Badgers need more productivity from receivers
MADISON – Paul Chryst isn’t bent on seeing Wisconsin become the No. 1 passing team in the Big Ten.
His goal is more modest. Chryst, entering his fifth season as UW’s head coach, wants the passing game to be good enough to at least complement the running game and stop opposing defensive coordinators from turning the line of scrimmage into a parking lot.
“I believe that you always want to be balanced, probably game by game,” Chryst said. “Last year we were 60 percent run, 40 percent pass.
“You’re going to need them both to be good. I think you’re always striving to do that within what your group can handle.”
UW last season led the Big Ten in rushing at 273.4 yards per game, with Jonathan Taylor leading the nation at 168.8 yards per game. The touchdown total of 32 was No. 2 in the league behind Penn State (34).
UW last season finished 12th in the Big Ten in passing at just 157.7 yards per game. Only Maryland (141.3 ypg) and Rutgers (132.2 ypg) got less bang for their buck throwing the ball. UW’s touchdown total of 19 was the seventhbest total in the league, 32 behind league-leader Ohio State (51).
“It was obvious teams were going to make us beat them throwing it,” athletic director Barry Alvarez noted.
The only significant change for 2019 is the departure of quarterback Alex Hornibrook, who has transferred to
Florida State.
Senior A.J. Taylor and juniors Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor remain the top three wide receivers.
Can that trio combine to put up better numbers in 2019? Are there other candidates capable of giving wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore more options?
“I think they’ve got to be a group that is consistent enough and (affects) it enough,” Chryst said, referring to the productivity of the offense. “They’ve all had their moments, right?
“But quite honestly they need to take some pressure off J.T. If we are going to be a better offense, we’ve got to be able to do that.
"We need a couple more (options).
Someone has got to emerge. That whole group has got to raise their level of play. They've all had their moments, great moments. But they've got to able to consistently produce and we've got to help them.”
Davis overcame a two-game suspension and a slow start to lead the team in catches (40) and touchdown catches (five). His per-catch average of 10.4 yards was down significantly from his freshman season (16.1 yards).
A.J. Taylor finished third on the team in catches (32) and had three touchdowns. He improved his per-catch average from 2017 by a yard to 16.3 but had two fewer touchdown catches.
Pryor finished fifth on the team in catches (23) but his per-catch average was down to 11.9 yards from 13.8 in 2017. He did have three touchdown catches, however, two more than he had in 2017.
“We talked about being able to push the ball downfield more, making it a more balanced offense,” Pryor said when asked about goals for the '19 season.
According to Pryor, the receivers have been working on doing a better job beating press coverage near the line of scrimmage so they can separate more quickly and consistently from defenders.
“There were some plays when it was us not getting open,” Pryor said of last season. “That is something we've been working on a lot, getting off the line by using our hands. That will help us be more open.”