UW must make holes for Taylor
MADISON – Jonathan Taylor's pedestrian rushing numbers in Wisconsin's loss to Ohio State – 52 yards on 20 carries – illustrated how thoroughly the Buckeyes controlled the line of scrimmage.
A deeper look reveals just how poor the blocking was in UW's 38-7 loss.
Linemen, tight ends and wide receivers either weren't quick enough to get to their men or were beaten physically.
“It's definitely not all on the O-line,” UW coach Paul Chryst noted. “It's not all
on J.T. It’s 11 on offense vs. 11 on defense.
“To say that it all goes on one group, one unit, I think that’s wrong.”
UW (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) returns to action at 3 p.m. Saturday against visiting Iowa (6-2, 3-2) in what amounts to an elimination game in the race to catch first-place Minnesota in the West Division.
And if UW’s blocking doesn’t improve this week, the Iowa defense is good enough to contain Taylor as well as the Buckeyes did.
Taylor entered the Ohio State game averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 136.7 yards per game.
He absorbed first contact at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield on 11 of his 20 carries at Ohio State, or 55.0%. Seven times first contact came in the backfield, with the average distance 2.1 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Taylor managed to gain a combined 19 yards on those seven carries, thanks mostly to a 14-yard run in the opening quarter. He was met by a defender 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage on that run.
Four times first contact came at the line of scrimmage. He gained a combined 4 yards on those carries.
Ohio State opened the game in a new defense – a 4-4-3 – with four linebackers, tight coverage on the receivers and a single, high safety.
“Teams are bringing different stuff, stuff that they don’t normally have,” guard Jason Erdmann said.
The Buckeyes used the 4-4-3 liberally but didn’t need it to contain Taylor.
Ohio State linemen shot gaps or tossed aside UW offensive linemen. The linebackers routinely got penetration and defensive backs were able to defeat blocks on the perimeter the few times UW tried to run wide.
UW faced third and 3 from its 32 on the opening series and deployed three wide receivers, tight end Jake Ferguson on a wing to the right and Jack Coan and Taylor in the backfield.
With Ohio State in a 4-2-5, UW ran the ball.
Taylor took the handoff from Coan and started left. Linebacker Tuf Borland shot through a gap between center and left guard and got an arm on Taylor at the 33. Fellow linebacker Malik Harrison penetrated unblocked – it appeared left tackle Cole Van Lanen was late coming off a double-team block with left guard David Moorman – and dropped Taylor at the 34.
“I think they are a good defense and we had to play our best ball,” said Ferguson, who came across and occupied end Chase Young to give Taylor a brief opening. “We just didn’t click.”
Offenses have struggled to click against Iowa this season.
The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing just 87.8 rushing yards per game. Only Michigan (33 carries, 120 yards) and Penn State (53 carries, 177 yards) have rushed for more than 100 yards against Iowa this season. And those teams averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.
Iowa has yet to allow a run of 20 yards or more this season. The Hawkeyes have allowed a combined eight runs of 12 yards or longer in eight games.
UW has 14 runs of 20 yards or longer, including six by Taylor.
In two games against the Hawkeyes, Taylor has rushed 54 times for 270 yards, an average of 5.0 yards per carry and 135.0 yards per game. He has seven runs of 10 yards or longer but has gained 2 yards or less on 17 carries. Taylor has lost yardage on only three of the 54 carries.
Although Illinois and Ohio State gave UW’s blockers new wrinkles in the last two games, Iowa’s defensive coaches rarely make such changes. The Hawkeyes play a 4-3 front and the secondary generally doesn’t get beat deep.
“The guys you recruit, what you expect them to do when they get here and the style of play that we have and the scheme that we have, there are very little changes,” defensive line coach Kelvin Bell told reporters during Iowa’s offweek. “You can take guys from six or seven years ago that can come back and tell you what you’re doing, defensively.
“That type of continuity, from a scheme standpoint, helps you plug and play more than making wholesale changes, year in and year out.”