The Badger Breakdown

Now that we've broken down the competition for this season, it only makes sense to take a look in the mirror. The Badgers are being praised all over the media as a team on the rise, but a team with many upsides while having a small amount of questions. Let's take a look at the Badgers football team we'll see this year; warts and all.

Offense

It seems odd to think that the offense will be the upside of the Badgers compared to recent teams. In the years past it has been the defense that has carried Wisconsin for the most part, but this year the offense will need to carry the load.

Running Backs

The running game should be the best part of the Wisconsin offense this season, and the success of the Badgers rides on the back of Clay, Ball, and freshman James White.

Depth is by far an advantage when it comes to the Wisconsin rushing attack. Not many teams in the country can say that they can go three deep in the runningback position, but the Badgers can. John Clay could be a dark-horse to win the Heisman Tropy. Montee Ball is skilled enough at the position to be a starter pretty much anywhere in the country, and James White is a freshman with plenty of upside.

Bret Bielema will no doubt use all three from time to time this season, but John Clay will be the feature back. Last season Clay ran for over 1,500 yards, and Ball rushed for a not too shabby 391 with minimal carries.

The word on the street is stop them, and you'll have a chance beating the Badgers. If the Badgers have a strong season...it will be dependant on the success of the running game.

Offensive Line

They've been called "the largest offensive line in captivity," and if the Badger offense will have any success at all this season it will depend on the "big eaters."

The Badgers return all five of the starters from last season, and that means good things for the Badgers this season. But it is injuries that will determine the success of the offensive line. In years past injuries on the offensive line limited the Badgers offense, and as long as this group stays healthy expecting great things out of the offense is not out of the question.

A key member of the offensive line that needs to have a great season this year is Gabe Carimi. The starting left tackle is without a doubt the leader of the offensive line, and if the big guy can take care of business expect the others to follow suit. As a group they all work together, and Carimi is by far the best of them all. If the offensive line stays together, and works together the offense should be able to flouris. Especially the runningbacks and Scott Tolzien.

Quarterbacks

In the spring the Badgers lost Curt Phillips most likely for the season. The good news is that Phillips is not the starter. Which is something that a lot of people thought would happen coming into last season.

Scott Tolzien stepped into the role last season from day one, and has never looked back; throwing for over 2,700 yards last year. There were a lot of questions about Tolzien heading into last years opener, but this year there is no question he is the guy, and the offense will cue off of him. Including how the wide recievers and tight ends work out this year.

Wide Recievers and Tight Ends

It's been a while since the Badgers featured a wide reciever corp that was this deep. You almost have to go back to the days of Williams, Orr, and Evans to find a better group of recievers. A group that Nick Toon, David Gilreath, Isaac Anderson, and Lance Kendricks would like to replace.

The beauty of the wide recieving corp is their depth. The added dimension of the passing game will open up the offense for the running backs, and vice versa for the recievers. While Toon is perhaps the best of the recievers, he does have plent of company. Gilreath is poised to have a great season, and Isaac Anderson should return to the form he showed early last season.

But the depth goes beyond those three. Lance Kendricks is charged with the task of replacing Garrett Graham this season, but if the Champs Sports Bowl was any indication of the future, that is a task that Kendricks should succeed at. Joining Kendricks in the added depth is veteran Kyler Jefferson, and freshman Jared Abbrederis. Those two add taht extra level of comfort at the wide reciever position meaning that the Badgers may be more than three yards and a cloud of dust this season.

Defense

The question marks are on defense this year. The Badgers need to replace some valuable players from last season. But the veterans that remain will make it a good year for the defense...especially in the front seven.

Defensive Line

J.J. Watt is without a doubt the best of the defensive lineman, but this season he will not have O'Brien Schofield. The youth on the defensive line is a serious concern coming into this season, but having a player like Watt will help pick up the slack.

One of the players that will need to step up this year is Jordan Kohout. The freshman will get the nod at defensive tackle this year, and will need to anticipate that he will see a lot of the running game coming his way. But he does have Watt right next to him to make that adjustment easier.

The other lineman, Patrick Butrym and Louis Nzegwu, will need to play like the upper-classmen they now are. Just like last season when J.J. Watt stepped up his game because he played opposite of Schofield, the other three lineman will need to step up their game as well. As long as the defensive linemen follow Watt they will be a solid unit, and the Badgers will once again be one of the best at stopping the run in the Big Ten.

Linebackers

Helping out the defensive line is an up and coming group of linebackers. While Mike Taylor may be out temporarily, he will make his return and pair with Chris Borland for a solid tandem at the linebacker position.

The other linebacker is kind of a hit and miss. Culmer St. Jean is listed as the other starter, but fellow senior Blake Sorensen could take away some playing time from St. Jean. Just like the defenseive line, both St. Jean and Sorensen need to play like the upper classmen that they are. Replacing Jaevery McFadden will be no easy task but St. Jean and Sorensen have the talent to be compliments to Taylor and Borland.

Defensive Secondary

Perhaps the group that needed the most improvement of the three coming into this season. Too many times in the past has teams that have a big passing game have had their way with the Badgers. If Wisconsin has a good season on defense it will be the secondary that leads.

The Badgers feature a veteran group that knows their way around the Big Ten. In fact the only major change to the secondary is moving Aaron Henry to safety, but it isn't the safeties that need to step up this season. The corners have been at times the downside of the defense.

When Niles Brinkley and Antonio Fenelus have solid games the Badgers have success. In the Champs Sports Bowl last season both had solid games taking away the passing game from a team that throws it around as good as anyone in the country. If the corners play like they can this season the Badgers should limit the opposing offense significantly.

Special Teams

Kickers and Punters

Definitely a none concern coming into this season. The beauty of the kicking game for Wisconsin is that it is remarkably consistant. Both Philip Welch, and Brad Nortman have been solid during their tenure at Wisconsin, and this year they should improve even more.

The only complaint goies to Welch. While he has a very strong leg, his accuracy has suffered in his time in Madison. If Welch is able to find his accuracy he could be one of the best kickers in the country this season. Last season his accuracy improved over his freshman season, and it is possible that it could improve even more this year.

Kick Returners

In a surprise move David Gilreath won't be returning kicks this season. While he may in the season opener, the new man returning kicks for the Badgers will be freshman running back James White.

All the reports on White is that this kid can run. The hope is that he will add a new dimension to the return game for the Badgers and hopefully switch the field position. While the return game has not been a huge positive for the Badgers since Nick Davis left town, perhaps White can return Wisconsin football back to the days of Davis. Expect big things from this kid this season...both in the offensive backfield and on special teams.