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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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X’s and O’s
Dominance in the trenches powers Wisconsin to a convincing win in season opener over South Florida By Sam Shiffman THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Badgers lost a lot of talent on defense last season after D’Cota Dixon, Ryan Connely and T.J. Edwards all graduated. But if anything is clear from UW’s 49-0 win over USF, it’s that Jim Leonhard’s defense can still compete at an elite level. UW’s stout defensive performance along with South Florida’s risky defensive scheme allowed the Badgers to dominate the Bulls from the first drive. Senior linebacker Chris Orr and junior linebacker Mike Maskalunas both shut down South Florida’s offense by making decisive and accurate reads. Orr, Maskalunas and the Badger defensive line took advantage of an undisciplined and unathletic USF offensive line that could neither protect quarterback Blake Barnett nor open holes for their running backs. UW held USF to just 157 yards total offense and forced two interceptions from Barnett. An example of the difference between the two defenses was how each defensive line reacted to screens. On screen passes, offensive linemen typically take two kick steps back into their pass pro-
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The Badgers offensive line dominated South Florida in its Week 1 matchup, setting high expectations. tection before releasing from that block and finding and blocking linebackers or defensive backs downfield. A disciplined defensive linemen will realize that it’s a screen and, instead of going upfield towards the quarterback, stay on the line of scrimmage, find the running back and make the tackle or force an incompletion.
However, USF’s scheme and undisciplined defensive linemen made stopping screens and other misdirection almost impossible. Throughout the game, USF’s defensive line shot gaps in order to get in the backfield and stop UW’s rushing attack. While it worked occasionally, it also allowed the Badger offensive line to get downfield
more often and block the linebackers. That meant if Jonathan Taylor could make any of the big, slow defensive linemen miss, he’d often be one-on-one with a defensive back. Because of the size discrepancies between Wisconsin’s offensive line and USF’s defensive line, USF’s coaching staff had to take more risks than they normally would.
Had USF’s defensive line played hands-on defense, it would’ve been even more of a blowout for UW. USF hoped they could take risks and stop the Badgers on early downs and force Jack Coan to make difficult throws on third and long. When the Badgers play bigger teams with elite defensive lines, UW won’t be able to rely on their opponents mistakes for points and momentum. However, give credit to Paul Chryst and the UW coaching staff for mixing formations and including plays and concepts seemingly never used by a Wisconsin offense. The Badgers incorporated run-pass-options (RPOs) along with pistol formations which kept USF’s defense offbalance all night. Changing formations and play-types forces opposing teams to stay more disciplined and spend more time throughout a game week preparing for a more diverse Badger offense. While it’s still difficult to judge just how good the Badgers are this year, it’s nonetheless encouraging that the offense has expanded and the defense is still fundamentally sound.
MVP against South Florida
Chryst’s new-look offense flies in Week 1 should make the screen pass a low-risk, effective way to Wisconsin head coach Paul get the ball to an elite carrier Chryst brought a slightly in space. revamped offense to South He’s just one more weapon Florida last Friday, most for defenses to worry about notably with the incorpora- when Coan drops back to pass. tion of Jonathan Taylor into Speaking of Coan, Chryst was the passing game. consistent in his praise of the Taylor, who led the nation junior quarterback all through in rushing with 2,194 yards the spring and summer. in 2018, had just eight While the Badger receptions last year. fanbase has reason Though the to be excited about Badgers’ wide receiv2019 four-star QB er unit is solid, adding recruit (according to another aerial weap247Sports) Graham The number of catches on in Taylor would Mertz – the top pockJonathan make life a lot easier et passer in his class Taylor had in for quarterback Jack – Chryst stuck with his entire Coan in 2019 – and the more experienced career until Friday that certainly showed Coan and it’s looking in Week 1. like the right move Taylor’s first recepthrough Week 1. tion, a short screen Wh e n Coan pass that he took 36 stepped in midseason Yards per rush yards to the endzone in 2018, the coaching for Taylor in to put Wisconsin up staff dealt with him Week 1, his 21-0, was the type of very carefully and highest explosive play the the Badgers offense per-yard total he’s put up as offense was missing was overly run-heavy, a Badger in 2018. even on conventionWhile Taylor’s not ally passing downs. going to take every Chryst showed one of his catches into the more trust in his quarterback endzone like he did Friday, on Friday, allowing Coan to Wisconsin’s strong blocking open up the passing game
By Simon Farber THE DAILY CARDINAL
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Paul Chryst used a run-pass option against USF, a new addition to an already potent offense. early and often, keeping his foot on the gas pedal with the Badgers comfortably ahead. The Sayville, New York native completed 19 of 26 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns, and maybe most importantly, no interceptions. Sure, USF isn’t going to be one of the better defenses Wisconsin will face this season, but a good start is a good start.
We’ll know more about what Coan can bring to the offense this season when he faces No. 7 Michigan on September 21. As for Chryst, the final encouraging sign from Week 1 was his decision to go for it on fourth-and-one from the 50-yard line with the Badgers leading 7-0 in the first quarter. Chryst rolled the dice on
fourth-down just 12 times last season (with 41.66% success), but with a top-tier offensive line and one of the best running backs in the country, the aggressiveness here was an easy call. That being said, it’s still worth praising a head coach who has ran an otherwise extremely conservative gameplan in his time at Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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Freshman to Watch
Freshman Chenal providing depth at middle linebacker By Raul Vazquez THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Badgers welcomed a number of talented freshmen, but there are only a handful that will see the field, let alone play a significant role on the football team. All the spotlight going into the season was on incoming true freshman quarterback Graham Mertz to compete for the starting job. Mertz played well throughout the offseason but lost out to junior Jack Coan, who started four games in 2018. Mertz wasn’t the only freshman to garner attention from those looking in from the outside. Three-star recruit, linebacker Leo Chenal was also a name to keep an eye on and impressed his coaches and teammates around him. Leo Chenal, like Mertz, also enrolled early and started to practice with the team in the spring and landed key reps and experience to translate over to the fall and this season.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard raved about Chenal in the spring and emphasized just how important it was to have him come in early. “Him being here this spring is very big for his development,” said Lenoard, “it’s awesome to get him reps and really push him. He’s embraced the work, embraced the meetings, doing extra. He’s a kid that wants more all the time. Really fun to get him in the program early.” Leonhard also mentioned just how physically dominant he can be and the role it can play in making up for his inexperience on the field. When the first depth chart was released a week ago, Chenal found himself twodeep as a backup at inside linebacker. Chenal was one of only four freshmen to make it onto the depth chart and one of only two to step on the field in the week one clobbering of South Florida in Tampa. When leader Chris Orr went out for a second in the first
CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Linebacker Leo Chenal racked up five tackles in the win against South Florida showing how the true freshman has earned the trust of coaches after enrolling early in the spring of 2019. half, Leo Chenal stepped in for the veteran and leader in the middle of the pack. Chenal wasted no time making his presence felt as he
racked up five tackles throughout the game which was the second-most for any player on the team. Look for Chenal to continue
to make an impact on defense as a reserve, especially with the injury to Orr. He will be a name to keep an eye on for the season and for years to come.
Daily Cardinal Roundtable
Roundtable: Predictions for what’s to come in 2019 Campaign Most Important Position
Raul Vazquez
Simon Farber
Jared Schwartz
Bremen Keasey
What will Wisconsin’s record be at the end of the regular season?
Outside linebackers. Specifically, the edge rush they can provide. A stout pass rush can help bring a dominant defense back to Madison, give the offense some breathing room and more possessions. The unit got started this year by holding South Florida to only 157 yards, forcing four turnovers and getting four sacks en route to a shutout. The Badgers have the potential to return to their 2017 dominance if their play continues. Wisconsin’s secondary was young and inexperienced last season, and the team is going to need to see an improvement from that unit this fall to keep them in tight games. Sophomore Scott Nelson, who missed four games due to injury, performed inconsistently in his nine games on the field last year. If Nelson can string together solid performances, it could go a long way in their pursuit of a trip to the Big Ten Championship game.
The Badgers will not have it easy this year. The schedule they drew was not favorable. They will play the big three in the Big Ten East in Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State. UW also plays four of their last six games on the road, with two of four at Ohio State and at Nebraska. The returns from the first week are promising though, and the Badgers should certainly be set for a bounceback year. Final Record: 9-3 College football is nearly impossible to predict, as evidenced by last year’s shocking home loss to unranked BYU. Homefield has been a source of dominance for Wisconsin in recent memory, but I see two losses at Camp Randall — against No. 7 Michigan and No. 18 Michigan State. If UW wants to reclaim their Big Ten West crown, their November showdown at No. 24 Nebraska is the most critical matchup. Final record: 9-3
Linebacker. The Badgers have to replace loads of production from T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Andrew Van Ginkel, who are all now on NFL rosters. At inside linebacker, senior Chris Orr has started 16 career games, while sophomore Jack Sanborn looked good in limited action last year. On the outside, Zack Baun will be tasked with replacing much of the pass rush Van Ginkel provided.
Games against Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa and road trips to Ohio State and a much-improved Nebraska make for a hellish schedule for the Badgers in 2019. If they can take care of business at home, and pull off an upset or two, Wisconsin should like their chances to win the West. Final record: 9-3
The wide receivers are hungry for a chance to prove they shouldn’t be an afterthought in UW’s offense. AJ Taylor, Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis make up a veteran core and with the return of Quintez Cephus, quarterback Jack Coan has a wealth of options in the passing game. With a rare lack of depth at tight end, the wide receivers will be relied on even more.
The Badgers return a talented receiving core, an improving young secondary and, of course, Johnathan Taylor, arguably the best runner in the country. Yes, there are questions at offensive line and on the defensive front seven and the Badgers face an extremely tough schedule. If Coan develops into a leader at QB, then Wisconsin should be talented enough across the board to get to the Big Ten title game Final record: 9-3
Which Badger will have the biggest breakout in 2019? The player to keep an eye on will be the one many will potentially overlook. Nakia Watson is now the backup to maybe the most electrifying back in college football in Jonathan Taylor, but he can play in his own right. The coaching staff has raved about him as has Taylor. He is already off to an impressive start, carrying the ball 14 times for 80 yards and a touchdown in the season opening win at South Florida. Izayah Green-May. A redshirt sophomore linebacker, he was named the starter this fall and recorded his first career sack at USF. At six-foot-six, Green-May’s unique athleticism and length gives him a defensive edge that most pass rushers could only dream of. Playing beside seniors Zack Baun and Chris Orr, the Wisconsin coaching staff should feel good about their linebackers heading into 2019. Bryson Williams. Replacing Olive Sagapolu won’t be easy, but sophomore Bryson Williams has all the tools to do it and do it quickly. At six-foot-two and 300 pounds, Williams filled in well last year when Sagapolu was injured, starting three games at nose tackle. Wisconsin’s defensive line should be much-improved from a season ago – an area they struggled with all season. If they can turn it around in 2019, Williams will be right in the middle of it. Izayah Green-May. After the departure of stud linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel, T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly to the NFL, Wisconsin has big shoes to fill in a historically impressive position group. One of the players that has impressed during preseason camps has been sophomore Izayah Green-May. The six-footsix linebacker has earned high praise from coaches and teammates.
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Wisonsin vs. Central Michigan
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Big Ten Outlook
After Week 1 tune-up, Big Ten powers OSU and Michigan face tougher tests
By Dexter McCann THE DAILEY CARDINAL
The Big 10 had a chance to make a significant statement in unfamiliar territory during week one of the college football season, with Northwestern travelling to Palo Alto to take on No. 25 Stanford, Purdue on the road at an intriguing G5 school in Nevada, and No. 19 Wisconsin in Tampa to take on the AAC’s South Florida Bulls. Instead, many conference teams spluttered, with Northwestern’s offense, sunk by a six of 17 passing performance from highly touted Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson, vanishing in a 17-7 defeat. Purdue saw a 17 point advantage disappear against Nevada in the fourth quarter, and an untimely interception from Purdue QB Elijah Sindelar, one of five Boilermaker turnovers, saw the Wolfpack walk-off the game with a stunning 56 yard field goal from true freshman kicker Brandon Talton. Perhaps even more embarrassing for the conference was Minnesota’s effort on the road against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who compete in the FCS subdivision. The Jackrabbits led for large swaths of the game, and maintained a 21-20 advantage until as late as 5:39 left in the fourth quarter. The Gophers punched in a score from the goal line in what ended up being the decisive score, but were ultimately outgained in terms of total yards by SDSU, a stat that will surely spark some concern among the Minnesota fanbase. While much of the week one intrigue involved members of the Big 10 West, the spotlight will be firmly on the East in week two, with the conference’s two biggest programs facing interesting tests. No. 7 Michigan (1-0) defeated Middle Tennessee State 40-21 in week one, but face a significantly tougher test at home against the Army Golden Knights (1-0) in week two. Wolverines fans have highlighted this as a potential trap game for some time, but Army
nearly fell victim to their own trap game in week one, squeaking by Rice with a 14-7 victory. Despite Army’s slow start, Michigan has reason to be wary. Army returns much of their core that won 11 games last season, including a 70-14 beatdown of Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Golden Knights are famous for their triple option offense, one that relies on the talents of QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. and RB Sandon McCoy to function. This will also be the first real test for Michigan’s new look spread offense, designed by highly touted new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Gattis was a co-offensive coordinator for Alabama last season, and is tasked with opening up the field for Wolverines quarterback Shea Patterson. Elsewhere, No. 5 Ohio State
(1-0) faces an intriguing challenge as they square off against in-state competition in the Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0) for their second home game of the year. The Buckeyes knocked off Lane Kiffin-led Florida Atlantic 45-21 in their opener, but the score fails to tell the complete story. Ohio State came out of the gates flying, scoring four touchdowns in the opening eight minutes of the game. After that point, however, the Buckeyes were outscored by the Owls, and both running back J.K. Dobbins and quarterback Justin Fields lost fumbles, highlighting underlying concerns regarding ball security. Fields, one of 247’s highestever rated quarterbacks coming out of high school, was impressive in his heavily-anticipated debut with the Buckeyes. Fields transferred from Georgia after
losing the starting gig to Jake Fromm, but looked plenty comfortable in Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s spread offense. Fields finished 18 for 25 for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns, but will surely be asked to do more against Cincinnati, one of the early favorites to win the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats defeated Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins in their opener, and an electric crowd only aided the Cincinnati defense in stifling Bruins signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s passing efforts all night. Whether that defense will find success against a plethora of offensive talent in Columbus is an entirely different story. The final highlighted matchup for this week involves Nebraska (1-0), who opened the season ranked 24th despite finishing 4-8 last season. The Cornhuskers are expected to take a big step forward in the second year of coach Scott Frost’s tenure, and fans have pinned their hopes behind sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez, a dark horse Heisman contender following an impressive freshman campaign. Despite lofty expectations, the Cornhuskers struggled at times against South Alabama in their 35-21 opening win, with the offense responsible for just 14 points. Martinez finished just 13-21 with no touchdowns and an interception, and the Cornhuskers were out-gained in yardage and lost the time of possession battle to the Jaguars – concerning metrics to keep an eye on. Nebraska looks to regain some of their offseason momentum when they take on former Big 12 rival Colorado (1-0) on the road. The Buffaloes knocked off instate foe Colorado State in their opener, thanks in part to the efforts of star receiver Laviska Shenault, a projected first-rounder in the 2020 NFL draft. Shenault had 83 all-purpose yards and a touchdown against Colorado State, and will surely be a lot to handle for a Nebraska defense that ranked among the worst in the FBS against the pass last season.
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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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Power Rankings
Week 2 Big Ten Power Rankings after tame 2019 opening games As we all know, every single week we need some way to figure out what’s going on in college football. It’s how we create content, baby. With that in mind, here is the Daily Cardinal’s super serious and ironclad power rankings after Week 1. 1. Ohio State Buckeyes Sure, Urban Meyer is gone, but guess what, Justin Fields is there. And the kid is pretty good. The former blue-chip UGA quarterback, who was rarely seen on the field except during a dreadful fake punt attempt in the SEC Championship game against Alabama, showed out in his first game in the scarlet and gray, scoring four total times and running the offense in a 45-21 win over FAU. After winning the NCAA transfer roulette, the Buckeyes are surely happy to see Fields play so well in the opener, and there’s no reason to think they aren’t the favorite in the Big Ten. 2. Penn State Nittany Lions Kicked Idaho’s butts 79-7 which is great because that’s a big scoreline and their running game had a massive seven rushing touchdowns, but it was also rude because Idaho is a crucial state in the union. If not for Idaho, we might not have our beloved potatoes, and without that, we wouldn’t have fries or hashbrowns.
Luckily for Penn State, that shouldn’t affect the potato industry, and they seem like they had fun in their first game. 3. Michigan Wolverines Under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and the spread offense, the Wolverines took down Middle Tennessee 40-21. Army should provide them a tough-test, but it should come as no surprise to see Michigan near the top of the power rankings. As any fan will tell you, they are a prestigious university with a storied history in football, even if they haven’t won a Big Ten title since 2004. 4. Wisconsin Badgers Jonathan Taylor did normal Jonathan Taylor things, rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns while adding two receiving touchdowns for good measure. More importantly, quarterback Jack Coan looked poised, throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns. If Kansas Jesus Gram Mertz was in at quarterback the Badgers would be holding onto the number one spot, but grandpa Chryst decided to trot Scott Tolzien 2.0 onto the field instead. Not our favorite move ever. 5. Iowa Hawkeyes They’ve won four straight since the end of last year, and
now face a whole bunch of bad teams in a row. Hawkeye fans will rejoice while they steadily climb the rankings before they get put back into their place by Michigan and Penn State in weeks five and six. 6. Michigan State Spartans The Spartans were bad last year, but they have a great coaching staff which always puts them in the mix. Quarterback Zach Smith looked “ehh” in the opener, but strong running is Michigan State’s bread and butter anyway. 7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Folks, Rutgers won a game. Shooting up the rankings. Buzzing for the lads. 8. Illinois Illini Y’all, Illinois won a game. They’re getting too good at football. (Just let Illinois and Rutgers enjoy the high for right now people. They’ll drop soon). 9. Minnesota Gophers I don’t like gophers, not really sure who does. Weird little ground critters. I much prefer Badgers. 10. Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana is our sleeper, they’ve slowly improved for each of the last three years, and have a promising young quarterback
and running back. They’re getting thrown straight into the fire though, when they’ll host Ohio State in Week 3. 11. Nebraska Cornhuskers Scott Frost you sly dog. I see your plan. You get those high expectations, then have a clunker in the opener so we’re off your scent as a “good” team. 35-21 against South Alabama. Needing three nonoffensive touchdowns to win. We’ll be watching. 12. Maryland Terrapins They beat FCS Howard, by like a lot. It looked impressive. They might even be higher on this list if we here at the Daily Cardinal endorsed not giving water breaks. Maybe they can gain our trust back later this
year, we’ll see. 13. Purdue Boilermakers Purdue lost but they also let a kid have a scholarship because he hit a 56-yard field goal against them to win. Good job Jeff Brohm for being more player friendly than most the NCAA. 14. Northwestern Wildcats Not only did they lose to Stanford last weekend, but their head coach Pat Fitzgerald is anti-union and anti-millennial, and the Daily Cardinal Sports Desk does not endorse those positions. These rankings were debated over, lauded over and written by Sports Editors Nathan Denzin and Jared Schwartz and senior writer Bremen Keasey.
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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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3 Keys to the Game
Badgers need to take care of business, run all over CMU defense By Nathan Denzin
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Play Mistake Free
Hope for Divine Intervention
Nobody would say that Central Michigan is a great team, and not many would say they’re a good team. You may even be hard pressed to find someone who thinks CMU is an average team. The reason for that? They make a metric ton of miscues while on the field. In 2018, the Chippewas averaged over 70 yards in penalties a game, to go along with nearly two turnovers per contest. It’s hard to win football games when you shoot yourself in the foot so much. It nearly came back to haunt CMU in their first game of the year against FCS Albany, after the Chippewas lost three fumbles and racked up 87 yards in penalties. Against the Badgers those mistakes won’t fly, so if CMU hopes to have any chance of winning they have to play mistake free football.
I won’t sugarcoat it, Central Michigan will probably need divine intervention to win this game. CMU has been ranked among the worst teams in the nation this year, and that’s not a fluke. The Chippewas went 1-11 a year ago, and have only lost important pieces from that team. Jim McElwain may be a flashy and exciting name in coaching, but it’s hard to translate that into success in a coaches first year with a program. So, CMU’s third key to success is to channel their inner Appalachian State and hope for the best case scenario to play out Saturday afternoon. Sometimes a game that looks like a cake-walk on paper turns out not to be, and sometimes David even beats Goliath. Don’t get me wrong, CMU has potential to pull off an upset, but they will need everything to go right. Sometimes it’s just better to be lucky than it is to be good.
2 Lean on Experience The one thing Central Michigan does have is experience and veteran leadership. Only one starter for CMU is a freshman, and most others are upperclassmen. The experience those players bring to the team will be much needed when going up against a behemoth like Wisconsin. MAC crowds are fun, but they are nothing like playing at Camp Randle with the stadium rocking. Young players have a tendency to get caught up in all the fanfare around them at games, so the veteran players will have to be leaned on for a level head. If CMU goes down by a touchdown or two, the upperclassmen will have to help rally the team for a comeback.
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Don’t Play Dumb
Pass the Ball, Why Not?
The Badgers just can’t play dumb, plain and simple. On paper this game is a no contest win for Bucky, but we’ve all seen crazier things happen in sports. The players have to go into the game hungry for a win, and play disciplined football for all 60 minutes. If CMU puts up an early touchdown or two, the Badgers can’t panic. The whole team has to stay level in order to not fall into a trap. If the Badgers want to seriously compete for a Big Ten title this year they have to show dominance in early games like this one. Wisconsin did well in Week 1 not letting outside pressure affect their game on the road, so now they have to prove they can do it at home. At the end of the day, as long as Wisconsin doesn’t make stupid mistakes, and plays to it’s strenghts, they have a great shot at taking home the win.
2 Feed Jonathan Taylor Jonathan Taylor should be fed early and often, with the Badgers highly touted line leading the way for him. Taylor is obviously the Badgers best offensive weapon, and his Hiesman campaign should roll on without a hitch against a CMU defensive line that is shaky at best. Props also have to be given to the Badgers offensive line, who has turned around its play after last years flop. Taylor had four touchdowns on just 18 total touches against South Florida a week ago, including two through the air. His 188 total yards led all players, all without playing most of the second half. Wisconsin’s success runs through Taylor, and if they want to put the game out of reach early he should see an ample amount of touches.
Unleash the beast that is Jack Coan. Or at least let us see if he has the potential to be a beast. Last week’s drubbing saw Coan stay in at quarterback all game, yet we rarely got to see him make plays. Coan threw for 201 yards on 19 of 26 completions, but most of the passes were less than 10 yards down the field. There’s nothing wrong with dink-and-dunk pass plays all game, but it’s boring, and Wisconsin will probably win. So why not let him chuck the ball downfield a few times? Danny Davis needs love too after all, and he has the speed to torch defenders off the ball. Worst case scenario Coan can’t actually play quarterback, and he goes back to being the game managing quarterback we all know and love. But let’s just let him play a little, he could surprise us all and this game would be the one to experiment in.
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Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor carried the load last week when he exploded for four touchdowns in just over two quarters of action.
Transfers lead way for new-look Central Michigan Chippewas By Joe Rickles THE DAILY CARDINAL
Expectations for the Central Michigan Chippewas are low, to say the least. Last year, CMU suffered through a 1-11 season that was epitomized by a 51-13 loss to Toledo in their season finale, after which former head coach John Bonamego was fired. CMU’s search to replace Bonamego concluded with the hire of Jim McElwain. McElwain most recently coached wide receivers at the University of Michigan, with previous head coaching stints at Colorado State and Florida. McElwain’s team is anchored by transfers from more prestigious schools and home-grown veteran talent. On the offensive end, the spotlight is firmly on former Houston and Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady. Michigan native Kalil Pimpleton is the other transfer in the spotlight. After an unimpressive stint at Virginia Tech, Pimpleton transferred to CMU and is now eligible to play after sitting out a year. The sophomore played in five games for Virginia Tech, and got one carry for four yards. Coaches are still excited about his potential, as he was named the Muskegon Chronicle Offensive Player of the Year in both 2015 and 2016. Running back Jonathan Ward is one of the few proven talents on the roster. The senior from Kankanee,
Illinois was the Chippewas’ leading rusher in 2017, but tallied just 200 yards in 2018. Despite the down year, Ward still managed 1000 scrimmage yards two years ago and looks to be the featured back in the CMU offense. On the defensive end, Central Michigan loses a significant amount of production. Sack leader Mike Danna and team leader in both interceptions and tackles Malik Fountain have left the team, with the former graduating and the latter transferring to the University of Michigan. Last week, the Chippewas matched their win total from last year in a 38-21 victory over the Albany Great Danes after Dormady completed 27 of 37 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Looking forward to their matchup against Wisconsin, it’s unlikely that CMU fans will have as much to cheer about. Wisconsin’s defense shutout South Florida last week, and Central Michigan’s inability to force a turnover or sack Albany’s quarterback does not bode well for them against a Badger team with an elite offensive line and the best running back in the country. Badger fans shouldn’t expect a shutout though, CMU’s improved offense is nowhere near elite and likely won’t win them any conference titles. It is good enough to have a special day, and BYU taught Wisconsin last year that all it takes is one day to pull off a major upset.
Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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161 185 197 196 180 180 200 215 197 194 164 223 216 182 204 224 172 182 192 171 190 187 207 174 221 176 194 184 205 213 166 187 188 185 218 219 193 182 195 229 200 185 238 228 252 206 196 236 182 189 219 239 220 189 220 181 222 190 240
SO SO FR FR JR FR SR FR SO JR FR FR SR SO SO JR FR FR FR FR FR SR SO JR JR FR JR SO FR FR FR FR JR SO FR JR JR FR JR FR FR JR FR FR FR FR SO SO JR FR FR JR SO JR JR FR FR SR JR
41 42 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 54 55 56 56 57 57 58 59 59 60 61 62 63 65 67 68 69 70 71 73 74 74 75 76 77 78 81 82 84 85 86 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
Eschenbach, Jack Franklin, Jaylan Rucci, Hayden Chenal, John Chenal. Leo Lloyd, Gabe Tiedt, Hegeman Cundiff, Clay Wiltjer, Travis Bell, Christian Brown, Logan Green-May, Izayah Bay, Adam Paez, Gio Bernhagen, Josh Pfaff, David Orr, Chris Njongmeta, Maema Baun, Zack Johnson, Rodas Balistreri, Michael Sanborn, Jack Maskalunas, Mike Johnson, Tyler Lyons, Andrew Bruss, Logan Biadasz, Tyler O’Brien, Logan Bowden, Peter Beach, Tyler Sampson, Cormac Moorman, David Vopal. Aaron Seltzner, Josh Van Lanen, Cole Fenton, Alex Furtney, Michael Roberge, Gunnar Tippmann, Joe Lyles, Kayden Smithback, Blake Erdmann, Jason Mustapha, Taj Perry, Emmet Ferguson, Jake Neuville, Zander Benzschawel, Luke Cephus, Quintez Abbott, A.J. Allen, Connor Williams, Bryson Henningsen, Matt Rand. Garrett Dietzen, Boyd Benton, Keeanu Schlichting, Conor Loudermilk, Isaiahh Goetz, C.J. Mullens, Isaiah
TE OLB TE FB ILB TE OLB TE ILB OLB OL OLB LS DE LS DE ILB ILB OLB DE DE ILB ILB OLB OL OL OL OL LS OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL NT OL OL OL OL WR WR TE TE TE WR WR P NT DE DE DE NT P DE DE DE
Central Michigan Chippewas 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-2 6-6 6-0 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-6 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-7 6-3 6-4
224 222 250 252 250 231 243 251 225 249 311 221 229 305 241 288 224 220 235 293 288 232 231 241 311 310 321 265 217 309 280 307 312 327 312 308 307 292 312 321 305 328 190 186 246 252 276 207 192 168 300 286 279 264 315 222 293 241 283
FR FR FR FR SO FR JR JR FR SR JR FR SO JR FR JR SR SR FR JR FR SO SO JR SR FR SO JR FR FR SO FR SR SO SO JR SO FR SR FR SO SO SR FR SO SR JR JR FR SR SO SO JR FR FR SO JR FR FR
2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 8 10 10 11 12 12 13 13 14 16 16 19 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 32 33 34 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 50
Adesanya, Sean Moore, David McCoy, Alonzo Ross, Romello Sabbagh, Jamil Reed, Devonni Ward, Jonathan Childress, Brandon Jamison, Da’Qauan Lazzaro, Tommy Richardson, Daniel Braswell, Montrae Dormady, Quinten Sullivan, JaCorey Pearson, George Tice, Ryan Keon, Kaden Patritto, Mark Maleszyk, Ben Anderson, Norman Hergott, Austin Reid, Willie Scott, Tyrone Kreski, Gage Nichols, Lew Harris, Randall Bracy, Darius McNary, Dishon Governor, Demarcus Brown, Brandon Davis, Jerrod Brown, Troy Douglas, George Jones, Chuck Apsey, Nick Cornick, Thaddeus Gwilly, Kumehnnu Highbaugh, Charles Siddiq, Amir Guthrie, Logan Sturkey, Rolliann Lewis, Kobe Oliver, Michael Mercer, Christian Gildersleeve Jr., Cory Ward, Andrew Buczkowski, Hunter Hairston, Troy Childress, Braeden Wilson, Joel Masztak, Nick Lavallii, Oakley Kimbrough, Jamezz
DL QB DB RB WR DB RB WR DB QB QB DB QB WR QB K/P K/P WR QB DB QB DB WR DB RB DB DB DB DB DB RB LB LB LB LB RB RB RB DL LB DB RB LB LB LB LB FB LB LB TE LB FB OL
6-3 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-9 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-3 5-9 5-10 6-4 6-1 6-1 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-10 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-11 6-0 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-11 6-2 6--4 5-11 5-11 6-2
238 180 194 211 178 188 202 184 191 217 205 185 215 221 213 170 184 177 198 166 233 200 190 203 220 187 182 195 183 178 195 203 219 233 200 192 246 216 239 218 178 194 235 216 221 220 243 235 210 217 208 209 257
SR JR JR SR SR SO SR SR SR SR FR R-FR SR JR R-FR SR SR SO SO SO SO F-FR R-FR JR FR R-FR SO SO FR SO SR SO SO SO R-FR JR JR R-FR SO FR SO SO SR SR FR SO JR JR FR R-FR SO JR SO
52 53 54 55 55 56 57 59 60 63 66 67 68 70 71 73 75 76 79 80 81 82 84 85 86 87 88 90 92 96 97 98 99
Page, Leon Vaughn, Cameron Hall, JaRaymond Dill, D’Andre Tarver, Romello Smith, Derek Simington, NeVen Brown, Tico Eipper, Steve Buell, Brady Tyden, Ferris Goedeke, Luke Ditzhay, Erik Berghorst, Johnathan Stuart, Robi Eike, Nolan Strome, Jeff McCarty, Jeff Follmer, Nick Law, Drayton Cossou, Keegan Cole, Cameron Edwards, Bailey Poljan, Tony Raimann, Bernhard Nixon, Keonta Pimpleton, Kalil Plate, Evan Cleveland, Dante Lama, Franklin Gibson, Darrick Johnson, LaQuan Eldridge, Joshuwa Bailey, Vashon Bristol, Jacques Crawford, Josh Dingle, Ormondell Dominguez, Jake Elzinga, Luke Gantt, Javon Hadden, Kamal Jespersen, Albert Jones, Trey Jones, Adam McKinnie-Harper, Kyron Motowski, Danny Powell-Woods, Deiyantei Saylor, Max Stokes, Fred Oge, Udeogu Whiteside, Justin Wyatt, Darrell
DL OL OL DL OL OL DL DL OL K/P OL OL OL DL DL OL OL LS OL WR TE WR WR TE TE WR WR DL DL LS DL DL DL OL DL RB DB OL P TE DB DL DB WR DB OL OL DL DL OL LB WR
6-3 6-6 6-5 6-1 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-2 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-0 6-1 6-7 6-7 6-4 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-1 5-11 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-1 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-1 6-1
246 315 285 310 242 280 234 297 286 208 292 267 273 287 290 280 286 268 288 198 244 202 186 235 240 203 160 229 270 251 321 282 280 295 285 190 205 300 194 215 175 270 195 185 185 295 285 235 220 310 200 175
JR FR SO SR R-FR JR R-FR R-FR SR SO R-FR SO SO R-FR JR R-FR JR SO SO SO SO SR SO JR SO R-FR SO R-FR JR R-FR JR FR FR FR FR JR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR FR SR FR FR
Game Information Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI TV: BTN Radio: Badger Sports Network
CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Wisconsin aims to remain perfect early as Central Michigan visits Camp Randall Stadium.
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Wisconsin vs. Central Michigan
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What We Learned
Overreactions and why the SEC isn’t scary: What we know after Week 1 By Bremen Keasey THE DAILEY CARDINAL
Editor’s note: College football is nothing without its fans, and its fans are nothing without their passion. In an attempt to capture that unique intensity and Overreactability, we’ve asked washed-up sports editor and Southerner Bremen Keasey to give us a weekly breakdown of college football happenings around the country like only a true fan could. By god, college football is finally back, and since I have too many thoughts on this to just let marinate in my brain, this column is also back in all its glory(?) to recap this week of football. And man, week one was……something. Let’s get to the sports! Once Again, Bo Knows down on The Plains The No. 11 Auburn Tigers staved off an upset bid by the No. 16 Oregon Ducks with a late touchdown to win 27-21 in the marquee matchup of the weekend. That’s the lead to the generic recap of this game, but this is no generic Associated Press recap. Because it’s still shocking to me that Auburn won this game. The Tigers looked shakey to open up the game as Oregon’s speed poked holes through their defense. It’s rare that most SEC teams get outpaced by teams from other conferences — or at least that’s the perpetual perception — but the Ducks used short passes and great runs after the catch to keep Auburn off guard and hold a 21-6 lead halfway through the third quarter. It kind of makes sense. Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert is a highly touted, experienced college quarterback who is projected by some NFL draft experts to be picked in the first round of next year’s draft. Meanwhile, Auburn was starting a true freshman quarterback named Bo Nix, the son of a former Auburn quarterback who dreamed for his whole life to be Auburn’s starting quarterback just like his daddy. Most of the game, Nix looked like a true freshman. His final stat line was a pretty brutal 13-for-31 passing and he had two picks and faced constant pressure by a fearsome Ducks pass rush all night. Then in the fourth quarter, Bo summoned the powerful Auburn energy that comes with his name (for all those uninitiated, Bo Jackson went to Auburn and is basically third place in most Auburn fan’s minds to God and then Jesus) and made his own legend. Two near miraculous touchdown passes including the game winner to Seth Williams with ten seconds to
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go saved Auburn’s blushes and put the pressure off head coach Gus Malzahan for now. Nevermind that Oregon seemed to forget how to play offense in the second half. Nevermind that Auburn’s line got pushed around a bit, something that is sacrilegious for an SEC school playing one of them weak West Coast schools. Auburn indeed won the football game and that’s all that matters for now. SEC! SEC! SEC! While Auburn was able to come up with the big win in an inter-conference battle to prove once and again that the SEC is the best conference in the land, a lot of other SEC schools definitively did not do that. It was an ugly weekend for a lot of teams down in the southeastern part of the country as four teams were shocked opening weekend, with three of those teams losing to “non-Power 5” teams. First up, Ole Miss traveled up to Memphis to play the Memphis Tigers, where in an ugly game, the Tigers prevailed 15-10. I was personally taught that if you’re not gonna say anything nice, it’s best to say nothing at all. So I’ll do that. The Missouri Tigers lost on the road to the Wyoming Cowboys 37-31 despite former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant throwing for over 400 yards on the day. The Cowboys played bad host in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 27-0 that including a 30-yard scoop and score by Wyoming’s C.J. Coldon to take a 27-17 lead at halftime. They also ran all over Mizzou to the tune of 297 and three total touchdowns and the home fans celebrated the beauty. The next victim in this sorry run was the South Carolina Gamecocks. In a neutral site game in Charlotte,
they lost to the neighboring North Carolina Tarheels 24-20 after the Heels exploded for a 15-point fourth quarter. This is the same UNC team that won only two games last year and re-hired Mack Brown, a 68-year old who had been out of coaching for five seasons before getting hired last fall. Gamecock quarterback Jake Bentley had only 142 passing yards and two picks, and UNC sacked him on a
last ditch play for USC to add insult to a rough day. Considering too that USC head coach Will Muschamp was supposed to be the heir aparent at Texas many years ago when Mack Brown was still coaching the ‘Horns, the game must add even more insult to injury to Muschamp, whose seat is probably heating up as we speak. But I have to save the best for last. And that is Georgia
State’s 38-30 stunner over the Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium, which might have been the best game of a really rough week one slate just for the sheer surprise of it. The GSU Panthers had 213 rushing yards and shocked and stunned the home crowd to produce crowd reaction pictures that showcase every stage of the five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance are all there in what may have been the most stunned atmosphere of the college football weekend. As a proud Atlantan — Georgia State is located in Atlanta and has a lovely downtown campus and burgeoning law school — I was thrilled to see Georgia State stake their claim to be the number two team in Georgia. Sure, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech have more history and national titles at various levels, but neither of them have wins this year over a Power 5 team. The Panthers do. This is a program that was founded 10 years ago, and now has a win over an SEC program in their own stadium. Ludacris, a former GSU student and one of Atlanta’s finest, must be very proud.