NCAAF Five takeaways from Wisconsin’s 35-14 win over Georgia Southern
It was a tale of two halves, as all three games of the year have been so far, for Wisconsin football in their 35-14 win over Georgia Southern (2-1). The Badgers (2-1) started slow and it despite three first-half interceptions thrown by Georgia Southern quarterback Davis Brin, the teams went into the locker room tied at 7.
It wasn’t until Wisconsin fell down 14-7 early in the second half that the Badger offense woke up with a five-play, 58-yard drive spurred by Braelon Allen early in the third quarter.
From there, it was the Wisconsin defense forcing another trio of turnovers that sealed what ended up being a comfortable win. It certainly wasn’t a full, four-quarter performance that will ease Badger fans after a loss to Washington State. Here are ten takeaways from the win:
In the end, it was classic Wisconsin football that woke up the Badgers
After Wisconsin didn’t look for Braelon Allen early on, it was the running back’s 32-yard run that changed the momentum for the Badgers when they fell down 14-7 in the third. Despite all the changes, it was still the classic running game that turned things around in Madison.
The defense took advantage of the opportunities they were handed
It certainly didn’t feel like the dominant defensive performance that some of the box score numbers would show, but Wisconsin was able to take advantage of every mistake that came their way. After not forcing a turnover through two weeks, Wisconsin forced six on Saturday.
Tanner Mordecai never looked rattled
Amidst a lot of chaos for Wisconsin and a number of questionable play calls and sloppy play early, the SMU transfer never looked rattled under center. Mordecai took care of the football, threw for 236 yards, and had a rushing score to tie the game at 14.
The secondary, yes even with five interceptions, is a massive issue that has yet to be solved
Criticizing the secondary after a five-interception day for Wisconsin? Yes, we have to. The Eagles threw for 383 yards and had numerous chunk plays in the passing game that set them up in Wisconsin’s end. From there, you saw massive mistakes by Davis Brin that kept the Badgers close early.
There is no identity yet
It’s super early, both in the season and the Luke Fickell era. We, however, haven’t seen any type of consistent identity from Wisconsin. Do they want to bully you up front? Is this an air raid offense? Is the defense able to get any pressure in the backfield at all? Where does the ball go when their backs are against the wall? There are so many identity questions as we head into Big Ten play.
