Watson experiencing common growing pains
MADISON – Nakia Watson received some helpful advice from Wisconsin teammate Garrett Groshek last week.
After Watson gained just 19 yards on six carries in the first half of UW's 48-0 victory over Kent State, Groshek told him:
Stop thinking, plant your foot in the ground and run.
Watson, a 5-foot-11, 229-pound redshirt freshman, gained 44 yards on six carries (7.3-yard average) after halftime.
“It's just about getting into a rhythm,” Watson said. “I have to keep doing it in order for me to get comfortable. That is probably what you saw in the game. Those first few carries, they were there, but it wasn't how I finished the game.”
Jonathan Taylor enters UW's game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Michigan State with a team-high 103 carries. That is 56% of the carries by the tailbacks.
Watson is second with 48 carries, an average of 9.6 per game. Watson so far has vacillated between running tentatively and attacking the line of scrimmage before his blocking can develop.
“That's always to me a tricky thing for a back,” UW coach Paul Chryst said, “especially because you are excited to get in there. You do know that the patience is a huge part of it.”
Watson, who ran well in the opener against South Florida, exhibited a mix of patience and decisiveness in the second half against Kent State.
“We talk about that a lot,” Watson said, referring to running backs coach John Settle. “Coach Sett always says: ‘If you don't follow your blockers, you're on your own. And whatever happens after that, that's on you.'”
Watson opened the season with a flourish by rushing 14 times for 80 yards (5.7 yards per carry) at South Florida.
Over the next three games, however, he gained a combined 61 yards on 22 carries, an average of just 2.8 yards per carry.
He had only one carry for 1 yard against Northwestern. That came one week after he gained only 31 yards on 13 carries against Michigan.
“I thought I was too slow to the hole against Michigan,” he said. “I feel that I know where I'm supposed to be, know where the hole is supposed to open up.”
The more work Watson gets the sooner he'll be able to consistently make the correct reads, exhibit patience and then hit the hole at the right time.
“They do learn from those reps,” Chryst said. “A lot of people say meaningless reps. Every rep is so meaningful and for different ways.”
The reps for Watson are meaningful for the present and the future because no one expects Taylor to return to UW for his final season.
Watson and Groshek would be UW's most experienced runners in 2020.
"I know what my role is right now so every rep I get I have to take advantage of it," Watson said. "I feel like that will help me to be better next year. Hopefully there will be more reps next year."
Shutouts matter to the players
Most of UW's defensive starters were on the sideline for Kent State's final three possessions Saturday but that doesn't mean they had checked out mentally.
They wanted to see the third shutout of the season in the books.
“All three shutouts we've had,” senior linebacker Zack Baun said, “me and Chris (Orr) have been on the sideline yelling and screaming because we expect no drop-off." The reserves didn't disappoint. Kent State lost a fumble on its first possession of the fourth quarter and then punted on it second and third possessions, which generated a combined 3 yards on six plays.
“Whether it is us or our second or our third team out there,” Baun said, “there should be no drop-off. That is the expectation.”
Hey coach, we’ve got the play-call
According to Chryst, Taylor and Groshek lobbied for the staff to run a jet sweep with reserve wide receiver Jack Dunn late against Kent State.
“They appreciate what he does,” Chryst explained. “I mean that. The way he approaches it and what he does for this team, every guy was fired up about that one.”
Dunn got the ball on the first play of the final quarter and scored from 3 yards to help UW push its lead to 48-0.
The UW sideline was up for grabs. “Especially with a guy like Dunn,” Taylor explained, “because he works so hard at practice each and every single day.
“He is a vital part of this team. He does a lot of stuff for us. So to see him get in there…it was fun. I don't know if you guys saw the sideline but we were jumping up and down.”