Wildcat? Or Wild Badger for That Matter?

With the success of James White this season there have been some that have suggested that it is time to perhaps make White the starter. It would be a tough task to replace John Clay as the starting running back, but why can't they both play at the same time?

The obvious answer is that they can't because of the system that Wisconsin runs on offense, but there is one formation that could make that a reality...the wildcat.

The wildcat formation has caused some havoc in both college and professional football at tiems, and with a solid set of running backs it is possible. The basic premise of the offense is to put the ball in the hands of your best playmaker right off the snap. James White has shown the ability at times to be that playmaker.

Basically you would line up White as the quarterback in the formation, and then put Clay as the second running back or fullback in this case. With those two in the backfield and White recieving the snap it opens up all kinds of holes in the defense.

White would present the first threat in a speed option scenario because of his speed and ability to bounce it outside. Clay on the other hand presents a problem as the threat to take the ball between the tackles.

Either one would be a difficult task for the defense. Do you protect against Clay running inside or do you protect against White on the outside? This would be the decision that the opposing defense would have to make everytime this formation was put in. This would put tremendous stress on the front seven of the opposition, and would put the Wisconsin offense at the advantage.

There is one variable to this offense that we do not know. Can James White throw? That would be the only problem at this point with running this offense. The defensive secondary would be able to sneek into the box if the recievers failed to block correctly. If White can throw it would make things a lot more interesting. Guard against the run, and then get burned by the pass.

Is this something that Paul Chryst would do? Maybe, but a better guess would be no. This would put Clay in a situation of taking hits without the ball, and could put him at risk of injury. Do you trust a true freshman to run such a complicated offensive scheme; would be another question for Chryst. Overall this formation would have its upsides for Wisconsin, but do the upsides outwiegh downsides....