taunting call after the play when you watch the All-22. Absolutely nothing there but a regular celebration from Posa.
Drive 2
After Wisconsin scores a touchdown on the short field, UCLA started at their own 19-yard line.
1st & 10: Thought Wisconsin’s DL did its job at line of scrimmage here, Catalano doesn’t initially stay in his gap, end up being five yard gain before he recovers and makes the tackle.
2nd & 5: Posa/Catalano make the play here in the run game, forcing one yard gain. Good rally from Catalano and Badgers in third and medium again.
3rd & 4: UCLA has 3v3 up top and throws a bubble screen to the slot wideout. Two good perimeter blocks and Skanes takes a bad angle to the sideline. Leads to 10-yard gain for 1st down.
1st & 10: Backup quarterback makes a backup quarterback play here. Relatively clean pocket, but Dieffenbach runs himself into a sack here. Clayton had pressure coming and made a nice tackle to get a loss of 16.
2nd & 26: Another play you have to tip your cap to the offense. UCLA sees Wisconsin has been bailing deep in Cover 3, sets up running backs screen and offensive line gets out for some big blocks. Leads to gain of 13, but still 3rd & Long.
3rd & 13: Coverage break. Badgers in zone here and seem to be well covered, but Matt Jung leaves his zone as Dieffenbach scrambles out, and the QB finds open receiver for first. Execution mishap on a good playcall for the Badgers.
1st & 20: After a holding call on UCLA, Badgers were all over the 2nd down screen. Covered every avenue, West makes tackle for minimal gain.
2nd & 19: UCLA has been trying to go outside zone more in the second half, but Posa makes a great play here for only three.
3rd & 16: Wisconsin presses here on 3rd & 16 and there’s great coverage across the board. But, 1-on-1, Jai’mier Scott holds on the comeback and is flagged for PI. Two things: 1) execution error. With the down and distance, just no need to hold short of the sticks. 2) Not going to fault the playcall, but does Wisconsin really need to press on 3rd & 16? Have been playing zone well and playing press can lead to physical mistakes like Scott’s. Overall, another back-breaking penalty
1st & 10: Great play in coverage from Cooper Catalano to break up pass on 1st down throw.
2nd/3rd down: Skanes with a nice run fit out of the slot on second down leads to only a gain of two. Catalano made another nice play with a tackle on another outside zone run, forcing a 4th & 4.
4th & 4: UCLA goes for it at the Wisconsin 33-yard line. Badgers show a different look with pressure and Dieffenbach is initially flustered with pressure from Mason Posa, making him late to throw a quick designed play. Matt Jung recovers and is there to make the hit, forcing an incompletion. Badgers ball.
Drive 3
1st & 17: UCLA starts at their own 3-yard line after holding and false start calls. Another big miss from the refs here. UCLA should’ve been flagged for holding in the end zone for a safety. Not called and Dieffenbach makes great throw vs. zone to sideline for huge 28-yard gain. Bryce West not deep enough in zone and a confident from throw Dieffenbach gets UCLA out of a jam.
2nd & 5: After short throw and quick tackle from Jai’mier Scott for five, Matt Jung had a great play triggering down on another QB option, making open field tackle on RB after pitch for no gain.
3rd & 5: One of the plays where Mike Tressel gets beat. Badgers been showing man coverage/Cover 2/Cover 3 looks all game on 3rd down and UCLA finally calls a great beater with 4 verts. WR comes wide open over seam. Thought initially it was Cairo Skanes with the coverage bust, but looks like Matt Jung makes wrong play as overhead safety. Jung helps on single-receiver side rather than trips side, and Badgers pay for it with a huge gain.
1st & 10: Another well-designed play. UCLA gets huge hole in run game, setting up a 1st & Goal at the 3, which they punch in for a touchdown on the next play to make it 17-7 with 11:31 left.
Drive 4
Badgers need a stop badly after going turnover on downs. And they got a quick one year.
1st & 10: Liked the UCLA play call, set up weak side RB screen, but still Badgers make the play and the Bruins get five.
2nd & 5: Great run fits from Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, who were disruptive. Hammond Russell helps out as well and it’s a loss of three.
3rd & 8: Wisconsin shows six on line of scrimmage, but drop two. Liked the recognition of the screen from Mason Posa, who probably makes a tackle if pass was complete. RB screen incomplete and UCLA punts.
Drive 5
Badgers punted on a three-and-out, giving UCLA the ball down two scores with under five minutes left. And the offense never got the ball back.
2nd & 6: UCLA had two well-blocked plays to start the drive. Pitch outside on 1st down went for four, as Bryce West still made tackle despite blocking, with Posa having good coverage to sideline as well. On 2nd down, OL was able to move Charles Perkins, setting up hole for five yard gain before Catalano made tackle.
3rd & 1: Wisconsin has eight in the box, and are fooled completely by the end around. Ton of space on the outside and a missed tackle from Marvin Burks gets 33 yards on the play.
1st & 10: RB made good move, but Bryce West and the linebackers clean up here for two yards. Could have been a holding call here against UCLA on Sebastian Cheeks.
2nd & 8: Another blatant hold missed here on Mason Posa. Outside zone again, and UCLA gets five before tackle from Eric Fletcher.
3rd & 3: UCLA goes outside again, and RB outruns Sebastian Cheeks for first. Cooper Catalano bit middle as well and was late to the sideline. Goes for 10 and seals the game for UCLA.
Overall, a ton to take away from this one. A couple of back-breaking penalties extended drives for the Badgers. A few missed calls hurt. But there were a variety of execution misses and coaching decisions that took away the good from Wisconsin’s strong run defense. Will have more in the final takeaways up soon.