Badger Football 2021

[PeaveyFury]

This will end up as an 80+ yard drive lasting nine minutes that doesn’t end in a score but ices it. Crazy.

[AKCheesehead]

Hoping for an Allen TD here

[RobertR]

Run it down. Kick a field goal. Go celebrate.

[yourout]

Run it down. Kick a field goal. Go celebrate.

 

Not sure I'd risk a block and return.

[AKCheesehead]

Ah well. There’s something to be said about a long clock-eating drive like that. This last drive is signature Badger football. We owed ASU.

[DuWayne Steurer]

That's a heck of a drive. I'm sure ASU couldn't have imagined never seeing the ball again after that punt getting downed at the 3

[stalton]

If that last drive wasn't quintessential Badger football, I don't know what is.

[yourout]

Not too often you can go scoreless in a second half and still win.

[RobertR]

That works too.

 

Pretty typical the defense and Allen were the difference makers. And Mertz made a couple of big throws.

[AKCheesehead]

Anyone besides me feeling shortchanged seeing the mayo bath we were denied a year ago?

[yourout]

Anyone besides me feeling shortchanged seeing the mayo bath we were denied a year ago?

 

Hopefully this time they don't let Mertz handle the trophy

[LouisEly]

This offense is so so so boring and vanilla. One might say it's because of the personnel, the lack of playmakers, whatever, but as a coach, you have to do SOMETHING to give your guys that you have some kind of opportunity to be successful and just doing what they're doing is boring, vanilla, bland, and isn't working, and it just doesn't make sense to keep trying to do it over and over again.

At the start of the game they were without one starting WR, their starting RT and C, three of their top four RBs, and every TE except their #1 and #4/5 TE.

 

By the middle of the 2nd half they were without their other starting WR and their starting TE. If the few skill position players you have healthy are playing every down, they are going to get tired.

 

Not really sure how much offense you can expect when you're without both of your starting WRs, all but your #4/#5 TE, and 3 of your top 4 RBs.

[Samurai Bucky]

Anyone besides me feeling shortchanged seeing the mayo bath we were denied a year ago?

I almost puked when I saw that... not sure why.

[homer]

Anyone besides me feeling shortchanged seeing the mayo bath we were denied a year ago?

 

That reminded me of the Randy Marsh ectoplasm scene.

[JosephC]

This offense is so so so boring and vanilla. One might say it's because of the personnel, the lack of playmakers, whatever, but as a coach, you have to do SOMETHING to give your guys that you have some kind of opportunity to be successful and just doing what they're doing is boring, vanilla, bland, and isn't working, and it just doesn't make sense to keep trying to do it over and over again.

 

I DVR'ed the game and watched it again today. I honestly think it all comes down to Mertz just sucking that bad and not having any capable backup. When Mertz threw that interception, which by the way was absolutely horrible, you knew that from that point forward the whole strategy was going to be "don't let the QB screw it up and we'll just try to win on defense." And that's what happened. They would only let Mertz drop back and throw the ball when they got in situations where they really couldn't call anything else.

 

Mertz is just terrible. He is one tick above Hornibrook at this point. Up to this point I would also point out that the talent on offense may be the worst I've seen on a Badger team in 20 years. But after watching last night's game, I'm going to pivot and say that good QBs can cover up lots of problems...but Mertz sure isn't going to do that. I've given up on him.

 

Again I'll say that if people have a problem with the coaching staff, they should start with recruiting because they have done a really poor job with the offensive skill positions in recent seasons. That is the problem with the offense.

 

Earlier this week there was a glowing write-up on Deacon Hill, and I am hoping beyond hope that guy turns out to be the real deal.

 

Have to admit I'm pretty glad that I will never have to watch the 2021 Badger offense again.

[sveumrules]

Yeah, if the Badgers had even an average QB this year to go along with Allen & the defense it could have been them out there getting steamrolled by Georgia instead of Michigan.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yeah, if the Badgers had even an average QB this year to go along with Allen & the defense it could have been them out there getting steamrolled by Georgia instead of Michigan.

 

As much as I agree that we'd 100% get demolished by Georgia (no doubt about it), I still don't know how we'd even jokingly say we don't want the Badgers to win as many games as possible, and at least TRY to be in that position.

 

We'd have been piledrived by Michigan in the Big ten title game, that doesn't mean I'm happy we lost to Minnesota, and didn't get the opportunity to at LEAST go out there and try.

[LouisEly]

When Mertz threw that interception, which by the way was absolutely horrible

No, no it wasn't. That's a play where the ball has to be thrown before the WR makes his break. The job of the WR is to either turn the DB to the outside or drive him back so that the WR can make a sharp cut to the inside and the DB can't cut the route. Pryor didn't do that - he didn't turn the DB to the outside or drive him deep and rounded his route which allowed the DB to jump the route.

 

The pass could have been a little more to the inside, but it wasn't a "horrible" pass by any stretch because he has to throw it before the WR makes his break. To be fair to Pryor, I don't think he was 100% at that point and ended up leaving the game; he might not have been able at that point to effectively run the route. But that play is more on Pryor than on Mertz.