2013 Wisconsin Spring Football Analysis

Wisconsin Badgers 2013 - Big Ten ... Head Coach: Gary Andersen

Wisconsin Badgers

2013 Schedule
8/31 UMass
9/7 Tennessee Tech
9/14 at Arizona State
9/21 Purdue
9/28 at Ohio State
10/5 OPEN DATE
10/12 Northwestern
10/19 at Illinois
10/26 OPEN DATE
11/2 at Iowa
11/9 BYU
11/16 Indiana
11/23 at Minnesota
11/30 Penn State

Why To Be Excited: Don’t just hand the Leaders title to Ohio State quite yet. There’s no reason to expect the music to stop just because there’s a new coaching staff. It’s a bit of an overstatement to suggest that Bret Bielema wore out his welcome with two straight Big Ten championship game wins and three straight trips to Pasadena, but the hiring of Gary Andersen should change around the mood. The Badgers are still going to pound away with the running game, the defense is still going to be tough and hard-nosed, and there were still be the bully attitude.

Why To Be Grouchy: Ohio State is eligible for the Big Ten title again. On the field for Bucky, the secondary that was such a positive last year needs to come up with some big replacements. The defensive front should quietly grow into one of the Big Ten’s best, and the linebacking corps should be terrific despite the loss of tackling machine Mike Taylor, but corners Marcus Cromartie and safety Shelton Johnson are gone from a group that finished 18th in the nation against the pass.

What Needs Working On: There isn’t a Russell Wilson or a Scott Tolzien under center to make teams pay for cheating up against the run, and that proved costly last year. This time around, the passing game has to be tighter and more efficient. The quarterback situation will be in the spotlight with five decent options battling for the job, but the bigger key could be the No. 2 receiver situation. Jared Abbrederis was a one man gang with some help coming from tight end Jacob Pedersen. The third best target was Jordan Frederick with a mere 17 catches for 196 yards and a score. Basically, when Abbrederis was erased or was out hurt, the passing game and the offense went into a funk.

Non-Conference Games: UMass, Tennessee Tech, at Arizona State
Games Against The Legends: at Iowa, at Minnesota, Northwestern
Realistic Best Case Record: 11-1
Worst Case Record: 6-6
Likely Finish: 11-1

Pre-Preseason Projected Wins: UMass, Tennessee Tech, at Arizona State, Purdue, Northwestern, at Illinois, at Iowa, BYU, Indiana, at Minnesota, Penn State

Pre-Preseason Projected Losses: at Ohio State

Schedule Analysis: The Badgers can’t ask for a much lighter slate in Gary Andersen’s first season. However, it all might come down to September. If Bucky is good enough to get to October 5-0, it’ll be good enough to potentially go 12-0 even though the team really isn’t talented enough to get through without a blemish. UMass and Tennessee Tech are the scrimmages needed to be ready for a statement game at Arizona State, and Purdue is a good Big Ten opener to be ready for the make-or-break showdown with Ohio State in Columbus.

With a week off to be ready for Northwestern, Illinois to follow, and another bye week to rest up for November, the schedule works out well. BYU will be a difficult home game after going to Iowa, but Indiana, at Minnesota and Penn State is about as easy as it gets. There’s no Michigan, Michigan State or Nebraska from the Legends.

Team Concerns For 2013: The defense should be excellent and the special teams and running game will be a plus, so all the focus will be around a passing game that has to be even more efficient and more effective. While much was made out of the strange quarterback situation, the receivers were the bigger problem. If Jared Abbrederis wasn't making big things happen, the passing attack went kaput. The offensive line - by Wisconsin's standards - has to be far better, and that's where new head coach Gary Andersen should shine. 

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Defensive backs. It's been a weird time with the coaching change, and at some point it would be nice if Gary Andersen can bust the program out of the "recruit to a type" mode, but this year's class could potentially be good if some of the defensive backs pan out. Corners Jakarris Washington and Keelon Brookins were good gets from Massachusetts and Minnesota, respectively, while Matt Hubley is a sneaky-good safety prospect. Two of the keys for down the road are running back Corey Clement out of New Jersey and receiver Rob Wheelright out of Ohio, each with the talent to have had their pick of schools. They might be needed as soon as possible.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 66. That Class Was Heavy On ... The offensive line. The Badgers don’t need to come up with a big class, going after quality over quantity. Bret Bielema is going outside of the state for some of the key prospects, including getting guard Dan Voltz out of Illinois. More good ones are on the way. Bielema has mostly focused on getting the type of defenders who fit what the program likes to do by developing overachievers, but this year, more top players are giving UW a look. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 38. That Class Was Heavy On ... Outside linebackers. Wisconsin might be Tight End U. with the success of players like Travis Beckum, Lance Kendricks, and others over the last few seasons, and there’s more talent on the way with Sam Arneson, Austin Maly, and Eric Staffes three good pass catchers. Overall, this is a typical Badger class with no real superstars, but plenty of midlevel prospects who fit the team’s mold. The one top pickup was Jake Keefer, local product with great range. Michael Caputo and Jordan Fredrick are just two of the several other good outside defenders brought in.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 27. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive linemen. Overall, this was a diverse and strong class that made up for a few years of subpar Signing Days. Wisconsin might recruit to fit the program, but this class also has talent. The Badgers signed a ton of defensive linemen last season and kept bringing in the talent this year with six excellent prospect. 292-pound DT Beau Allen was the key piece to the puzzle, while Sherard Cadogan and Konrad Zagzebeski fit the UW mold of smallish, lightning quick speed rushers on the outside. Jeff Lewis and James White will have a few years to work into the running back rotation.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 53. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive linemen. The Badgers have been surprisingly soft up front over the last few years. Poor tackling has been part of the problem; injuries have been the other part. This year’s class addressed the needs up front led by tackle Jordan Kohout, arguably the state’s top recruit. Pat Muldoon and Shelby Harris are strong pass rushing prospects who have to come through and shine sooner than later.