The Wisconsin Badgers suffered arguably their worst loss of the Luke Fickell era on Saturday, falling to the Maryland Terrapins 27-10.
Wisconsin struggled to get going offensively after quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. left the game in the first quarter. That forced backup Danny O’Neil to again lead the team under center. O’Neil struggled with sacks and interceptions throughout the afternoon, which kept the Badgers from making any big plays offensively.
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Maryland’s young squad is filled with talented freshmen, including quarterback Malik Washington and defensive lineman Sidney Stewart. The two were major factors in the Terrapins’ convincing win over the Badgers. Besides Wisconsin’s glaring offensive issues and big plays from Maryland’s stars, the Badgers’ special teams were a big issue early on. On the first drive, Nathaniel Vakos’ field goal attempt was blocked. Just a couple of drives later, Atticus Bertrams’ punt was blocked, setting Maryland up right near the red zone. Those mistakes cannot happen for a Wisconsin program that near top of the Big Ten for most of 2000s and 2010s.
With that noted, here are the five stats that defined Wisconsin’s embarrassing loss to the Terrapins:
1. 42 carries for 61 rushing yards
Wisconsin has failed to establish the run so far this season, which is a huge issue for a program that prides itself on smash-mouth, ground-and-pound football. The offensive line is a key factor contributing to the issue, but that doesn’t excuse the play-calling and Jeff Grimes’ management of the unit. Running between the tackles doesn’t work when your offensive line has struggled all season, especially at the center position, where starter Jake Renfro has been out. This needs to change if the Badgers want to win another game this year.
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2. Six Maryland sacks
Speaking of offensive line issues, allowing six sacks to Maryland, of all teams, is unacceptable. I’ve mentioned before that Danny O’Neil has occasionally held onto the ball for too long; that is part of why he’s taken so many sacks. But the lack of consistent protection from the offensive line has been crushing.
Wisconsin’s offensive line was one of the team’s biggest strengths last season. The team found success running the ball due to that strong play. The offensive line hasn’t come close to that level of consistency this season and will have to improve fast before Wisconsin faces teams, including Oregon and Ohio State.
3. Jayden Ballard’s one reception for nine yards
During the week leading up to this game, many of our prediction pieces mentioned that the Badgers needed to get Jayden Ballard involved. They didn’t do that at all on Saturday, with the Ohio State transfer only getting one reception for nine yards. Especially when the Badgers were down 14-0, the team needed to throw deep shots to their wideouts. However, it it felt like that never happened. That could be because Danny O’Neil’s arm isn’t strong enough. If that’s the case, it begs the question as to why he’s starting. With how good Hunter Simmons looked at the end of the game and O’Neil exiting with an injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise Simmons got some opportunities at Michigan if Billy Edwards isn’t fully healthy.
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4. Octavian Smith Jr.’s six receptions for 113 yards
Wisconsin’s defensive backs have been a real issue these past two games, specifically cornerback Ricardo Hallman. Hallman was one of the better players in the Big Ten just a few years back, yet he seems like he’s getting beaten consistently on the outside this season. Hallman and the Badgers’ defensive backs allowed numerous long plays to Maryland wide receivers Octavian Smith and Shaleak Knotts. As the Badgers head into conference play against pass-heavy teams like Oregon, something has to change, or else things could get ugly.
5. Four tackles for loss vs. 10 tackles for loss
Wisconsin only managed four tackles for loss against the Terrapins, who finished with 10 in the category. Wisconsin failed to make many plays to stop the Terrapins on third down. This is a huge area of the game that the Badgers needed to be better in, considering how successful they were defensively in their first few games.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Stats that defined Wisconsin football’s loss to Maryland Terrapins
