Badgers 2020 Season Recap/Outlook for 2021

Starting in this last Spring, Badger fans and football fans across the country knew this was going to be an abnormal season (if there was a season at all). Even so, we made it through to the National Championship, and the Badgers got seven games in. A 4-3 record probably isn’t considered by many to be successful, but there are some positives to take away from what was a rollercoaster of a season.

Season Recap

If you thought that the Wisconsin would be making some noise in the Playoff Talks after the season-opening 45-7 rout of Illinois, you probably weren’t alone, and nobody was probably going to argue with you. National media members and Wisconsin media/fans alike were praising Graham Mertz for his 20/21, five touchdown performance. The run-game didn’t look great (3.4 ypc and a longest run of 13 yards) but it didn’t matter (yet).

After a couple weeks off because of a Covid-19 outbreak within the locker room, Wisconsin had to take a couple weeks off before playing against Michigan in Ann Arbor with uncertainty surrounding who would be available. The uncertainty turned into optimism, and the Badgers again won big against a reeling Wolverines team 49-11. Mertz didn’t have quite the same phenomenal performance (12/22, 127 yards), but the offense was much more explosive on the ground with five players having runs of 18+ yards and five total rushing touchdowns for the team.

One week later, the wheels started to fall off for the Wisconsin offense against Northwestern in what was a top-20 matchup. The defense played how they really did the majority of the year, stopping the opposing offense fairly consistently. The Badgers held the Wildcats to just one yard per attempt on the ground (23 att. For 24 yards). For the Wisconsin offense, turnovers were the main culprit in a one touchdown performance, and Mertz had four of them (3 INT, 1 fumble). The rushing attack struggling (just 3.6 YPC) finally resulted in the team not being able to put up 40 points. With the 17-7 loss and the lack of games already played due to Covid restrictions, the Badgers were essentially eliminated from playoff contention only three games into the season.

Another top 20 matchup followed what was an unplanned bye week for Wisconsin as the Minnesota game was cancelled, eliminating the Badgers from Big Ten Championship eligibility. Facing an Indiana team without starting QB Michael Penix Jr. it felt like this was a game the Badgers should have walked out of with a win. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, as the Wisconsin offense failed to find the end zone once during the game and turned the ball over twice. While the defense again played fairly well, it wasn’t enough as the Badgers lost 14-6. As hard as it is to win games in the Big Ten, it’s even harder when you score six points.

Moving toward the Iowa game, while Wisconsin had lost any sense of an offensive identity, they still came into Iowa City as a two point favorite. Trailing 14-0 in the 3rd quarter, Nakia Watson ran in from one yard out to cut the lead in half. A few minutes later, the Hawkeyes scored from 53 yards out to take another 14-point lead. After a Graham Mertz interception, Iowa had another long touchdown on the very next play to secure the 28-7 victory and take home the Heartland trophy. Mertz finished 20/38 with 169 yards and an interception, while Watson led the team in rushing with a whopping 29 yards on 13 carries.

Wisconsin then was finally able to find an open week to play Minnesota during conference championship weekend. Coming in at 3-4, the Gophers’ season had gone just about as far below expectations as the Badgers. The Badgers held a 7-point lead with 11:30 to go in the game, but a 12-play 75 yard drive for the Gophers tied the game at 17. The Wisconsin Defense secured a stop on Minnesota’s first drive in Overtime, which the Badgers took advantage of by kicking the game-winning field goal from Colin Larsh to win the game 20-17 and bring the Axe back to Madison. While it was refreshing to see Wisconsin score multiple touchdowns in one game for the first time in two months (three games), the offense still had its fair share of struggles, just not enough to prevent a win. Before getting injured, Mertz finished with a QBR of 32.7 and a 60% completion rating. Filling in for Mertz, Chase Wolf finished 4/5 with 15 yards passing, a touchdown, and one interception. Garrett Groshek carried the load offensively over 6YPC and over 160 yards rushing. Eric Burrell was responsible for the team’s only takeaway in the form of an interception.

With an accepted bid to play in the Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest, the Badgers had one last chance to finish the season not only on a high note, but secure another winning season. A loss, however, would give Wisconsin Football its first losing season in almost twenty years. The game started about as poorly as a Badger game can start, as Wisconsin trailed 14-0 with just over 7:00 left in the first quarter. With the momentum of an early touchdown in the opening seconds of the second quarter, Wisconsin took the game into halftime tied with Wake Forest at 14. With the teams trading a touchdown to start the second half, the game had the feel of a shootout in the making. The Badgers defense stepped up, however, getting an interception on four consecutive drives which led to a 42-21 lead for Wisconsin to secure another Bowl win. Mertz finished with three total touchdowns, four different Badgers got an interception, and Jalen Berger was able to score as well. The Badgers finished unranked at 4-3.

Takeaways/2021 outlook

As I keep mentioning, this season did not go the way any fans would have hoped. Mertz showed everyone a lot of potential in game one, but never could put consistent performances together. This could be a combination of a lot of things not related to talent or to a skill set. For starters, it isn’t easy to find a rhythm when you’re never sure if you’ll be able to play on a given week, and the time off between games was very inconsistent. While every team in the country had to deal with this, imagine how much harder it might be for a first-year starter at quarterback who is only in his second year at college. Another reason that Mertz might have struggled throughout the season was due to a lack of depth at receiver, mainly Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis missing multiple games. The lack of a dominant run game that is usually a tradition at Wisconsin also did not ease any pressure on the quarterback position.

Looking at the run game, there was a lack of not only big plays, but plays that really got any significant yards at all. An injury to Center Kaden Lyles didn’t help matters, but even prior to the injury the offense could not run the ball with any consistency. Freshman Jalen Berger showed a lot of promise, but battled injuries and a crowded backfield.

Defensively, the unit played fairly well all year and was the main reason Wisconsin’s losses were close games. The Badger defense finished 5th in the country in yards allowed per game, and 9th in scoring defense. The Badgers also had a top five defense against the run, something that may seem surprising considering the amount of time the team spent trailing against teams like Iowa. One area the unit struggled was in generating sacks, finishing near the bottom 25 in the nation.

Looking forward to the 2021 season, there should still be a lot of optimism surrounding the Badgers. Ideally, Mertz will benefit from a hopefully more active offseason. Jalen Berger is on track to develop into the next featured back at Wisconsin, and has plenty of time to grow. With wide receiver Kendric Pryor returning to Madison and Danny Davis expected to return, not only will that bring some leadership and familiarity to the offense, but it will provide Mertz with his top two weapons. Jake Ferguson has also announced that he will be returning for one more season, something that Badger fans should be very happy about as he has proven to be a reliable receiving option. On the Offensive Line, the Badgers return the entire right side, and bring in both experience at Left Guard (Josh Seltzner, 218 snaps in 2020) and extreme potential at Left Tackle (Logan Brown, former 5-star recruit).

Defensively the Badgers can be expected to reload as usual. With both Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal returning at inside linebacker, the middle of the defense should continue to be solid each week. In the defensive backfield, the Badgers bring back some experience with Faion Hicks and Donte Burton returning at Corner and Scott Nelson returning at Safety. Additionally, the Badgers hope to get back Reggie Pearson Jr. from injury. We also may get a chance to see the pair of 4-star recruits at safety at some point next season, Hunter Wohler and Braelon Allen.

Overall, I think Badger fans have a lot to look forward to next season. I think Mertz needs to be given another chance with a full offseason program, and see what another year of experience can do for the O-Line. Defensively we can expect the Badgers to be one of the best in the Nation. If the Badgers want to compete for the College Football Playoff, however, it will take a complete season, including games against Notre Dame at Solider Field (presumably), Iowa, traveling to Minnesota, and crossover games against what should be improved Penn State and Michigan teams.