Badgers Report Card: Grading Every Offensive Position After Beatdown vs. Michigan State

After taking down then-No. 13 Penn State in Happy Valley in Week 4, Wisconsin returned to Madison and easily handled Michigan State 31-3 on Homecoming weekend to move to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Badgers On SI has grades for each position group, starting with the offense.

Quarterbacks

Wisconsin's Colton Joseph — Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Colton Joseph was able to rally and make plays to storm back against Penn State, he largely struggled in his first Big Ten matchup with three interceptions. The fourth-year signal-caller kept the ball out of harm’s way against Michigan State and delivered a much more complete performance. He went 9-for-20 for 145 yards and three touchdowns as a passer while shining as a runner with 13 carries for 141 yards (10.8 yards per carry) and a score.

Joseph’s explosiveness was on display, particularly on his two second-half touchdowns: a 47-yard scamper in the third quarter and a 46-yard bomb to Malachi Coleman in the fourth. After rushing for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns at Old Dominion, Joseph hadn’t run for more than 46 yards in any of Wisconsin’s first four games, with a long of 19 yards.

His accuracy and efficiency as a passer remained fairly lackluster, as he completed under 50% of his attempts, keeping this performance just shy of an A. Still, tapping into his dual-threat ability can greatly expand the output and potential of Jeff Grimes’ offense.

Freshman Ryan Hopkins saw three snaps to conclude the game, though he didn’t attempt a pass or record a carry. Louisville transfer Deuce Adams has yet to see the field as a Badger.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

Wisconsin's Darrion Dupree — Wisconsin Badgers running back Darrion Dupree (6) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Abu Sama III ultimately not playing due to injury, the onus was on Darrion Dupree to serve as the lead back after a solid performance at Penn State. Dupree saw a heavy workload with 19 carries, but it culminated in just 61 yards (3.2 yards per carry) with a long of 14 yards. Bryan Jackson II, who missed last week due to injury, wasn’t any more efficient with seven carries for 22 yards (3.1 yards per carry), while Nate Palmer saw three offensive snaps but didn’t record a touch.

The offensive line wasn’t dominant, and that obviously plays a big role in a running back’s success, but however you slice it, a 3.2 yards-per-carry mark from the unit is unimpressive. While Dupree is a weapon who’s worth remaining high on, I believe he’s most effective in tandem with Sama. With a bye in Week 6, there should be optimism for Wisconsin that Sama will return to action in Week 7 against UCLA.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers

Wisconsin's Malachi Coleman — Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Malachi Coleman | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Colton Joseph completing just nine passes, the statistical output for the wide receivers was tame, but it was a perfectly adequate performance for the unit against Michigan State. Tyrell Henry had a drop but was the only Wisconsin wideout to haul in multiple catches, finishing with two receptions for 32 yards, while Eugene Hilton Jr. and Chris Brooks Jr. each recorded one reception for 17 and 10 yards, respectively. It took until the fourth quarter for him to get involved, but Malachi Coleman torched the Spartans’ secondary for a 46-yard touchdown on his lone reception of the day and first catch since Week 1 against Notre Dame.

With the game wrapped up, depth options Shamar Rigby, Zion Kearney, Kash Brock, Mason Kelley and Jackson McGohan saw a handful of snaps, but none were targeted. The Badgers have really honed in on the foursome of Henry, Hilton, Brooks and Coleman, a group that may not be potent but fits together well with a variety of skill sets.

The numbers weren’t notable against Michigan State, and that may be the case more often with Joseph’s legs becoming a bigger part of the offense, but I feel good about how this room has taken shape. Coleman’s long touchdown also provides enough juice to help push the unit to a solid grade.

Grade: B

Tight Ends

Another week, another stellar display from Jacob Harris. The Bowling Green transfer scored on each of his two receptions, holding on for a 20-yard score with a defender draped over him on Wisconsin’s first drive before showing quality awareness and footwork to land in bounds on a 15-yard touchdown later in the first quarter.

While Harris had the more tangible impact, Ryan Schwendeman actually led the tight end room with 27 snaps but wasn’t targeted. It was a similar case for Grant Stec across 25 snaps, while Emmett Bork (18 snaps) hauled in one reception for two yards on an impressive broken play from Colton Joseph.

While several others continue to see a decent amount of snaps, Harris is the clear top pass catcher among Nate Letton’s unit and a true focal point of the offense. With Harris continuing to produce, an A continues to be the grade here.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

This week, Wisconsin shuffled its offensive line for non-injury-related purposes for the first time this year. Kevin Heywood shifted from right to left tackle, while Emerson Mandell kicked out from right guard to right tackle and split reps with PJ Wilkins.

Center Austin Kawecki, who had a poor snap early in the contest and has been a bit of a disappointment since transferring from Oklahoma State, left in the first half due to an upper-body injury and was replaced by Ryan Cory. Cory looked improved from last season but still has plenty of room for improvement in pass protection.

Colton Joseph wasn’t sacked, but the line was credited with allowing five pressures. The rushing attack racked up 228 yards (5.4 yards per carry), but much of that production came from Joseph getting outside and improvising, as opposed to running backs plunging up the middle. Left guard Colin Cubberly earned the highest PFF grade at 73.8 and continues to be a steady presence in his junior campaign.

Moving Wilkins off left tackle, where he struggled mightily, was a wise move. How this new alignment gels and develops rapport will be worth monitoring moving forward, though Kawecki’s injury status could throw another wrinkle into the equation. More clarity on his availability will be important after the bye week.

Grade: B-

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