As we continue to review where Wisconsin Football stands at the bye week, I take a look at the defense today. Yesterday, I looked at the offense and it seems like they have some momentum going. After looking at the offense, where do the Badgers stand on the defensive side?
We Know the Wisconsin Football Defense is Forcing Turnovers
A big issue with the defense in the first two games of the season was that they did not force a single turnover, There were spurts where they were close, but it was unheard of from a Wisconsin Football defense.
Thankfully, that has changed as the Badgers have forced nine turnovers in their last two games. Six against Georgia Southern, and three against Purdue on Friday.
While I don’t expect this sort of trend to continue because nine turnover is a ton, this has given the Wisconsin defense momentum headed into this bye week and for the rest of the season. There’s a lot of talent on the Wisconsin Football defense and they have the ability to force multiple turnovers in every game.
We Know the Wisconsin Football Defense Isn’t as Good in Years Past
This isn’t a knock on first year defensive coordinator Mike Tressel at all. A lot of these players are not his guys and he’s working with what he has.
While the defense has looked better the last two weeks, there is some glaring issues with the defense. The first thing is that they are not generating pressure enough at the quarterback. As a result, this is asking the secondary to defend as long as five seconds. You can’t ask your corners to defend for more than three usually. If this Wisconsin Football defense wants to take the next step, they have to get to the quarterback at a better rate.
Tackling has been an issue this year as well. It’s hard to make an open field tackles, but it’s something you have to be able to do. The Badgers were really poor at this especially in the first two games. Missing tackles extend drives and keeps your unit on the field longer than it should.
We Know Hunter Wohler is a Stud
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The biggest hurdle in Hunter Wohler’s path was staying healthy. He missed a majority of his sophomore year last year with a lower leg injury, but did return near the end.
This year, Wohler leads the team with 41 tackles and has added two interceptions. For a strong safety, Wohler is also the best pass rusher on the team. Every week he’s flying around the field making wow plays. It’s great to see him out on the field healthy and making a difference.
As long as Wohler stays healthy, this Wisconsin Football defense has the chance to win some games for the offense and be one of the better defenses in the Big Ten by the time the season is over. I am excited to see what he brings the rest of the season.
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