Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag is a podcast/radio show aiming at bringing you Wisconsin sports news and opinions! Find the show Wednesdays from 5-7 pm on Sports radio 92.3 WOSQ or here next day!
Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trag
September 10th Badger Talk, Recap Middle Tenn and Preview Alabama
Welcome back into Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. I'm your host, trage, as we come back here on this Wednesday. And hey, this next segment here, christian's stopping by. We're going to talk some Badgers. This next segment is brought to you by Foreman's Hardware. They offer you everything from home essentials to farm supplies, house to farm grills to drills. Foreman's Hardware has got you covered.
Speaker 1:Visit today in Loyal Colby or Medford, wisconsin, today in loyal kobe or metford, wisconsin. Tell them I sent you, tell them trade sent you. Get five percent off all that kassam spice, maybe some pellets for your smoke or maybe a tragger itself. Maybe you need a green egg I don't know what you need this time of year power tools maybe you're tearing something up, you don't. I don't want to know what you're doing. But get down to foreman's hardware, grab your stuff down there and I mean, tell them I sent you five percent off. All you need to know there. Christian is here tonight from Badger Backer. Christian, how we doing on this Wednesday Good, how you doing. Oh, we're doing great, we're doing absolutely great right now. My Beats headphones that I got here are just giving out on me. It's like a whole thing right now. It's like echoing. But as long as you can hear me good, that's all that matters. I just have to hear the in between the echoes what's?
Speaker 2:going on on your end there. So let people know, I mean just a little bit about you right off the top here. Let people know a little bit about you. Yeah, I, uh, I uh. I'm the author slash founder of badger backer. Just a fun newsletter I just decided to throw together this summer and, uh, so far really enjoying it. So if you guys want to just stop by check out some wisconsin badgers content, feel free to subscribe. I got free and paid subscriptions. Um, yeah, that's about it just coming on every wednesday talking badgers having a good time having a good time.
Speaker 1:That's all that matters. That's what we're here for a good time right there. So, badgers, this last weekend let's try to talk some people like into maybe, if we can I don't know where you're at you were at a wedding this weekend. We were texting back and forth about this game and you're like I'm at a wedding, but I'm looking. It's ugly.
Speaker 1:You're like I don't even know if I want to watch, but I mean this game 42 to 10, but it didn't feel like 42 to 10. It felt like it became 42 to 10, but that's not the actual story of the game. So I guess what was your biggest or biggest takeaways that you had from this one here?
Speaker 2:Boy, I don't, I don't know if this team can play a full game, right? I mean, even the Miami of Ohio game wasn't like complete, you know they didn't, they weren't, didn't feel like they were in control the entire time, right, um, and I mean miami, ohio mac team, but then middle tennessee is one of the worst teams in all the fbs and we were struggling with them for a full half. So I mean not to get ahead of myself, but I mean, what's, what's the alabama game gonna look like on Saturday, right?
Speaker 1:That's the biggest worry and that's where I think a lot of Badger fans are at. They're like this team once again came out flat and it was. We've seen this, we've lived this. This was last year. This is not anything different than what we saw. It might be better players, but we're seeing the same flat team coming out of the tunnel and it's got to slowly get itself there. But the problem is against good teams. If it takes a half an hour or you know half a game, you're already host, so that was.
Speaker 1:That was what my worry was coming off the weekend there. So I would completely agree. It's like, can this team put halves together here? But let's start with a good one. We got our new. We got our new little award we're going to give out. We got a couple different awards we give out along the show here, but we have our Foreman's Hardware. Who brought the tools over the weekend there, christian? Who brought the tools in your opinion, to this game here? Who is your standout?
Speaker 2:I think you have to go with Danny O'Neal, right. I mean, maybe it's just chalk, taking the quarterback or whatever. You got a sophomore quarterback coming in who's quarterback, too, already looks a lot better than Braden Locke ever did right and set an all-time Badgers record for like most passing yards in his first ever start. That's not a bad way. That's not a bad place to start right.
Speaker 1:Yep, no, that was awesome. That was awesome. I loved what we saw out of Danny O'Neal and it. After what we saw to daniel neal and it, actually I'm gonna. I will start right there. Let's start right there with daniel neal's performance of the weekend, because I have a serious question. I have a serious question after watching that does billy edwards for sure get the starting in your opinion? Because and this is just my because daniel neal looked really good outside of a couple throws. He looked really good. He looked of a couple throws. He looked really good. He set records. I mean, we haven't seen he set records. I think there was. Didn't he set a record in this game for most pass yards or something? I don't know what it was.
Speaker 2:At first start 283 yards.
Speaker 1:That was impressive and I know it's a Middle Tennessee team and everything like that. But you can grade him off the throws that he was making team and everything like that. But you can grade him off the throws that he was making and they were on target. They look good. He was making timely throws. He can run the football. He can do all those things that you want him to do. He's scrappy. He seems like he can be a leader in the huddle. I mean, honestly, does billy edwards for sure get the starting job back, in your opinion, or do we have to watch the bama game first?
Speaker 2:I think it's Billy Edwards, it's his job. Danny O'Neill looks good he does, but again, middle Tennessee and Miami of Ohio. Once he got his feet under him in the Miami game I feel like he still looked better than Billy Edwards did. But I don't know. This is I don't know First game, who knows. But I think that's still Billy Edwards' job. But maybe he's on a shorter leash when he comes back. Maybe if he's really struggling or he can't move because of that knee, that well, maybe they stick with Danny O'Neal.
Speaker 2:But I think right now I actually kind of like Danny O'Neal going against Alabama more than I liked Billy Edwards. Only because you saw what Florida State did with what's his name? Castellanos. Actually he doesn't have soft L's. Anyways, the mobile quarterback killed them. And I think Billy Edwards is relatively mobile. Actually he's not just like that Typical. You'll look at him and think he's just a pocket passer, right, yeah, but I think he's actually more mobile than you think. But I think Daniel O'Neill is even more mobile than he is. Okay, yeah, I don't know, I like that. I threw it after the first no-transcript. But I think maybe some of his mobility can kind of help him against Alabama and obviously he's got some confidence right now going into it too. So right now, even if Billy Edwards was good to go for this week, or even right on the edge there, I think if you're Wisconsin you still go with Daniel O'Neal right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I am, I am. And okay, let's just say, Daniel O'Neal has a great game against Alabama. Does that change your perspective on it, or are you still giving it to? Let's just say, I mean, the Badgers don't win, but Daniel O'Neal keeps them in it. He leads some drives, they look good, maybe he gets him out to a hot start and they maybe have a lead, and then, you know, alabama's just athleticism just takes over and they just beat the badgers at the end. I mean, is there a performance that kind of makes you go? I like where this, I like where daniel neal's at, I like where this offense is at under him. Maybe we stick with him. Is there any performance that puts you in that mindset? Or are you like it's Billy Edwards' job until Billy Edwards loses that job?
Speaker 2:I think I don't know, obviously it's a team thing, but I think if he can make enough plays to keep it within 10 points in my opinion and he doesn't make any bad plays he has a relatively clean game, no interceptions, no turnovers, completes 70% of his passes, something like that. You know, even if they're easy passes, just making the smart play, then yeah, I kind of would. I kind of all of a sudden, I think that would shift a little bit for me and be like, well, he's clearly playing well enough, like I think that's even better than what we've seen out of tanner, mordecai and, uh, I mean tyler van dyke. When he was playing, he looked a lot better than he did anyways too. So I think if he does well enough against Alabama, depending on what you think is well enough I think you've got to roll with him right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's where I'm kind of at right now. It's like Billy Edwards could lose his job by not even being able to defend his job just because Danny O'Neal is playing that well. And it's not like daniel neal is just some sluff. I mean he's, he was a starting quarterback, he played well, he was up at the top of the nation there in freshman quarterback he was.
Speaker 1:He's a good quarterback and it makes you feel good that you don't have brayden lock behind a billy edwards. You have a guy like daniel neal behind him who can step in and play a good quarterback, and that's what we're seeing right now. Maybe it's just a good thing at the end of the day that we know now Daniel O'Neal's there, maybe you have a package for him too.
Speaker 1:You never know Maybe they throw some crazy stuff around where Daniel O'Neal finds himself into a game where Billy Edwards starts there. It could be something like that. You know you have it and we'll see what they do moving forward here. So Good performance, like you said, by Danny O'Neill in that one. But let's talk before we get to a break and then we come back where I talk more Badgers here.
Speaker 1:But let's talk about what was one of the bad in this game before we get to the break and if you guys have any comments you want to mention or anything about the Badgers game over the weekend here or coming up, let us know 715-990-4914. That is 715-990-49, 9904914. We'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on the Badgers Over this last weekend. But the bad, this run game For the Wisconsin Badgers. I mean, and I'm not going to go Because I saw some people across social media and they're like oh, they just don't have good backs. No, dillian Jones and Dupree are good backs, cade Giacomelli is a good back. I mean, they have very good backs For the Wisconsin.
Speaker 1:Badgers Christian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this line is bad it sucks saying that about Wisconsin offensive line, but I mean they have five good starters. They have maybe one good. You know that I'm comfortable with one good depth piece and then all the depth after that just makes me comfortable. Obviously that doesn't work right Having Colin Cumberley there, a right guard or a redshirt freshman, but I mean he wasn't even the worst one. It's Kerry Kudanko at center. It's like I don't know the few plays I got to watch on my phone at that wedding was I don't know how many times it was a high snap or a go over Danny O'Neal's head or you know just when he wasn't even expecting it almost hits him in the face mask before he can, you know, make somewhat of an athletic play and snag it out of the air.
Speaker 2:But that offensive line man is obviously. I think they're the big reason why we can't get our offensive line going. I mean Tretch Kekahuna led with, you know, 61 yards and that was all in one rush. And then Vinny Anthony had 14 yards Outside of that, with Dylan Jones had 36 yards on 10 carries. So 3.6 yard average Not great. So I think the offensive line is the is the big, big problem right now.
Speaker 1:Doesn't it that? If anybody wants to get upset at Luke fickle, that'd be? The one reason I'd be upset is you had Jeff Grimes coming in and this is what you got me. This is what you got me was this and I just don't feel like. I don't feel like they have guys, and I mentioned it to you. I said it's like they don't have guys who can get to the second level. I'm watching him it's like.
Speaker 1:You don't have guys getting to the second level and I thought the ender rounds were working because they have guys who can get out. They have guys who can get out on the outside and pull and get out and get in front of somebody, but that's about it. They don't have road graders. They don't have anything like that. Dupree dillian jones I can't tell you how many times I watched them get bottled up on the line. They couldn't get past the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 2:That's how bad it was.
Speaker 1:And I know you're missing a rent for all that. I get that, but it's also like you can't just lose your center and all of a sudden it all just implodes and it looks like that against one of the worst defenses and one of the worst teams in the FBS right now. I mean, that's where I guess my worry was is, like you know, it's going to take a dip.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying it's not going to take a dip when you lose an offensive lineman or a good offensive lineman like Redford, like experienced guy at center, but at the same time that kind of dip where your backup centers launching the ball 15 feet over O'Neal's head. That worries me, that absolutely worries me. So I guess I don't know. That's kind of where I was at coming off the weekend.
Speaker 2:But it's not like even when we did have run four against Miami. I mean, I know he's kind of coming off an injury, but it's not like even when he was there against Miami we had anyone rush that well, the whole first half I remember, man, they kept getting bottled up and I remember they kept getting bottled up and Dylan Jones only finished with 73 yards. We haven't had a 100-yard rusher yet this season against two non-Power 5 teams, power 4 teams. So that's a little concerning.
Speaker 1:What does a defensive front like Alabama pose to you, then? That's the question what is a defensive front with some actual road? We were talking about it. That was at Heinzen, when they were facing Miami of Ohio, thereio there, and we're like, he gave up 30 sacks at the end of that game. It's like what's he?
Speaker 1:gonna do against alabama if we gotta throw him out there? What's this guy gonna do? It's like I I am. That's my worry. That is my biggest worry. I look at this entire team right now and everybody's like they can point in different directions. If you want to be mad at Luke Fickle, for one thing and one thing only, it's that it's that offensive line that's there right now. That's the only reason I'd be upset. I don't think it's even coaching, I think. You know honestly, and I said it, my uncle and I were sitting there watching it and we were talking about it. We're like they had to start using. Jeff Grimes had to get real creative with this offense towards that second half, because nothing was there, because the offensive line can't block. So he had to get real creative and he had to find ways to get around it and that's what he did with the end around. But how many times can you run an end around before it just gets bottled up in the backfield and you're going for nothing at all there.
Speaker 2:So I mean that's yeah, yeah yeah, and I mean the other part of that. The other problem with that, too, though, is then you get the. You know, if you can't run, the ball play action isn't going to be there either, which is a big part of the offense too, so it's like I don't know. They got to figure it out. I know they put Malman over to left tackle thank God and kicked him out to right tackle, so I mean that kind of solved the tackle situation. The pocket definitely looked a lot cleaner, but now, like, the interior of the line is like a problem, so now we can't run. So I don't know. I don't know what you do. The depth is very concerning, so that's a huge problem.
Speaker 1:Yep, no, I was looking over at the PFF grades there and Riley Malman he's 75 was what he graded at the run block. Emerson Mandel graded 67. And then after that Joe Brunner 64. And then from there the next highest run blocking grade came to Eugene Hilton oh my God. At a 60. I mean Ballard. At a 60. Tyrell Henry at a 60.
Speaker 1:You had Aduka at the running back who barely got in there at a 60. You don't find another offensive lineman on this list until you get all the way down to Ryan Corey, I believe the third straight center.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's the backup to the back. Where was Kadenko at?
Speaker 1:Ah Kadenko, where is he?
Speaker 2:You got to scroll down pretty far, I think.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, D 31. He's the worst grade run blocker on the entire team.
Speaker 2:He's the worst grade run blocker on the entire team. He's probably the worst grade run blocker in all of. If you could filter that out to the entire country.
Speaker 1:He's probably at the bottom of that list. He graded in at a 41 in run blocking.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that's our bad.
Speaker 2:That's our bad, we're going to get off our bad.
Speaker 1:Okay, we're going to get off our bad. We're okay, we're gonna get off our bad. We're gonna reset. We're gonna come back from the break and we're gonna get to some good, because there was good. We want to hear the good. Let us know what you guys are thinking. Badger talk here tonight. 715-990-4914 that is 715-990-4914 christian's gonna come back. We're gonna talk some good about this badger team on the back side of the ad break. So make sure you come back here. Wisconsin sports on the go with trade.
Speaker 1:We back, welcome back into wisconsin sports on the go with trade. Welcome back into wisconsin sports on the go with trade. I'm your host trade as we come back here on this wednesday. And hey, this next segment here is brought to you by our great friends at casam spice the low sodium, clean label, no fillers, no msg. You, you heard low sodium. You're like what's this guy talking about? No salt is this guy crazy? I'm telling you what? This? The seasoning blend that they came up with. You don't need salt. It's got the perfect smoke, it's got the perfect flavor. It replaces salt, it replaces pepper. They have everything that you need.
Speaker 1:Check out the facebook. I was throwing pictures on there all weekend. I was making ribs up, uh, for the packer game there. I made chicken up after the badger game. They're talking about brewers in there too. This next weekend, I think I'm thinking I'm going to throw a brisket together. I really am. I'm thinking I'm throwing a brisket together with some Casa and Spice on there. You guys got to make sure you're checking out there because you know, maybe, just maybe, just maybe, I'll do a giveaway there with some Casa and Spice. You can get yourself some. Get yourself some across all social media. Find them, them. Kassim spice. You can go to their links. You can find them out there, and then also you can find them at formans or any ace hardware out there. Christian's going nuts over there because brewers just scored, as you guys know, pre-recorded here with brewers just scored.
Speaker 2:So christian's going I'm watching it and I'm trying to try not to give it away.
Speaker 1:I'm like trying to go through this again reading, I'm like, yeah, finally they get a hit, with runners in scoring position against these pesky rangers and I'm just getting these like dance like seven. So anyways, anyways, casa m spice there, the bold flavor that you need to add to your meats or your grilling experience. So we have our casa m spice bold player of the week award to give away. So every week we give our Kassam Spice Bold Player of the Week. Whoever's on when I do, the Kassam Spice Bold Player of the Week gets to name theirs. So, christian, who is your Kassam Spice Bold Player of the Week?
Speaker 2:I feel like it's the cheap, it's a cop out man, but I got to go. Micah Parsons right, the dude only played 45% of the snaps on defense and made like he had. Like he made a huge difference Even though he had one sack but like still forced an interception. It was just three pressures. Just what dude was like first game, doesn't you know? He didn't practice with the team like almost at all. They had one week under his belt, potentially a bad back, and he still had that big of an impact in the game.
Speaker 1:Like a bad back and he still had that big of an impact in the game, like it has to be.
Speaker 1:Parsons right brought a different kind of juice to that locker room it just seemed like everybody fed off of him when he came out of the tunnel. It was just awesome watching that video. When he came out the tunnel and matt lafleur called him the night before and it's like, hey, I want you to come out last and I usually be zayvon mckinney he's like I'll have you come out last. That was, and I'm glad that they did it because he got his moment. He loved it. He's like it was unreal and nothing he's ever felt. You love that. You love that for a guy and all these Lions and everything. Fans were like you're getting this bad player in there. And I think I saw I can't remember who was on NFL countdown. They're like, oh, no, it's, I can't remember his. He's like, oh, you don't know what kind of player you're going to. He could be a bad player for your team and he could take you in the opposite direction. And I was like, or maybe he's going to fuel that too, was that former Patriots linebacker.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I can't remember his name off the top of my head. It's going to drive me nuts, but yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Teddy Bruschi.
Speaker 1:I think so, I think so.
Speaker 2:Teddy Bruschi. I think it was Teddy Bruschi. I almost said Junior.
Speaker 1:Sale but.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm pretty sure he's gone now.
Speaker 1:So I think Teddy Bruschi is who it was, I think it was him and he sent me that stupid comment, cam Newton making that stupid comment saying like oh, michael Parsons, doesn't take your job.
Speaker 1:With his dumb hat on, take that stupid hat off and be quiet, just stop. Stop Dumb. So yeah, I agree, micah Parsons definitely deserves it and my costume spice bold player of the week. I'm going with Edgerin Cooper because Micah Parsons he may have gotten all the eyeballs and everybody was watching him, but Edgerin Cooper, secretly, quietly I don't know if it was quietly, if you really watched him, but secretly, outside of those eyes had a fantastic game 12 tackles, eight solo tackles. He was all over the place. He was making tackles in the open field, he was disrupting plays. The way that the Packers and I know we're getting off schedule, the way that they chased guys down like they were all working for a paycheck, was unreal. Just watching that. So I mean, edrin Cooper was right there with all of them all game long. He is, I mean, on his way to be one of the best linebackers in football and I will stamp that and send it to the bank. I will stamp that twice and send it off there. He is on his way to being one of the best linebackers, if not the best linebacker. When it's all said and done, in football he is just that darn good.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about some good now with the Wisconsin Badgers. Christian, we were talking about the Badgers before we went to break there. Let's get to some good, okay. So let's go with our before we get to our losers, because we're going to go winners and losers of week two for the Wisconsin Badgers. Let's start with the winners, okay. Who were some of your winners coming off of this last weekend here against Middle Tennessee?
Speaker 2:Oh boy, some of the winners. I don't think they're ready to talk to Danny O'Neal a little bit, but otherwise I think like a we kind of talked about this just the wide receiver group kind of just a bunch of those guys looked good. Vinny Anthony looked good again, but like you said, I think Jaden Ballard he was pretty quiet the first week, especially if you heard a lot about him in spring practice and stuff. He was pretty quiet off all camp, didn't hear him a whole lot, didn't do a whole lot the first game, but yeah, I think he did pretty well second game, didn't he? Like I thought, didn't do a whole lot the first game, but yeah, I think he did pretty well second game, didn't he?
Speaker 1:I know he caught a touchdown. Yeah, two catches 73 yards.
Speaker 2:Big catch there, Big, big playability, which is exactly what we wanted from him, right.
Speaker 1:Yep, yeah, I'll go with Gene Ballard. Yeah, I liked it. I liked the Gene Ballard, I liked the Lance Mason, lance Mason is slowly, like we talked about it leading into the season, because it was when oh, his name always slips me that transfer tight end they had coming in. Who were they?
Speaker 2:Tanner Koziel.
Speaker 1:Tanner.
Speaker 2:Koziel, he was coming in.
Speaker 1:And it was like we felt like for once they were going to have a good tight end, since, like, ferguson left, yep. And then he was, you know, turned out to be a pansy and he left. I'm not going to say that he was a pansy, but he was a pansy anyways. And he left and we were like kind of sitting here like, okay, who's going to be the guy? Is it going to be Tucker Ashcraft? And then he got banged up and it's like, okay, now we got this guy in. Lance Mason, we got Stack in there, who's going to be the guy? Badger team Lance Mason looks good.
Speaker 1:He looks like all of everything that we wanted to see, and then some with a tight end Seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown there in that one. I mean he fits all of that frame 240 frame there for him. He's a big tight end, gets the job done for you, blocks well, he does everything you want in a tight end.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's what I was kind of worried about. That too. It's a good thing they got that left tackle thing figured out with malman, because if they would have kept tines in there I was worried they were going to keep mason in the block or he's chip non-stop and so like he wouldn't have been nearly as effective in the passing game right yeah, yeah, 100.
Speaker 1:and then it also affects the running backs too, because you want to run those backs out of the backfield a little bit too and it's like, okay, do we have to keep the backs back? Do we have to throw a double back package in there? Do we have to keep Jackson acre in the game more than a guy like Dupree or that, because we got to keep a blocker in that backfield? So what does that affect? So, yeah, I would completely agree with you on that one there. So, yeah, um, were there any losers? I guess you could say from I mean any losers or maybe a position group. I just want to just ask that a position group that might be the loser from week two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, let's just beat a dead horse, the offensive line. That is our loser for week two.
Speaker 1:Right, yep, yep, I don't think there's any other way to code it. I mean you could. Is there any other position group that really struggled? I mean, vacos was, he didn't really do anything, he had six extra points. He was fine. Bertrams was fine, wasn't? He? Was punting game fine in that one, I think the punting game was fine, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:he only had. He only had to punt twice. He kicked, uh, he had averaged almost 40 yards a punt. I mean it's not terrible. I don't think that's up to his standards, but I don't think it's like bad, not bad, no, not bad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean the only like this is I think it's going to be the thing that we talk about all season. The biggest problem with wisconsin badgers will be that offensive line, and it's so it's. It's kind of irritating because of the offseason, of thinking to ourselves that we were going to return to this ground-and-pound team who was going to try to play bully ball every once in a while, and I don't feel like we can play bully ball. I feel like we are. I don't even know what is the identity of the Wisconsin Badgers. Can you name that one to me? What is the identity of this team right now? Because they're not a ground and pound team. I don't see them as ground and pound team because we couldn't ground and pound against two FCS teams or, well, an FBS team that I don't really count as an FBS team. They lost to an FCS team. So, yeah, I mean what? What is the identity of this team?
Speaker 2:I couldn't tell you. I mean, like you said, I think they want to be a running team. I know that's kind of Jeff Grimes' MO, but again, I don't want to just keep throwing them under the bus. But I think if you don't have a healthy or good offensive line, it's hard to run the ball. And then if you can't run the ball, you can't do play action, and then just it kind of limits what you want to do. So and then if you're limited you're predictable. So just I don't know, I think they want to be something but they can't because they're limited with what they have at offensive line.
Speaker 1:So now Jeff Grimes, it's going to really test Jeff Grimes. Like we were talking there in that second half against the bad or against, you know, middle Tennessee, he adjusted, he started running those end arounds, he started running a little trickery in there. What do we see him do against Alabama? To try to open it up? Right, and maybe it's maybe to open up the run game. He's got to spread it all out. He's got to widen everything out, maybe pull the tight ends a little bit.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I don't know what he's going to have to do here, but you got to do something to get the run game going, because if the run game becomes completely stagnant, this offense is going to become stagnant. Because as much as we like to talk about the playmakers that they keep bringing in and this and that, I just don't feel like I don't feel like it's going to be enough at the end of the day to beat some of these really good teams that are on this schedule. So let's look at I mean, I'm looking at this team right now. The explosive play still worries me because we saw it once again against middle tennessee a couple of big plays that led middle tennessee down the field and that's the only reason why it seemed like they even got in scoring position. Was these big plays do the big play still worry you, because they're making me nervous once again yes and no.
Speaker 2:I mean I think if this was any other year I'd be like, yeah, that really, really worries me. Alabama this year hasn't really had any explosive big plays yet. Not saying they won't, but I mean oh don't say that I know, I know I'm jinxing it.
Speaker 2:I'm jinxing it. It's Florida State. I mean, they're showing they're pretty good team right now, but then they played UL Monroe and beat them 73, nothing. And they still like their advanced stats and analytics for like explosive plays still isn't there, like I don't know. I'm worried. Obviously I say that now they're going to absolutely just go off on some huge plays and also I probably didn't help. They didn't know if they didn't have that Ryan Williams play against UL Monroe either, I'm sure he'll probably be back against us, so I'm sure he'll have some 70-yard play against us. But yeah, I think that's a really good point.
Speaker 2:The defense has looked pretty good. The only defense they've given up all year was after that fluke interception that O'Neal threw at the end of the first half there and they were backed up, know whatever, but I don't know. I'd like to. I'd like to say this secondary and like, between the pass rush, if the pass rush can get home, which is asking a lot against an Alabama offensive line with, like Caden Proctor, but if we can get home and like, just not let them, you know, have any deep passing plays and if, like, their safeties can stay over the top of everything and limit everything.
Speaker 2:Make, make Alabama, do you know? 10, 12, 13 yard or 13 play, drive down to the field to score. Maybe hold them to a field goal, you know. Just limit the explosiveness, then I think we have a pretty good shot. But I mean, boy, it's Alabama, you know, like no one's, no one's taking them seriously right now. So, like, this is like a perfect opportunity. Oh, back to a power four school. Now let's just show that the Florida State game was a fluke, or Florida State's just really, really good, and let's just destroy Wisconsin, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like it's. Yeah, that was. My worry was they weren't going to get all that aggression out on UL Monroe. So they're going to have to save some up for Wisconsin. So that's what we're going to have to save some up for Wisconsin. So that's what we're going to find out about this week here. So any final thoughts, any final thoughts before I let you go here, about this badger team moving forward here against Alabama coming up this week. Anything you got coming up here on badger backer coming up this pretty soon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just preview stuff talking about. I have one coming out soon about what's at stake for both programs, cause I think right now this is a big game for both teams. It might not seem like it to the outsider looking in. I think it's like, oh, alabama's just going to destroy Wisconsin, move on next game, right, but I think, like I said, alabama has a lot to prove that they're not, you know, a program in the on the decline, and I think this is a game where let's see, you know, wisconsin, where they really are right, are they actually turning things or is it just the same old Wisconsin we've seen the last few years? So that's what I'm excited to see on Saturday.
Speaker 2:Like I don't, I by no means think we're going to win this game, but I think if we can keep it's a 21 and a half point line right now, right, we're 21 and a half point underdogs. If we keep it like under two touchdowns, I think I'm not one for moral victories, but I think that's just like a good benchmark, like showing where we are right now. Like we're not, we're not going to compete for the college football playoff, but I think we can, you know, finish. That gives us a good chance to finish in the top half or third of the big 10 right yeah, no, I'm all about moral victories.
Speaker 1:Give me a moral victory for one. That's all I'm looking'm looking for Keep it close, like you said, a two-touchdown game at Tuscaloosa for this team, that one I would not. I'd be okay, I'd walk away from that game and I'd be okay and I'd be like, okay, I'm feeling better about this team. Maybe they have a chance to go beat some of these other teams on this schedule If they get completely doors blown off. Now I'm worried.
Speaker 1:Now I'm worried, heading even into maryland now I'm worried about iowa, I'm worried about this whole schedule in illinois, indiana. It all gets scary. It all gets scary there the rest of the way. So so I mean, make sure you guys are checking out christian across all social media. The badger back there are christian borman across all social media platforms there. Uh, but thank you, as always, christian, for stopping by here. He he's going to be back, like every single Wednesday here to talk badger football and badger sports with us. When a basketball rolls around, he'll be here. He'll be here for everything like that. So thank you as always, christian, we'll be back here on the backside of that break.
Speaker 1:Kyle's going to stop by. We got NFL talk about we'll be back here after.