On Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers are preparing to face the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Kickoff for this contest will be at 11 a.m. CT on FOX. The Badgers offense has not lit up the scoreboard in the first two weeks of the college football season.
Even with weaker opponents on the schedule for the first two weeks, the Wisconsin Badgers only scored 28 points in the first game and only 27 points in the second game. It feels like scoring points could be a tall task for the Badgers this weekend when the Alabama Crimson Tide comes to town.
PFF’s Question About the Wisconsin Badgers Offense Is Can They Take Vertical Shots Against Better Competition
Pro Football Focus’s Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman asked some questions about the key matchups this weekend in college football. One of the questions they asked when Wisconsin has the ball against Alabama is Can Wisconsin take vertical shots against better competition?
Pro Football Focus said:
“Through two games, Wisconsin has completed just two passes that traveled at least 15 yards in the air. Both of those plays came about due to major mistakes in coverage by FCS opponent South Dakota.
Generating explosive plays is perennially difficult for the Badgers, but they should be able to do so this year with their strong-armed quarterback Tyler Van Dyke at the helm. Van Dyke isn’t perfect, but the Badgers have had greater difficulties in finding weapons who can produce for them downfield.
Wisconsin ranked 113th in receiving grade last season in large part due to their inability to separate downfield. The trend has continued this year, even as the Badgers have played lesser opponents in their first two games. Even though Van Dyke has a strong enough arm to make any throw on the field, he is carrying what would be career-lows in average depth of target and yards per attempt.
Now, they face a Crimson Tide squad that ranked second in the nation in coverage grade in 2023 and is currently tied for sixth through two games this season. Few teams prevent explosive plays as well as Alabama. Wisconsin is going to have a hard time scoring if they can’t find ways to threaten the Crimson Tide’s secondary. “
Tyler Van Dyke only has completed 60.3% of his passes this season for the Wisconsin Badgers. He has also thrown for 406 yards and one touchdown. This season, the leading receiver for the Badgers is Will Pauling with 10 receptions for 108 yards receiving and zero touchdowns. He has averaged 10.8 yards per reception.
The player that the Badgers need to target more is C.J. Williams. He only has two receptions for 53 yards receiving and a touchdown, along with 26.5 yards per catch. Bryson Green has caught seven passes for 77 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 11.0 yards per catch.
Game Picks
Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman think that the Alabama Crimson Tide will beat the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday. Max has a final score being 27-13 and Dalton has a final score being 35-10. Max Chadwick said:
“Wisconsin’s defense forces Milroe into a few mistakes early but he and the Crimson Tide are able to pull away in the second half.”
The Wisconsin Badgers will play hard against the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, Wisconsin doesn’t have the offensive talent to keep pace with Alabama’s offense.
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