Gameday (Purdue) - Saturday, October 22, 2022 - The Daily Cardinal

HOMECOMING 2022 GAMEDAY: PURDUE

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The return of the gameday issue

By Sophia Vento and Donnie Slusher EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND SPORTS EDITOR

The Daily Cardinal gameday issues served as a long, treasured staple of the boisterous Camp Randall stands for years — acting as a source of consistent, qual ity coverage from the best student journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For every single Badger home game, hundreds of gameday issues were handed out to the Camp Randall faithful. Then the pandemic happened.

The Big Ten football season was nearly canceled. It was eventu ally salvaged — but without home

crowds. No fans meant no readers to distribute issues to. Although a digital newsletter has continued in its place as fans returned to the stands — it hasn’t been the same.

Gameday issues were on hold. Until this week.

With alumni (and former Cardinalistas) filling Camp Randall for Homecoming, we saw this as the optimal week for the return of gameday. The last printed gameday issue was also for a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, in which the Badgers won 45-24. We are hop ing for a similar result — although that seems unlikely.

This year, given changes in

printing capacity and the obvi ous financial hurdles of student print journalism — a full return to gameday was unfortunately not feasible. Even this year, as we are now printing regular issues twice a month, we are still in the process of recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

But, here we are. A game day issue printed. On physical paper. Read by alumni, parents of stu dents, Badger fans and maybe even a few students. And we could not be more thrilled.

All editors and writers who contributed to our gameday endeavors pre-pandemic have long since graduated. Most

Cardinalistas were in high school or doe-eyed college freshman writing their first story when the last gameday issue was printed in November 2019.

We did this near blind — though with the guidance from previous sports editors (shout out Nate Denzin!). We could not be more proud of our writers, edi tors, photographers and copy edi tors for the hard work they put into this issue.

Frankly, the future of printed gameday issues is uncertain. But we are optimistic (more so than we are about the outcome of this game).

On, Wisconsin!

Behind the scenes of Wisconsin’s Homecoming

By Gwendolyn Christenson STAFF WRITER

Homecoming is one of the biggest weeks of the year on campus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and requires an extensive amount of planning. The week is made up of a series of events including a photo challenge, pep rally, parade and foot ball game to conclude the lineup.

McKenzie Zdrale is the man aging director of engagement for Wisconsin’s Alumni Association. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Homecoming Committee, which is responsible for planning events for alumni and friends.

Homecoming planning start ed immediately after last year’s homecoming with a debrief meeting, where feedback from students, alumni, friends and family is reviewed.

“We use feedback from years past, shared documents, timelines and software to help us manage all of our marketing and communica tions,” said Zdrale. “We have an incredible team of experts.”

According to Zdrale, starting in April there are monthly committee meetings. During these meetings they break down events, divide up tasks and decide what needs they can evolve on from last year’s events.

Zdrale emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a big concern for the Homecoming Committee over the past two years.

Members of the committee are working to take everyone’s concerns and needs into consideration when planning events.

“This year we aren’t having as many virtual options, as conditions are better than the past two years,” said Zdrale. “While not as chal lenging as years past, we are also always monitoring conditions due to COVID 19.”

The Homecoming Committee strived to make everyone feel com fortable and included by o ering virtual events, which caters to peo ple who prefer to stay at home and Badgers worldwide who aren’t able to physically be in Madison.

“We know that alumni and Badgers live across the globe, and we want options for all to partici pate, even if you can’t come and celebrate,” said Zdrale.

Badgers online participated in the Bucky Trail Photo challenge, a challenge that involved taking daily selfies around campus or around your home based on daily prompts. The other online event was a FamilyFriendly Virtual Scavenger Hunt, where members posted daily pic tures of Badger related items using the hashtag “#UWHC.”

There were six in-person events along with two virtual events.

This year, the only new event was the Divine Nine Plaza Kickback. This event was host ed in collaboration with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority

Life and the Wisconsin Alumni Association. It was an opportu nity to show off the new plaza and allow alumni, family, friends and students to engage and check out the space, according to Zdrale.

“It’s such an important and beau tiful space on campus, that speaks to traditions on UW-Madison’s cam pus and that’s what Homecoming is all about,” Zdrale further expressed her excitement.

Other in-person events include the Multicultural Homecoming Tailgate and Multicultural Homecoming Yard Show. These events have been around for years and are an integral part of Homecoming week.

The tailgate took place at the Pyle Center and o ered food, drinks, games and a DJ. It was a space where people could mingle and learn more about the Public History Project.

“The MCHC Tailgate is a long standing tradition that has been around for many years,” said Zdrale.

This year, the tailgate’s loca tion was moved to the Pyle Center to accommodate more people and allow for increased outdoor events to give the feeling of a true tailgate.

The Multicultural Homecoming Yard Show took place at Shannon Hall. Members of the National PanHellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council showed o new rou tines they have been working on, a tradition to get fellow Badgers excit ed for Homecoming.

The other signature events included Fill the Hill, the UW Homecoming Parade, the Block Party and Pep Rally, and the UW Homecoming Football game.

The Homecoming committee attributes their success to their abil ity to work together as a committee made up of alumni, students, cam pus partners and WAA sta

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Fire in the boiler room: Badgers to host scalding-hot Purdue team

By Justin Alpert SENIOR WRITER

The Purdue Boilermakers (5-2, 3-1) will visit Camp Randall Stadium for a matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers (3-4, 1-3) Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Tied atop the Big Ten West standings and riding a four-game winning streak, the Boilermakers are enjoying an outstanding 2022 season. With a strong passing attack and a proclivity for stop ping the run, Purdue should be eager to take on Wisconsin.

If the last-place Badgers are to topple Purdue, they’ll need to sta bilize their inconsistent offense, provide their outside corner backs with constant safety help and force multiple turnovers.

Purdue offense vs. Wisconsin defense

Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell has once again been a standout performer for the Boilermakers. The senior is on pace to finish with over 3,500 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s completed 66.2% of his attempts and has thrown for at least 360 yards in four of six games.

Most recently, O’Connell threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-37 win against Nebraska.

That victory last Saturday also included a season-high out put from running back Devin Mockobee, who ran for 178 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

Along with his 5.7-yard aver

age, 453 rushing yards and five touchdowns, the freshman has contributed to the passing game with 13 receptions for 130 yards.

Despite Mockobee’s respect able numbers, Purdue’s ground game isn’t a major threat. The Boilermakers have averaged an unremarkable four yards per carry and 133 rushing yards per game as a team, so Wisconsin’s defense shouldn’t be too con cerned up front.

Rather, Jim Leonhard’s game plan should prioritize wide receiver Charlie Jones, even if he’s limited by an undisclosed injury. He wasn’t entirely healthy last week but still torched Nebraska for 12 catches, 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Jones’ 62 receptions rank sec ond in the nation and his 735 yards seventh. The Iowa trans fer’s modest 6’0” frame hasn’t stopped him from being a force in the red zone, as he’s caught nine touchdowns.

Unless they find a new gear we’ve yet to see, neither of Wisconsin’s starting corner backs can handle Jones in single coverage. Bracketing Jones with a safety would make life easier for Jay Shaw and Ricardo Hallman, both of whom were exposed in the Michigan State loss.

Doubling Jones may be the only way to prevent another game-breaking performance, even if it creates opportunities for Purdue’s other pass-catchers.

Tight end Payne Durham has 33 catches for 310 yards and three

touchdowns, while receiver TJ Sheffield has hauled in 22 passes for 254 yards and his own trio of touchdowns. Both are threats – especially if Wisconsin pays Jones the attention he deserves.

One weakness in Purdue’s offense has been turnovers. O’Connell and co. have given the ball away 12 total times this sea son and seven times in the last three games.

Unfavorable as the matchup may be for the Badger defense, a timely takeaway or two could be the difference. Wisconsin’s only takeaway versus Michigan State was an intercepted throw-away on a broken field goal play. This week, more may be necessary.

Wisconsin offense vs. Purdue defense

How will Graham Mertz’s roll ercoaster of a 2022 season contin ue this week? He managed only 131 yards against Michigan State, which fielded one of the worst pass defenses in the country.

On paper at least, things will get even tougher for Mertz. The Boilermakers have held oppo nents to 248 passing yards per game and have tallied 10 inter ceptions (six in the last three games). Wisconsin’s quarter back has been prone to make poor decisions and is unlikely to get away with such mistakes this week.

Starting safeties Chris Jefferson and Cam Allen have recorded two and three intercep

tions, respectively. Further, both have five passes defensed and a pick-six on their 2022 resumes. They could be key to stifling a Wisconsin passing game which has grown increasingly depen dent on top receiver Chimere Dike by the week.

Having allowed 100 rush ing yards per game this season, Purdue appears well-equipped to limit Wisconsin’s running game. While Braelon Allen has excelled with 258 yards in his last two games and 5.7 yards per carry on the season, he sud denly appears to have little help behind him.

Chez Mellusi remains out as he recovers from wrist surgery, and Isaac Guerendo has just six total carries over the past four weeks. More handoffs to the speedy Guerendo would both give Allen some much-needed rest and discourage Purdue’s defense from crashing the inte rior gaps each play.

Wisconsin’s offense has defied expectations so often this season and may need to do so again if it’s to keep pace with the highscoring Boilermakers.

A bittersweet homecoming

Badger fans have every reason to be down on this year’s team. Expected to contend for a Big Ten West title, Wisconsin now finds itself at the basement of the perennially mediocre division.

Perhaps a return to the home crowd will breathe new life into

the Badgers. An up-and-coming Purdue team and one of col lege football’s best players are in town and a competitive game seems likely. Those factors, along with swirling dreams about the Wisconsin program’s direction under Jim Leonhard, still make Camp Randall the place to be this Saturday afternoon.

Keep a lookout on @cardi nal_sports on Twitter, where we’ll once again be live-tweeting updates throughout Saturday’s contest. The Daily Cardinal will also be distributing Gameday issues to celebrate Homecoming, so be sure to grab one near the stadium and read up on our extensive coverage of the 2022 Wisconsin Badgers.

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Quarterback Graham Mertz will attempt to breathe some life into the disappointing Badgers season.

The Badger o ense’s return to stagnation

By Rohan Chakravarthi STAFF WRITER

After an inspiring 42-7 win to the Northwestern Wildcats, the Wisconsin Badgers su ered another disappointing loss, this time in a 34-28 double overtime defeat to the Michigan State Spartans.

With the loss, the Badgers now drop to 3-4 on the season, ending the honeymoon of the Jim Leonhard era and placing the team back into urgency mode as they host the 5-2 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.

Why did the Badgers stall last Saturday after such a strong start? Do they have the capacity to right the ship at another crucial time in the season?

Last weekend, Wisconsin scored twice early, compiling an 11-play, 63-yard touchdown drive, and a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that gave them quick momentum, despite an untimely Graham Mertz interception near his own endzone.

However, after 14 early points, the Badgers’ o ense remained stag nant for the majority of the game.

After allowing Graham Mertz to dropback five times on first down during the Badgers’ first two drives against Northwestern, Wisconsin reverted back to a predictable game plan against Michigan State.

Mertz had just two dropbacks on first downs during the entire first half. This caused the Spartans to quickly catch on and the defense became aggressive after Wisconsin’s two early scoring drives.

As a result, Bobby Engram’s o ense had three straight near three-and-outs following the scores, losing Wisconsin’s early momen tum and allowing Michigan State’s o ense to creep back into the game.

During a 12-play, 48-yard drive in the second half, Engram changed it up, mixing in the passes and runs on first down. However, the o ense again stalled after three straight incompletions from Mertz on con secutive plays – a recurring theme.

Wisconsin punted on six con secutive drives before scoring a touchdown on their final drive of the fourth quarter to tie the score 21-21, leading them to overtime after the defense got a crucial stop.

The Badgers attempted a simi lar approach on their first drive of overtime with three consecutive Mertz passes.

After a near-interception on first down and a poor overthrow to the flat on second down, Mertz fired a bullet to his favorite target Chimere

Dike on a crosser, letting his receiver do the remainder of the work for the game-tying touchdown in overtime.

However, Braelon Allen fumbled on the first play from scrimmage during the ensuing drive, costing the Badgers the game.

Last weekend, it seemed as if the Badgers’ o ense and play call ing were finally clicking in unison, but o ensive coordinator Bobby Engram reverted back to a runheavy approach, which limited the chance to gain consistent traction o ensively through the air or on the ground.

When asked about the o ensive stagnation, Engram admitted that he needed to do a better job of mix ing up the play calling on Tuesday.

“Yeah, [the o ense was stagnant in the second half]. We got to do some things to move the football. Part of the problem is that we got to better on first and second down. We got ourselves into some third and longs there in the second half,” Engram explained.

“I think [we reached] third and nine four or five times in a row and that’s tough to overcome. So, we gotta do better on first and second down and I gotta do a [better] job at continuing to mix it up,” the o en sive coordinator added.

While the run-heavy approach on first down didn’t a ect the Badgers on their early drives, Michigan State quickly adapted, bringing additional aggression and personnel towards the run, thwart ing several Wisconsin drives as they attempted to continue the same o ensive approach.

Then, Engram struggled to find a true balance as the game continued, occasionally either calling an array of passes together or predictably choosing to run on first down.

Once he found the correct bal ance, it was too late – Wisconsin had to come from behind in order to tie the game, before fumbling during their second possession in overtime.

Overall, Engram had a strong formula against Northwestern that could’ve translated into suc cess against later opponents. The o ensive identity displayed in Evanston will need to be reincor porated if Wisconsin is to rebound against Purdue.

Otherwise, with a strong second ary and an opponent not afraid to call necessary blitzes, the play call ing and execution will play a vital role in Wisconsin’s o ensive success during Week 8.

Purdue o ense looms over homecoming

By Dylan Goldman STAFF WRITER

The greatest college football programs typically have an iden tity – some feature or character istic that sets them apart from other teams and explains their continued success.

For the Wisconsin Badgers, they have made their name on two things consistently: run ning the ball and playing suf focating defense. As Wisconsin enters this weekend’s game with a below average record of 3-4, it’s fair to wonder how they have started this way.

There are many reasons that can explain the program’s slide: subpar quarterback play, an o ensive line that is weaker than usual, the inability to con sistently establish the running game – the list goes on and on.

However, perhaps the most glaring issue to explain the Badgers’ slow start to the year is the regression of the defense. This year, the Badgers got beat up to the tune of 52 points in Columbus, and gave up 34 a piece to Illinois and Michigan State. Wisconsin’s defense ranks a very mediocre seventh in total defense in the Big Ten this season.

That pales in comparison to Wisconsin’s defenses in 2019 and 2021 – where they finished third and first in total defense, respectively. The Badgers have been hampered by injuries, par ticularly in the secondary. While the defense is normally strong enough to withstand injury issues, it doesn’t seem to be that way in 2022.

Wisconsin’s o ense is nor mally not potent enough to win a high scoring game, and that is why they typically need their defense to pick up the slack. In all three of their conference losses this season, the defense has not shown up to help the o ense finish o or even com pete in games.

The backslide in Wisconsin’s defensive success has represent ed a loss in a huge part of their identity, and it partly explains why they sit at the bottom of the

Big Ten West standings.

If Wisconsin wants to salvage something from this season, they must defend Camp Randall and beat Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers are no slouch. They rank fifth in the confer ence in total o ense – behind only Minnesota, Maryland, and Big Ten powers Michigan and Ohio State. Purdue will definite ly challenge the Badgers belea guered defense.

The Boilermakers are coming o a high-flying 43-37 win over Nebraska last weekend to vault them into a tie for first place in the Big Ten West. Purdue is led by quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who despite missing a game this season, has thrown for 1,950 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns and only five inter ceptions. O’Connell has also completed 66% of his passes and is averaging 7.2 yards per pass attempt. The 24-year-old signalcaller was named the Big Ten Co-O ensive Player of the Week after throwing for just under 400 yards and four touchdowns against Nebraska.

O’Connell is an experienced quarterback who was named to the All-Big Ten’s Second Team in 2021. He tallied 3,712 yards and 28 touchdowns while also setting a school completion per centage record with a stellar 71.8 percentage. O’Connell is a sixth year senior who has been the team’s starter for three years. He is arguably the best quarter back the Badgers have faced so far this year after Ohio State’s CJ Stroud.

Although, O’Connell surely hasn’t done it alone, as he has been aided by wide receiver Charlie Jones – another sixthyear who transferred from Iowa for this season. Jones has been a revelation for the Boilermakers as he is already near 1,000 yards on the season, averag ing 11.9 yards per catch. Jones also has nine touchdowns this year, which is by far the most on Purdue. Jones just annihilated Nebraska’s secondary last week – catching 12 passes for 132 yards

and two touchdowns.

The Boilermakers also have TJ She eld, who is averaging almost 12 yards per catch, and Payne Durham, who has 310 yards and three touchdowns this year. However, the o ense undoubtedly runs through Jones, The Badgers allowed three Michigan State receivers to get over 70 yards last week, most notably Jayden Reed who totaled 119 yards. Wisconsin can anticipate a healthy amount of pass attempts from Purdue this weekend, and they cannot treat Jones the same way the Cornhuskers did.

While the Boilermakers make their name through the air, they are far from a onedimensional offense. Purdue enters this game averaging 133 rushing yards per game. Their strong rushing attack helps balance the offense, resulting in a more efficient O’Connellled passing game. Purdue’s rush offense is led by Devin Mockabee, who has rushed for 453 yards while averaging 5.7 yards per carry with five touch downs on the year. Mockabee also tortured Nebraska’s defense last week – rushing for 178 yards and a touchdown.

Mockabee is helped by his backfield mate Dylan Downing, who has added 249 yards and four touchdowns to Mockabee’s already dangerous attack. The Badgers defense has been partic ularly weak against the run this season, as they are just ninth in total run defense and are giving up 114 rush yards per game. The Badgers only gave up 64.8 rush ing yards per game last year, so it’s clear that Purdue may look to exploit Wisconsin’s deficient run defense.

The Boilermakers have prov en they are a very formidable team, with a balanced o ense led by a prolific and experienced quarterback. The Badger defense will need to wake up and look like the Wisconsin defense of old if they are to slow down Purdue and get back in the win column on Saturday.

Despite offensive talent, Wisconsin hasn't lived up to expectations.

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The Wisconsin Badger defense must return to form if they hope to salvage the season.

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Five head coach candidates the Badgers must consider

By Dylan Goldman STAFF WRITER

The Wisconsin Badgers foot ball program is in some unfore seen territory. A historic pro gram built on continuity and consistency is now looking for a head coach for the first time since the end of the 2014 season.

Wisconsin made the decision to fire head coach Paul Chryst on Oct. 2 after the Badgers were drubbed 34-10 by Illinois in Camp Randall Stadium.

The Badgers will be led by defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as the interim coach, and he will have two months to audition for the full-time job.

It’s fair to assume, however, that there will be an exhaustive search outside the program as well.

When speaking to reporters, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh said, “I think I owe it to this program to do a full search when the time is right.”

For now, let’s take a look at some potential candidates to take the reins of the Badgers program next season.

Jim Leonhard

Wisconsin’s defensive coordi nator has an inside track to the job as he will get seven games to lead the squad this season.

If, say, the Badgers turn it around, and make a run or even make it to the Big Ten Championship Game, it would be safe to say Wisconsin may just remove Leohnard’s interim tag.

Leonhard is a Wisconsin leg end in his own right. He was a three time first-team AllAmerican, is tied for the UW record in interceptions (50) and was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Leonhard has been the Badgers defensive coordinator for five years, and his defenses have finished top five in total defense and top ten in scoring defense a staggering four times.

Leonhard turned down an

offer from the Green Bay Packers in 2021 to stay in Madison, and he might be the man for the job if the team performs well for the remainder of the season.

Lance Leipold

Each year there is a coach everyone watches closely to see what his next move will be. This year, that coach appears to be Kansas’ Lance Leipold.

Leipold, a native of Jefferson County in Wisconsin, has engi neered an incredible turnaround at Kansas, as he has the histori cally moribund program at 5-0 and ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 2009.

The Jayhawks last won more than five games in 2008, and Leipold has been the guy to wake up KU’s football team.

Before Kansas, Leipold led Buffalo to three straight bowl game appearances, and perhaps most notably, started a dynasty at the nearby UW-Whitewater.

Leipold went 109-6 at Whitewater and won six Division III national championships.

Leipold will be courted by Nebraska and of course Kansas, but perhaps the lure of returning home to a historic program will make Leipold Wisconsin’s next head coach.

Dave Aranda

Aranda is currently the head coach at Baylor, where he inher ited a program that was upended after the departure of coach Matt Rhule to the Carolina Panthers.

The Bears struggled in his first season with a 2-7 record, but they roared to a 12-2 record last year en route to being crowned Big 12 champions.

Aranda has an impressive resume, as he was the defensive coordinator for LSU’s national championship winning team in 2019-20.

However, he got his start in Madison. Under Aranda, from

2013-15, Wisconsin’s defenses always finished top 10 in total defense, with their peak being a third place finish in 2015.

Aranda may be tough to haul in as he is building a qual ity program at Baylor, but he is definitely an option Wisconsin should consider.

Matt Campbell

Campbell’s name has circu lated in coaching searches for a few years, and there are obvi ous reasons why. Campbell went 35-15 as head coach of Toledo and is currently the head coach at Iowa State.

At another program that has struggled a long time, he guided them to five straight winning sea sons with the peak being a 9-3 record and a victory in the Fiesta Bowl in 2020.

Campbell doesn’t quite have the relation to Wisconsin that some of the other options have, but he has built winners at his previous stops, and he’ll be another tough coach to procure.

Dave Clawson

This is a name not quite as popular as the rest of those on the list, but he should be getting more attention.

Clawson led Bowling Green to the MAC title in 2013 and more impressively turned Wake Forest — which is where Clawson coaches right now — into a con sistent winner.

Since taking over Wake in 2014, Clawson has led the Demon Deacons to a school record six consecutive bowl games (which is the second longest in the ACC behind Clemson), as well as the ACC Championship last year. Despite losing to Pitt, they fin ished with 11 wins on the season.

Since 2016, Wake has gone 45-30, which is an impressive pattern of sustained success at a school not previously known for football.

Longtime defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will step in at a crucial time in Wisconsin's program.

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TAYLOR WOLFRAM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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TAYLOR

Wisconsin

The trials and tribulations of Mertz

By Cole Wozniak SPORTS EDITOR

There are three truths in life: death, taxes and Wisconsin foot ball’s mediocre quarterback play. Since the superhuman e ciency of Russell Wilson in 2012, Wisconsin has featured the pedestrian likes of Alex Hornibrook, Bart Houston, Jack Coan, Joel Stave, etc.

Mertz’s arrival in 2019 was sup posed to break this trend of medioc rity in the passing game and bring in a new age of highflying o ense along with Wisconsin’s traditional stifling defense and smash-mouth, explosive running attack.

At his heights, the Blue Valley North product has looked fantastic with an accuracy and talented pass ing ability that even garnered the attention of one of the best quarter backs in the NFL. At an early Elite 11 practice, Peyton Manning said Mertz was very similar to himself in terms of his throwing ability and playstyle.

Later that fall, Mertz tore apart some of the highest competition at the Under Armour All-American game. Badger fans were becoming ecstatic by the thought of escaping the overthrows of Alex Hornibrook and the blahness of Jack Coan.

With Mertz, some posited Wisconsin could be a devastating o ensive juggernaut that could tear up defenses through the air and with run over teams because of Jonathan Taylor’s lightened boxes resulting from the threat of Mertz’s precise pocket-passing. The Badgers were seemingly on a trajectory for a College Football Playo or a Rose Bowl win. Of course, none of this came to be.

During Graham’s first year on campus, Wisconsin actually had pret ty decent quarterback play from Jack Coan which led to Mertz redshirting.

Coaches were happily pleased with Mertz’s performance as a backup, as there were behind-the-scenes rumors that he almost started a couple of

games when Jack Coan was su ering a shoulder injury. At the end of the year, Coan transferred to Notre Dame after the coaching sta informed him Mertz was likely to supplant Coan as the full time starter.

So, Wisconsin was finally get ting what it wanted: an elite pock et-passing quarterback who could elevate the rest of the roster. Even though Jonathan Taylor was gone, the defense projected to continue its dominance, and Wisconsin was pro jected to be one of the top teams in the country. Early returns were fantastic with a near-perfect game in the 2020 opener against Illinois. Mertz was hitting every sort of play-action pass to the likes of tight end Jake Ferguson, fullback Mason Stokke and wideout Danny Davis. However, Mertz would only go on to throw four more touch

downs and five interceptions, leading to some of the poorest o ensive per formances in Badger football history.

But this all happened in the shadow of COVID-19. Fans started to believe this poor quarterback play was an aberration because of inconsistent receiver play. 2021 would be Wisconsin’s year with a fantastic schedule that would allow Mertz to show o against the likes of Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Instead, he was again sub par, throwing only 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Fans were incredibly frustrated with the program, as there was no longer a feature running back to fill the hole left by Jonathan Taylor and the defense was struggling. Mertz would then have a stronger stretch of play over the rest of the season as the

o ense emerged to feature Braelon Allen. Mertz was starting to play e ciently when the o ense had fewer passing attempts per game and a lot of work was taken o his shoulders. However, that stretch of quality play ended during a terrible performance against Minnesota, where his lack luster performance led to the Badgers missing out on the Big Ten title game in back-to-back years.

This year has been Mertz’s stron gest stretch of play in Madison. While there have definitely been bad plays and silly what-are-you-doing inter ceptions, Mertz has looked more like a high-quality Big Ten quarterback with high passing yardage.

He has developed a penchant for completing more deep shots to wideouts like Chimere Dike and deep in-breakers to Keontez

Lewis. Although he has struggled at times this season (see Ohio State), he definitely took a step forward with performances like against Northwestern, where he finished with five touchdowns. The problem is his stronger play has coincided with steps back for Wisconsin’s defense, running game and offensive line.

While Mertz has made more plays on the run this year through boot legs and scrambling, he is definitively a pocket-passer. However, given he does not have great footwork, he isn’t able to navigate the pocket and evade pressure when the o ensive line struggles. This has been a core reason for why Wisconsin looked uncompet itive against Illinois and Ohio State.

If the Badgers are to return to playing the old style of Wisconsin football, where they win nine or 10 games a year along with Big Ten West championships, consistent quarterback play is needed. Mertz’s inconsistency held the Badgers back from winning the Big Ten West in 2020 and 2021. While he took a step forward this year, seemingly every thing else on the team took an enor mous leap backwards.

All in all, Mertz entered Madison as the heralded savior of Badger foot ball, capable of leading Wisconsin back to the elite tier of college foot ball. However, as Wisconsin’s start ing quarterback, his play led to the firing of one of the most successful coaches in school history and wasted some of Wisconsin’s most talented defenses in years.

While it is never simple enough to merely blame the quarterback, as there were already signs the ship was slowly sinking in Wisconsin, Mertz proved he was far from the program savior he was prophesied to be. Rather than his arrival being the tidal wave that would send this program to loftier heights, it was an albatross signaling this ship was about to sink.

TAYLOR

After entering Wisconsin as one of the most heralded recruits in program history, Graham Mertz's Badger tenure has been riddled with disappointment and occasional promise.

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TAYLOR WOLFRAM

Receivers vital to post-Chryst o ense

By Seth Kruger STAFF WRITER

In perhaps the most exciting Wisconsin football game of the year, the new Leonhard-lead Badgers will face the Purdue Boilermakers in a classic Big Ten West matchup. Homecoming games are always an important part of the season expe rience for students, faculty, fans and alumni.

This weekend will undoubtedly be no di erent. But, as the Badgers sit at a concerning 3-4 record, this matchup is much more important than a homecoming game. It may prove instrumental in orchestrating a 21st straight bowl game appear ance. Or, it could be one of the final nails in the co n that would break the third longest active college foot ball bowl game streak.

If the Badgers are to have any chance of winning in front of a packed Camp Randall crowd on Saturday, points need to be scored. As we’ve seen throughout the first seven weeks of the season, defense has not exactly been a point of posi tive emphasis.

With an average of 21.5 points allowed in all games this season (including the shut-out against Illinois State and only seven points for New Mexico State), the defense has left pressure on the o ense to win games. In Big Ten play alone, the defense has given up an aver age of almost 32 points. It is clear o ense is shaping up to be the only hope at winning games the rest of the season.

Thankfully for Badger nation, the o ense has been capable of pro viding sparks of hope throughout the season. While most of the game play we’ve seen so far has not been winning football overall, examining the potential of the o ense — espe cially the receiving core — provides hope for a win on Saturday.

Averaging 31.3 points a game puts Wisconsin right in the middle of the Big Ten. While every team certainly has their firepower, the Badgers’ potential is still exciting, even seven games in.

Surprisingly, a majority of the potential emerging has been through the air. For many years, Wisconsin has been known for their

“smash mouth football.” However, the firing of Paul Chryst may well have marked the end of this era as a whole. Of course, Braelon Allen remains one of the most electric playmakers in the conference, but future success in the Badger o ense needs to come from — dare I say it — throwing the ball.

Many people would argue this is not true, the argument being that Mertz is too untrustworthy, especially with the little amount of time he gets in the pocket. What’s promising is who he’s throwing to when he has time to air out an accurate pass.

Unfortunately, the Badgers will be losing one of their top receiv ers. Just two days after the 34-28 loss to Michigan State, Markus Allen entered the transfer portal. The freshman averaged 13 yards per catch in just six games with a touchdown against Northwestern.

Even with the impending loss of Allen, faith in the rest of the core has not wavered. The other top four receivers can absolutely carry the weight of the drives and scoring.

Dean Engram

Regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in the 2018 class, the junior has played an integral part in providing dynam ic options for Mertz to find when in need. This is his first career season playing wide receiver, and the decision to switch him to the o ensive side of the ball has been beneficial. Since he was a transition player from defense to o ense, his aggressive playstyle and physicality serves him well in the air, too. While he hasn’t caught a touchdown yet, his 13 yards per catch prove useful in propelling the Badger o ense forward.

Keontez Lewis

Lewis’ first year in Madison has provided the first real flashes of his abilities. After transfer ring to Wisconsin from UCLA, where he did not record a recep tion, Lewis has averaged 17 yards per catch with two touchdowns

on the season. Now, he is able to demonstrate his quick abil ity to find separation at the top of his routes — proving himself an integral part of the offense. Adding the sophomore to this year’s squad has clearly been use ful, and his continued develop ment will be extremely exciting to watch.

Skyler Bell

While it’s no surprise Bell has thrived in his first full season for the Badgers, it is still just as fun to watch his play improve with every week. Bell recorded his lon gest catch of the season last week against Michigan State to add to his 280 yards and three touchdowns on the season. He has a keen ability to find the pockets of space between defenders, settling in as a reliable target for Mertz. There is no doubt Skylar Bell is the future of the Badgers’ receiving core — and this will only further prove true as the season progresses.

Chimere Dike

The Badgers’ leader in recep tions, receiving yards, yards per catch, receiving yards per game, receiving touchdowns and every other receiving category, Chimere Dike has by far been one of the best receivers in the conference. He’s able to find space with shifty routes inside the secondary, and he can also break out and find downfield separation, making him an unpre dictable target to cover. With five touchdowns and almost 500 yards on the season, Dike is unarguably one of the brightest stars of the season, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

In all, if a “beat Purdue” senti ment is to be fulfilled Saturday, it has to be through the air, as the run game has become stagnant and pre dictable against better Big Ten com petition. This squad of receivers, plus the backfield catching abilities of Allen, Mellusi and Guerendo, should have no trouble against a Purdue defense ranked 103 best in passing yards allowed.

Column: Paul Chryst deserves more respect

By Seth Kruger STAFF WRITER

Hierarchical models of power are inescapable, no matter where we look in our society today. This is no different in sports. Unfortunately, many sport hier archies do not give much, if any, power to those other than the highest entities.

From Big Ten Commissioner all the way to practice squad waterboy, power is unevenly dis tributed. While one may think a head coach like Paul Chryst calls a lot of shots, one of the powers he does not hold is to call shots about his own job security.

As the news of Chryst’s firing broke less than 24 hours after Wisconsin’s 34-10 loss to Illinois, Badger fans were sent into a whirl of emotional outpour.

Among the most common reactions were confusion, shock, celebration, hope and even

excitement for interim head coach Jim Leonhard.

Even though the decision to fire a long-tenured head coach in the middle of a season is undoubt edly shocking and risky, I too felt relief and hope for the future of the Badger program after hearing the news.

But, as others displayed more extreme verbal reactions (as sports fans so affectionately do), I could not avoid feeling sym pathy for Chryst ever since the news broke.

Honestly, I am shocked at the lack of appreciation for Chryst for basic sports fandom reasons. Not many other programs can claim a 67-26 coach over just a seven year tenure, which includes a 6-1 bowl game record and multiple New Year’s Six bowl game appearances.

He was known for his “smash mouth football” philosophy, with Jonathan Taylor as just one of

many outstanding players among the plethora of elite run-heavy offenses unique to 2010s Badger football. His individual player development was also top tier, as he helped produce 18 AllAmericans and over 30 NFL Draft picks.

However, there are many other aspects to this firing that should be considered before we write Chryst off as a failure at the end of his tenure. Just like the rest of us, he did his job because he enjoyed it, and he built his career around the opportunities he received at Wisconsin.

These opportunities began back in his childhood. He was born in Madison and raised not far from campus. He graduated from UW-Madison in 1988 with a political science degree, while also earning 2 varsity letters as a quarterback, tight end and spe cial teams player for the Badgers.

These are the types of experi ences that we, as fans of the team, often glance over.

When someone like Chryst grows up a fan of a certain pro gram, and eventually ends up playing and coaching them, there is no stronger bond pos sible between person and pro gram. Chryst is the perfect example of this developed pas sion for a program.

When I think about a team firing a head coach, I don’t often feel sympathy like I have for Chryst. However, not many other coaches have such deep roots in a team they coach, espe cially when the team essentially built their career.

At the end of the day, this man, proud of his history with the program and the legacy he built, lost his job. Sure, he’s getting $11 million in contract buyout money, but, if you truly

love your job, money isn’t every thing. With the legacy and his tory that Chryst leaves behind, I can only assume he loved his job for more than just the head coach’s salary.

While change is coming quick ly to the Badger program, and we will soon find out if Jim Leonhard is the right solution in this shaky season, there needs to be time and thought dedicated to the coach that has departed.

His legacy, his roots with the university and the program, and his continuous dedication to producing years of outstand ing Badger football should not go unappreciated.

So, as we celebrate the quickfire decision made by the UW Athletics department, remem ber to think humanely about the impacts this decision will have on a man’s life and not just about success on a football field.

Chimere Dike leads the group of younger, less-experienced Badger receivers.

TAYLOR WOLFRAM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Allen, Braelon Mellusi, Chez Shaw, Jay Hollman, Ricardo Wolf, Chase Bollers, T.J. Lewis, Keontez Lyde, A’khoury Dort Jr., Cedrick Mertz, Graham Engram, Dean Lytle, Spencer Jones, Avyonne Brown, Austin BraceyJr.,Stephan Bell, Skyler Smith, Alexander Howe, Marshall Lofy, Max Dike, Chimere Latu, Kamo’i Zachman,Preston McIntosh,Tommy Torchio, John Burkett, Myles Yacameli, Cade Peterson, Darryl Arnett, Owen Herbig, Nick Guerendo, Isaac Melvin, Semar Clark, Justin Fane, Cam Van Dyke, Jack Toennies, Cole Wohler, Hunter Ratzla , Jake Blaylock,Trayvon O’Neill, Grady Anderson,Haakon Gregoire, Mike Meyers, Gavin

Wisconsin Badgers

Toler, Titus Bortolotti, Grover Trudgeon,Jackson Gloudeman, Zach Solliday, Garrison Magli, Devin Bowden, Peter Dakovich, Cole Large, Cam Vaughan, Aidan Sanborn, Brian Johnson, Kaden Gengler, Ross Turner, Jordan Njongmeta,Maema Brunner, Joe Johnson, Rodas Larson, Luna Kirschke, Gabe Witt, Aaron Barrett, Dylan Bortolini, Tanor McKinley, Duncan Timmis, Sean Beach, Tyler Rucci, Nolan Benzschawel, JP Barten, Ben Zei, Zach Nelson, Barrett Mahlman, Riley Kodanko, Kerry Furtney, Michael Tippmann, Joe Brunner, Tommy Cli ord, John Evans, Drew Wedig, Trey Nelson, Jack Franklin, Jaylan Eschenbach, Jack Brooks Jr., Chris Cundi , Clay Anthony II, Vinny Rucci, Hayden Pugh, Jack ThompsonJr.,James Calvaruso, Vito Monday, Tristan Neal, Curt Townsend, Isaac Paez, Gio Benton, Keeanu Lahm, Gavin McDonald, Cade Jarvis, Mike Goetz, C.J. Mullens, Isaiah

Rosters

5-11 5-9 6-1 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-5 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-8 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-6 6-8 6-2 6-5

Hampton, Bryce Alaimo, Michael Taylor, Reese Yaseen, AbdurRahman Tracy Jr., Tyrone Burks, Deion Cannon, Elijah Caraway, Nic Deville Jr., Curtis Graham, Jalen Brown, Jamari She eld, TJ Rice, Mershawn Strickland, Joe Allen, Cam Albers, Jack Denson, Tee Burton, Austin Grigsby, Jah’von Thompson, Broc Karlaftis, Yanni Jones, Charlie O’Connell, Aidan Gelov, Christian Je erson, Chris Allen, Brady Buchanan, Jordan Adams, Kyle Brothers, OC Kane, Sanoussi Doerue, King Trice, Corey Childers, Camdyn Fineran, Mitchell Lewis, Kobe Calloway, Brandon Firestone, Trey Brandt, Ryan Marks, Kentrell Mull, Jaxon Sowinski, Andrew Ansell, Jack Zecchino, Nick Je erson II, Joseph Kenrich, Charlie Pratt, Xander Lewis, Damarjhe Van Noord, Ben Parise, Hayden Stevens, Antonio Pitre, Roman Lahey, Caleb Wahlberg, Jacob Downing, Dylan Chapman, Will Freehill, Ben Miller, Hudson Furtney, Ben

Purdue Boilermakers

Krockover, Caleb Washington, Clyde Douglas, Kieren Jenkins, Kydran Macias, Julio Mockobee, Devin Humpich, Scotty Cropsey, Brendan Moon, Domanick Cox, Tristan Henderson III, Farrell Kpaka, Sulaiman Taylor, Nick Tuinei, Zac Hartwig, Gus Kaltenberger, Josh Kreul, Ben Preciado, Malachi Scruggs, Jayden Van Eekeren, Chris Deen, Branson Carpenter, Vince Roberts, Aaron Kuhns, Ben Mbow, Marcus Moussa, Mahamane Woodru , Drew Craig, Cam Richards, Zach Fox, Nalin Finau, Sione Johnson, Daniel Miller, Eric Holstege, Spencer Oben, Andre Washington, DJ Watson, Cross Byczinski, Jared Sullivan, Collin Biber, Drew Steptoe, Zion Terrell, Preston Maxwell, Alex Klare, Max Durham, Payne Miller, Garrett Piferi, Paul Johnson, Lawrence Brevard, Cole Buechel, Ben Omonode, Mo Boyd Jr., Prince James Deeter, J.P. Anderson, Joe Sydnor, Khordae Fakasiieiki, Semisi Hudgins III, Greg Sullivan, Jack

5-9 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-3 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-7 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-2 6-5 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-5

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JADEN ROBERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

TAYLOR WOLFRAM/THE DAILY CARDINAL