Wisconsin’s return to Camp Randall Stadium to take on Illinois Saturday represents an opportunity for the team to pull itself back together after being upset at Northwestern last weekend.
While a team-wide rebound is paramount for the Badgers (0-1 Big Ten, 3-2 overall) to put the Oct. 4 loss in Evanston, Illinois, behind them, all eyes will be on the quarterback position, which is once again up in the air.
Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig confirmed that redshirt junior quarterbacks Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave will each see time Saturday, but he has not yet named a starter.
McEvoy and Stave have been splitting snaps at practice, but it is not clear if this congruence will be a part of the game plan against Illinois (0-2, 3-3). Ludwig explained that the play calling will align with the strengths of whoever is under center, likely meaning that McEvoy will be integrated into the running game with read options and draw plays to take advantage of his athleticism, while Stave, given his superior accuracy and arm strength, will be looked on to test the second level of Illinois’ defense.
Ludwig and head coach Gary Andersen have also stated that both quarterbacks may be used at the same time in certain situations. McEvoy is open to the prospect of possibly seeing spot time in the backfield or even at wide receiver, a position he is familiar with.
“I used to play back in high school. I used to love the position,” McEvoy said of wide receiver. “If that’s what they want, I’ll just go out there and try to execute what they want me to do. Whatever takes the win, I’m on board.”
Stave does not feel fazed by the uncertainty going into Saturday either, and he instead expressed confidence in the new direction of the offense, even if the specifics have not been hammered out.
“I think it’s exciting not knowing necessarily what it’s going to be like going into the game,” Stave said. “I think the game plan will just continue to grow these next couple of days and I think with practices and everything, we can really get settled into it.”
Regardless of who is guiding the offense, the Badgers should be able to improve their 14-point outing at Northwestern by relying on their highly efficient running game.
Illinois’ defense has allowed a whopping 482.3 yards per game, and opponents have racked up an average of 35.5 points per contest. The Illini yielded 349 rushing yards in their 38-27 loss Oct. 4 to perennial Big Ten bottomfeeder Purdue, so redshirt junior Melvin Gordon and sophomore Corey Clement should be able to extend Wisconsin’s success on the ground.
Gordon ranks first in the country with 174.2 yards per game, while the team has averaged 331.4 rushing yards per contest, good for third-best in the nation.
To make matters worse for the Illini, sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt suffered a broken leg early in the fourth quarter against Purdue and is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Senior Reilly O’Toole and sophomore Aaron Bailey will vie for time at quarterback, but they will be hard-pressed to replicate Lunt’s command of the offense and early-season success. Lunt is Illinois’ centerpiece, as he has completed 66.5 percent of his passes this season and has a touchdown to interception ratio of 13:3.
Head coach Tim Beckman will have a difficult time stimulating his offense in the absence of Lunt, especially considering the difficulty his team has had running the ball. In contrast with its passing yardage, which ranks first in the Big Ten, Illinois has managed a conference-worst 96 yards per game on the ground.
Leading rusher Josh Ferguson has picked up 437 yards on the ground through six games and has found the end zone five times.
Given Illinois’ offensive disparities, UW’s defense has an opportunity to stabilize itself after what Andersen called the team’s worst tackling performance to date at Northwestern. The Badgers emphasized improving the technical aspects of the defense in practice, according to senior linebacker Derek Landisch.
“Just solidifying your technique, tackling, taking the right angles, taking the right approach and then finishing and executing,” Landisch said of the focus this week. “That’s something you can look at on film and when you come out in practice, we have to do it versus the scouts and I think so far we’ve been working on it and we’ve been doing a really good job in that area.”
Despite the difficulties that the Badgers had with the inside run and the mid-range pass at Northwestern, they are still ranked eighth in the nation in total yards allowed per game (285.6) and 11th in scoring defense (15.6 points allowed per game).
While it is probable that Wisconsin’s defense will be able to quickly rejuvenate itself, getting positive results at quarterback and being more efficient on offense will demand the most attention in Saturday’s Big Ten home opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
