Coming off a bye week, Wisconsin had a golden opportunity to make a statement at the Rose Bowl against No. 12 UCLA. Instead, Luke Fickell’s squad fell flat in a 17-7 loss, dropping to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Badgers On SI breaks down the performance with grades for each position group, starting with the offense.
Quarterback
After putting together an exciting dual-threat performance in Week 5 against Michigan State, Colton Joseph was far less effective against UCLA. He didn’t turn the ball over, but his 6-of-16 passing line for 66 yards was atrocious—there’s no sugarcoating it. The Old Dominion transfer led all players in rushing with 71 yards on 18 carries (3.9 yards per carry), including a three-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Joseph doesn’t need to be uber-efficient as a passer for the Badgers’ offense to be successful, but there needs to be at least some threat of pushing the ball downfield. We’ve seen the signal-caller connect on big plays, but that ability was nowhere to be found in Pasadena. Often, it felt like offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes had little to no trust in his QB1 throwing the football.
There are other issues plaguing Wisconsin’s offense, and it’d be foolish to pin all the blame on Joseph. However, with No. 16 USC and No. 15 Iowa up next to round out October, the fourth-year quarterback needs to step up his play if the Badgers hope to avoid a losing streak.
Grade: D
Running Backs
With Joseph dominating the touches on the ground, Wisconsin’s running backs saw a limited workload. After missing the Michigan State game due to injury, Abu Sama III returned and took six carries for 34 yards (5.7 yards per carry), while Darrion Dupree added 20 yards on six carries (3.3 yards per carry) and one reception for six yards.
The duo’s combined 4.5 yards per carry was perfectly respectable, but with limited opportunities, neither back made much of an impact. Dupree coming up short on fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter was a particularly costly moment, while both running backs also surrendered a pressure in pass protection.
Opportunities weren’t plentiful, and the running backs are fairly low on the list of reasons Wisconsin lost. Still, their limited contributions make a middle-of-the-road grade appropriate.
Grade: C
Wide Receivers
With subpar quarterback play, evaluating the wide receivers can be tricky, and that was certainly the case Saturday. Making his season debut after being sidelined with a hand injury, Jaylon Domingeaux was the only player with multiple catches, hauling in two passes for 26 yards. Chris Brooks Jr. and Tyrell Henry each recorded one reception for 17 and four yards, respectively.
Malachi Coleman was targeted twice but failed to register a catch, instead making his presence felt with a pair of penalties, including a highly questionable illegal blindside block (and that’ll be my only comment on the officiating). Eugene Hilton Jr. played 18 snaps without an official target, though he drew a pass interference penalty in the second quarter, while Shamar Rigby logged 12 snaps without a target.
Looking back, Coleman hauling in an end-zone shot late in the second quarter would’ve been massive, but it also would’ve required an impressive catch. Beyond that, there weren’t many glaring individual mistakes that stood out. The lack of production was more a reflection of the passing game’s overall struggles than any obvious or egregious shortcomings by the receivers themselves. When an offense musters just 66 passing yards, though, it’s difficult to justify giving the receiving corps a favorable grade.
Grade: C-
Tight Ends
Much like the wide receivers, Wisconsin’s tight ends struggled to make an impact against UCLA. Jacob Harris accounted for the unit’s lone reception, hauling in one of his two targets for 13 yards. The bigger concern, however, was the group’s inability to consistently execute its blocking assignments. While Grant Stec held his own, Ryan Schwendeman and Emmett Bork were liabilities in that department, with the latter also committing a false start penalty.
With UCLA consistently bringing pressure, Wisconsin desperately needed its tight ends to provide some relief with their blocking, but the unit failed to rise to the occasion. Harris remains one of the Badgers’ most dangerous offensive weapons, and one quiet outing following three consecutive strong performances shouldn’t diminish his standing. However, the rest of the room has largely been pedestrian, and the shortcomings were particularly glaring at the Rose Bowl.
Grade: D
Offensive Line
With starting center Austin Kawecki sidelined by a hand injury, Wisconsin opted against elevating Ryan Cory into the starting lineup. Instead, the Badgers shifted Stylz Blackmon to center and inserted PJ Wilkins at right guard. The reshuffling proved disastrous, as both players struggled mightily against UCLA’s defensive front.
Blackmon earned a 46.8 PFF grade, surrendered two pressures and was flagged for an illegal man downfield penalty in the first quarter. Wilkins was hardly any better, finishing with a 57.9 PFF grade while allowing three pressures, including a sack. The Ole Miss transfer was also called for holding in the second quarter, though the penalty was declined.
Left tackle Kevin Heywood earned the unit’s highest PFF grade at 71.6, while right tackle Emerson Mandell was the only starter who didn’t surrender a pressure. UCLA boasts a formidable defensive front and consistently brought pressure, making the task of protecting Colton Joseph and opening running lanes particularly challenging. Nevertheless, the offensive line failed to hold up its end of the bargain.
Regardless of where he’s lined up, Wilkins has been a liability, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify offensive line coach Eric Mateos putting him on the field. Concerns about Cory are certainly warranted, but the makeshift alignment in Pasadena clearly didn’t work. With USC looming next week, Wisconsin needs to reconsider its approach rather than run back a combination that proved so ineffective.
Grade: D
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