Badgers appear to be the best in the West
MADISON – As summer began to wind down and college football teams dived into preseason camps across the country, a picture of the Big Ten West Division began to emerge.
Nebraska was a popular choice to win the division despite the fact the Cornhuskers were coming off a 3-6 Big Ten finish in Scott Frost’s first season. Why the hype?
Because the Cornhuskers had standout quarterback Adrian Martinez and other offensive play-makers and because the memory of Frost leading Central Florida to a 13-0 record in his second season there remained vivid.
Iowa was a trendy pick to challenge for the division title despite finishing 5-4 in the league last season. Why?
The Hawkeyes had a veteran quarterback in senior Nate Stanley, an experienced offensive line, a stud defensive end in A.J. Epenesa and a reputation for player development.
Wisconsin, which stumbled to a 5-4 record in the league and 8-5 overall in 2018, was perceived to be a team on the slide rather than the rise.
The following comes with the usual caveat that it is early in the season, but reasonable minds likely will agree that the picture has been altered.
UW (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), which shares first place with rival Minnesota (5-0, 2-0) and moved up one spot to No. 8 in the Amway coaches poll on Sunday, appears to be the most complete team in the division.
The Badgers host Michigan State (4-2, 2-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on BTN. Jim Leonhard’s defense is No. 1 in points allowed (5.8 ppg), total defense (178.6 ypg) and pass-efficiency defense (44.6% completion rate, six interceptions) and No. 2 against the run (47.6 ypg),
“It’s been fun to watch,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “I mean…whether it’s spring ball or fall camp and you see it come together, but I don’t think you ever really do know. That’s what awesome about the season. Obviously, what they’ve done has been impressive.
“It’s also going to be more challenging as we continue to go and get back into conference play. But I do. I like what Jimmy and the defensive staff have been doing, giving them the plan, but the guys are owning it.
“Yet we know we still got to keep going.”
On the other side of the ball, UW boasts arguably the best running back in the country in Jonathan Taylor, who leads the nation in scoring with 96 points (16 touchdowns) and is second in rushing yards per game (149.0).
Taylor is running behind an athletic offensive line and is paired with a quarterback in Jack Coan who has completed 74.6% of his passes for an average of 187.8 yards per game, with seven touchdowns and one interception.
“He is running like a maniac,” senior wide receiver A.J. Taylor said of Taylor. “He is doing what he needs to do. Going back to executing, he has just been on point, on point.”
Meanwhile, Iowa and Nebraska appear to be vulnerable.
The Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) were unbeaten until suffering a 10-3 loss Saturday at Michigan. Iowa’s offense was limited to one field goal and 261 yards on 13 full possessions.
Quarterback Nate Stanley was sacked eight times and threw three interceptions. The Hawkeyes finished with 1 rushing yard on 30 carries.
“They played the best football game of the year defensively,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said after the loss. “They were aggressive, athletic and played hard.
“You have to give them credit but we have to protect the ball better or it’s going to be tough to win against a good opponent.”
Nebraska (4-2,1-1) was manhandled at home by Ohio State and on Saturday needed a last-second field goal to defeat Northwestern, 13-10.
The Cornhuskers battled injuries to Martinez and wide receiver JD Spielman but 10 punts on 14 full possessions was ugly. A late interception set up the Cornhuskers’ game-winning scoring drive.
“Probably not a surprise,” Frost said after the victory. “We need to play better. We need to finish a couple of those drives.”
Meanwhile, the Gophers have a favorable schedule with the tougher games coming late – Nov. 9 against visiting Penn State, Nov. 16 at Iowa, Nov. 23 at Northwestern and Nov. 30 against visiting UW.
The Gophers remained unbeaten Saturday with a 40-17 victory over Illinois. They suffered two turnovers that Illinois turned into 14 point but rolled up 332 rushing yards and 487 total yards.
“It was the most complete game of the season we’ve played, but it still wasn’t very complete,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “Our offense scored a lot of points, but we also scored a lot of points for them.
“I’m really proud of the team’s resolve tonight. Our performance defensively today was outstanding.”