BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
WISCONSIN'S PASSING GAME VS.Â
MICHIGAN'S THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE
At Michigan State, the Badgers had first down runs of 1, no gain, 3, no gain, no gain. That was the tally for the first quarter and set up some difficult third-down conversions. On third-and-11, Alex Hornibrook completed a 19-yard pass to tight end Troy Fumagalli. On third-and-10, Hornibrook completed a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Jazz Peavy.
You get the idea. The lack of a sustained rushing attack put them behind the chains.
Wisconsin was able to generate only 122 yards on the ground, a 3.0 average per carry.
Yet, Hornibrook consistently kept drives alive with his precision (6-of-6) on third-and-10 or longer. Despite making his first college start, Hornibrook exhibited a great deal of poise on the "money downs" -- completing 9-of-12 passes. His favorite target was Peavy. Besides the 25-yarder in the first quarter, Peavy also had catches and third-down conversions of 23 (on third-and-12) and 31 yards (third-and-8).
The Badgers have 13 pass plays of 20 or more yards through four games. Peavy has six of them. Rob Wheelwright has three, Fumagalli has two, Kyle Penniston and A.J. Taylor have one each.
Asked about his developing chemistry with Hornibrook, Peavy said, "I've been practicing with him for awhile. Our chemistry is only going to keep building. He makes it easy for us. And we try to get open and have that separation from the DBs and make his job easy as possible to lay it in to us."
As a team, the Badgers are converting 45 percent on third down (28-of-62). That is the sixth-best mark in the Big Ten and ranks No. 43 nationally. Saturday will provide the ultimate test since Michigan leads the country in third-down defense. Opponents have converted on just 6 of 50 chances (12 percent).Â
Nobody has converted more than twice in any one game: Hawai'i was 1-of-11; UCF was 2-of-14; Colorado was 1-of-13; and Penn State was 2-of-12.
Colorado, though, put an early scare into the Wolverines by taking leads of 14-0 and 21-7 in the first quarter behind quarterback Sefo Liufau, who completed 16 of 25 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. But Liufau left the field in the third quarter with an ankle injury and Michigan broke open the game. Note: Only UCF has had success running (46 carries for 275 yards) against this defense.
The Wolverines have 17 sacks and 45 tackles for loss, an average of 11.3 per game. Nobody in the country has more. Jabrill Peppers leads the way with a four-game total of 9.5 TFLs. Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary have 4.5 each. Peppers is already legendary for his athleticism and versatility. He has been used as a linebacker, a safety, a corner. Winovich (6-3, 245) and Gary (6-5, 287) are defensive ends. Gary is a true freshman.
Peppers and Gary are from the same New Jersey high school, Paramus Catholic. Peppers looms as a potential top-five selection in the NFL draft next spring. Gary was the top prospect in the nation during the last recruiting cycle. Whatever success the Badgers have on third down will be predicated in part by how they account for Peppers and Gary. Both can be disruptive forces. So can Dr. Blitz.
That would be Michigan's first-year defensive coordinator Don Brown, a veteran of 34 coaching seasons, the last three of which were spent at Boston College. The 61-year old Brown has forever been known for his attacking, blitz-happy defenses hence the aforementioned nickname. He's an M.D. of pressure, not only in passing situations, third-and-long, but on run downs. He calls it "organized chaos."
MICHIGAN'S PASSING ATTACK VS.
WISCONSIN'S THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE
Quarterback Wilton Speight's debut as a college quarterback could not have gotten off to a worse start. On his very first play, Speight rolled right and threw a pass that was intercepted by Hawai'i's Damien Parker in the season opener. When he came off the field, he was greeted by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who hugged him. "Don't worry, we'll get it next drive," he encouraged him.
The next drive started on the Michigan 2 yard line. But Speight, a redshirt sophomore from Richmond, Virginia, was more than up to the challenge -- marching the offense 98 yards on 11 plays culminating with a 12-yard touchdown pass Grant Perry. On this series, the 6-foot-6, 243-pound Speight twice made clutch throws on third down: 16 yards to Jehu Chesson and 31 yards to Amara Darboh.
(Consider the similarities with Alex Hornibrook's starting debut last Saturday. On his first possession at Michigan State, Hornibrook lost a fumble while holding on to the ball too long in the pocket. Undaunted, Hornibrook engineered a 16-play, 65-yard scoring drive during which he was 3-for-3 on third-down passes. The Badgers also converted twice on fourth down.)
Speight, by the way, hasn't thrown another pick. On the season, he has completed 72 of 144 passes (63.2 percent) for 875 yards and nine touchdowns. In the Big Ten opener, he was 21-of-34 for 189 yards and one TD in the rout of Penn State. Speight, who beat out John O'Korn (the Houston transfer) for the starting assignment, has been the catalyst for an offense that has yet to score less than 45 points.
The Wolverines have converted 54 percent on third down (31 of 57) to rank No. 8 nationally in that category. They were 7-for-7 against Hawai'i and 11-of-16 against Penn State. They have been nearly perfect in the red zone, too, converting on 22 of 24 chances with 18 touchdowns. At the same time, they've turned it over just twice: Speight's interception and his lost fumble against Colorado.
Michigan's balance has made it tough on opposing defenses, especially on third downs because the Wolverines have the ability to break playcalling tendencies. They are averaging 230 yards rushing and 238 yards passing. In addition, they're not putting themselves in a down-and-distance hole with mental mistakes. They're averaging just 4.25 penalties per game; the third fewest in the Big Ten.
The Badgers rank among the national leaders (No. 11) in third down defense. Opponents have converted 24 percent (11 of 45). Michigan State was 4-of-13 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down. LSU was 2-of-10 and 0-of-1, respectively. In those two games against the Spartans and Tigers, UW allowed a combined 201 rushing yards and forced seven turnovers.
Michigan has a stable of running backs led by De'Veon Smith (6.6 per rush), Chris Evans (7.3), Ty Isaac (4.5) and Karan Higdon (6.6). But if the Badgers are going to get off the field on third down, the real keys are the wide receivers (Darboh and Chesson) and tight end Jake Butt, who has caught at least one pass in 20 straight games and 28 of the last 31. The 6-6, 250-pound Butt has 111 career receptions.
