Wisconsin has long been known as a power-running, old- school offense with five behemoths punishing their opponents and making crater-sized holes for the stable of talented runners behind them. UW acts like a lineman factory, with the nation’s top high schoolers coming in and the NFL’s next stars coming out. When you sift through the ranks of Badger alumni in the NFL, that history is proven by the number of high-caliber professional offensive linemen Wisconsin has produced.
Currently, there are six former Wisconsin offensive linemen in the NFL, with only four schools having more. Iowa, Miami and Tennessee all have seven, and Alabama sits at the top with eight. With all the former players it has sent to the next level, Wisconsin has been able to recruit top-tier linemen by pointing to its track record.
“When I was getting recruited, they had a lot of good guys in the league, and a lot of good guys playing here that ended up in the league, Zeitler, Carimi, Moffitt, all those dudes,” redshirt junior center Dan Voltz said. “It plays a big part, obviously we’re doing something right if guys are playing on the next level.”
Last season’s offensive line was a perfect storm for success. It had one of the most explosive running backs in the nation behind them in Melvin Gordon, a future NFL starter among it in Rob Havenstein and the same five linemen started every game of the regular season. The combination of talent and familiarity was the main reason the Badgers racked up crazy numbers on the ground, even against some of the top defenses in the nation.
This year is a bit of a different story, and a story that is uncharacteristic of recent Wisconsin squads. So far this season, there has been an air of uncertainty surrounding the offensive line, with a number of guys getting reps at a number of positions.
Some of this shuffling is due to filling in gaps. Three starters left after last season, and redshirt senior Ray Ball, who played in every game last year without starting, has been injured since fall camp. In the past, to replace starters, Wisconsin could just slot in the next guy in line, but this year they have been trying an array of different combinations.
“Coach Rudolph’s going to find the best combination. It might not be the best five linemen, but the best guys that can play together, so we’re moving guys around,” redshirt junior running back Dare Ogunbowale said.
Of the five positions in this combination, two have been completely locked down. Voltz will continue to play center, a position he has started at for the past two seasons, and redshirt senior left tackle Tyler Marz will retain the position he has started every game for the last two years. These two form the core of the line, and their familiarity with each other certainly helps to stabilize the situation to at least a small degree.
“We talk a lot, we watch film together, work through things. [Marz]’s really knowledgeable about the game,” Voltz said. “I know he’s got eyes on the edge, so I feel more confident in my calls, it’s nice having that experience along the line as well.”
Another spot, left guard, was mostly locked down in fall camp by redshirt freshman Michael Deiter.
The right side of the line is where most of the question marks have been so far. Against Alabama, redshirt junior Walker Williams was at guard and redshirt sophomore Hayden Biegel was at tackle, and the same offensive line played for all 63 offensive snaps, making it appear as though the line was set. However, due to struggles in the run game against the dominant front seven of the Crimson Tide, the coaching staff felt it wanted to keep testing new combinations.
Against Miami (OH), the Williams/Biegel pair started the game on the right side, but after a couple of drives, it switched to redshirt freshman Micah Kapoi at guard and Biegel at tackle. After that, Williams slid over to tackle and Kapoi stayed at guard, but on these series, Biegel occasionally came in on the goal line as a tight end-type run blocker.
All in all, Williams was in for 73 of the team’s 83 snaps, Biegel for 60 and Kapoi for 50. In the game, Williams not only played the most snaps, but he also played the best, showing more polish than his fellow rotation mates, despite shifting back and forth between two positions. Williams has been realistic about what the position changes mean for his development as a player.
“I think it can be a positive, and it can be a challenge at the same time. It’s a positive in that you understand more of the offense, and you see the bigger picture,” Williams said. “It is sometimes nice to be able to just zero in on one spot, and be able to know the ins and outs of just right guard, and know all those looks, and get that down, but there’s merit to both.”
Against Troy last weekend, another wrench was thrown into the already delicate situation with Williams out due to an injury. Kapoi and Biegel played most of the game, but another player got a chance to make his case for the starting job as redshirt freshman Jacob Maxwell came in at right guard in his first collegiate game.
Despite the shifting and question marks, the Badgers have still been successful on offense. Joel Stave has looked as good as he ever has in his career, and besides the Alabama game, the running game has been serviceable, even with starter Corey Clement sidelined for the past two games.
If the coaches continue to shift the line around, they run the risk of disrupting offensive cohesion. This could hurt the running game that is recovering from a poor start, and it could hurt the surprisingly solid pass game.
Once the Hawaii game is done, the Badgers will begin facing off against their hard-nosed Big Ten foes, and the offensive line will truly be put to the test. But for one more week, the Badgers’ offensive line factory will need to be working overtime to find the best group.
