UPON FURTHER REVIEW
WISCONSIN 34, MIAMI 24
MADISON – Jeff Potrykus reviews Wisconsin’s 34-24 victory over Miami on Saturday night in the Orange Bowl.
Offense (B+)
UW’s linemen and tight ends generally gave quarterback Alex Hornibrook time to sit back in the pocket or clear lanes through which to move up toward the line of scrimmage and find open receivers. Hornibrook manipulated the pocket, made quick decisions and threw accurately into in the middle of the field against zone coverage and on the perimeter against tight man coverage. After UW started slowly in the opening quarter, Hornibrook completed 20 of 25 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns over the final three quarters. On third-down plays, he hit 7 of 10 attempts for 85 yards and five first downs. He was sacked once, was the victim of one drop and saw a 27-yard pass play on third and 8 wiped out by penalty.
A.J. Taylor (8-105-1), Danny Davis (556-3) and Kendric Pryor (2-30-0) combined for 15 catches for 191 yards and four touchdowns.
All three players have displayed the ability to attack the ball in the air and make tough catches against tight coverage.
Redshirt freshman Patrick Kasl replaced
David Edwards (left leg) at right tackle in the second half and held up. Kasl is one of several young linemen who should make the depth of the unit better in 2018.
Freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor was given more room to maneuver than in the Big Ten title game and posted solid numbers (26 carries, 130 yards). He lost a fumble on his second carry, although the decision by the replay official to overturn the call on the field that the runner was down appeared questionable. Nevertheless, Taylor needs to be more secure with the ball. Fullback Austin Ramesh gave a wonderful all-around performance in his final college game. Ramesh blocked effectively and picked up four first downs on five touches. He converted two thirdand-1 plays with runs of 4 and 3 yards. He had three catches for 27 yards, picking up first downs with gains of 13 and 12 yards.
Defense (B+)
UW appeared to have issues with Miami’s speed on the edge and tempo of play-calling early as the Hurricanes gained 148 yards on just 15 plays in building a 14-3 lead through one quarter.
UW’s defense held the Hurricanes to 229 yards and 10 points on 40 plays over the final three quarters. Andrew Van Ginkel’s leaping interception on the second play of the second quarter gave UW the ball at the Hurricanes’ 23 and sparked the Badgers’ run of three consecutive touchdowns. Cornerback Derrick Tindal’s interception in the end zone, with UW holding a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, killed a promising Miami drive.
UW’s best defensive series arguably came in the fourth quarter after Miami moved from its 25 to a first and goal at the UW 10.
Linebacker Ryan Connelly split two linemen in the middle of the field and limited quarterback Malik Rosier to a 2-yard gain. Connelly and Leon Jacobs combined to limit DeeJay Dallas, working out of the wildcat, to a 1-yard gain on second down. Van Ginkel then used his speed to track down Rosier in the flat and limit him to a 1-yard gain. That led to a 24-yard field-goal attempt, which Michael Badgley missed.
Special teams (B-minus)
Rafael Gaglianone drilled field goals of 35 and 47 yards to bring his season total to 16 of 18. Combined with making 7 of 8 attempts last season before being shut down because of a back injury, Gaglianone has made 23 of his last 26 attempts.
It appeared punter Anthony Lotti was asked to use direction kicks to put the ball closer to the sideline and he didn’t hit the ball as cleanly as he has in previous games. Nevertheless, his 45-yard punt that resulted in a fair catch forced the Hurricanes to start at their 33 on the series that resulted in Van Ginkel’s interception.
Coaching (A)
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard relied on a 2-4-5 in the opening quarter but changed to a 3-4-4 look after the Hurricanes’ hot start. Save for a few plays, Miami wasn’t able to counterpunch well enough.
UW’s offensive coaches correctly surmised they would be able to attack the middle of the Miami defense with passes.
The most impressive job done by the staff, however, was something we’ve seen for most of the season. After falling behind, 14-3, UW’s players did not panic or deviate from the game plan. Even in the loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, UW’s players never backed down or panicked. That ability, combined with talent up and down the lineup, contributed to the victory over Miami and a 13-1 record.