Here's why Wisconsin is Already Getting its Money's Worth From Eric Mateos

Wisconsin football is finally starting to look like Wisconsin football again.

That is to say, the Badgers defense has been absolutely stifling and they're controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Wisconsin made a concerted effort to get back to its roots after the air raid experiment failed miserably with play-caller Phil Longo, starting by replacing him with the pro-style, downhill zone running scheme of Jeff Grimes.

But while Grimes' system is certainly a better representation of the Badgers' offensive roots and where they've thrived traditionally, the heartbeat of Wisconsin's offense has always been the big fellas up front.

That's where Eric Mateos comes in, and that's why hiring him was arguably just as crucial for the Badgers returning to form as an offense and in the trenches.

Wisconsin's offensive line is absolutely still a work in progress, but its taken major strides from where it was last season through five games. Near the halfway mark of the 2026 campaign, there's two key areas that tell me the Badgers are getting their money's worth out of Mateos:

Pass protection

Wisconsin offensive lineman Kevin Heywood. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Badgers are the best team in the Big Ten this fall at keeping their quarterback upright. Their three total sacks allowed is first in the conference and tied for third in the nation with three other programs.

I'll get this out of the way; having a mobile quarterback obviously helps. Colton Joseph is adept at escaping pressure, and he also gets the ball out pretty quickly when he feels heat bearing down on him.

Still, you don't allow just three quarterback sacks on 150 drop-backs without having an elite pass-blocking offensive line. Just about everybody on the Badgers' offensive front has been stellar in pass protection other than tackle PJ Wilkins, who is no longer a member of the starting five as he rotated in at right tackle with Emerson Mandell against Michigan State.

Last season, Wisconsin allowed 27 sacks, a measly 87th nationally. It also allowed pressure on a whopping 45% of its drop-backs, per numbers from Pro Football Focus. This season? That number has dropped to 25%.

O-Line depth

Wisconsin offensive lineman Ryan Cory. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last season, the Badgers were pretty much compromised when they had to turn to their bench at any position along the offensive line. We know this because that happened early and often, and Wisconsin just didn't have many answers past their starting five.

Starting left tackle Kevin Heywood tearing his ACL in spring camp opened the floodgates for a litany of injuries and changes along the offensive line. After his replacement, Davis Heinzen, proved unplayable against a MAC team in the opener, Wisconsin had to scramble to find its third option at left tackle one game into the season.

Center was also a big issue; when starter Jake Renfro went down, backup Ryan Cory had a disaster of a game against Maryland and the Badgers had to frantically pivot at that position as well.

This season, Wisconsin has already had to do some shuffling up front. Wilkins' struggles in pass protection have forced the Badgers to flip Heywood to left tackle and kick Mandell out to right tackle. Against Michigan State, that transition went seamlessly. D-II transfer Stylz Blackmon, who was initially slated to be a depth piece, is the full-time right guard at this point with Mandell forced to play right tackle. He's played remarkably well, especially for a D-II transfer getting tossed into the Big Ten trenches.

Cory also appears to have taken a big leap under Mateos. After his lone start last fall was a disaster, he looked very solid in relief of the injured Austin Kawecki in the second half against Michigan State.

I gotta say, I’m really impressed with what backup center Ryan Cory put on tape against MSU.

Looks like a completely different player from last year. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/ZL4fOj2YLM
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) October 13, 2026

Mateos has coached this unit up from top to bottom, and the dividends have been immediate.

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