Looking Ahead: Power and experience give offense ‘scary’ potential
January 04, 2018 | Football, Mike Lucas, Varsity Magazine
Led by explosive playmakers, still-youthful unit has a high ceiling
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
This article is Part 1 of the Wisconsin football 2018 preview. Read Part 2 on the Badgers' defense here.
MADISON, Wis. — Not long after Wisconsin's seniors went out with a splash — a record-setting 13th win, their 45th over four years — Kyle Penniston contemplated their impact on those who are following them.
Still basking in the glow of a season-capping 34-24 victory over Miami in the Orange Bowl, Penniston was reminded of something assistant coach Mickey Turner had brought up earlier in the day.
What was resonating now with Penniston, a redshirt sophomore, was how Turner, the tight ends coach, had planted a seed in the heads of his underclassmen about their future roles.
Someone, after all, would have to replace the departing seniors who had authored so much success. Who better for that assignment than those players that they have mentored in the program?
"Coach Turner made a great point," said Penniston, who was also speaking for junior fullback Alec Ingold, "we've sat behind Troy (Fumagalli) and Austin (Ramesh) for a couple of years now.
"They really set a good example on how to be a true Wisconsin Badger."
Asked to elaborate, he said, "It's about hard work and coming to work hard every day. We'll come back (in January) and lift and be detailed in preparation as we go through the spring and summer.
"We've had a great group of seniors and, personally, I've learned a lot from Troy over my three years on campus, both on and off the field. I know Alec feels the same way about Austin."
ORANGE BOWL CHAMPS! ?? #OnWisconsin || #Badgers
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) December 30, 2017
The Badgers will surely miss Fumagalli, a dependable receiver (135 career catches) and underrated blocker; and Ramesh, a punishing short-yardage runner and battering ram for the tailbacks.
But the rest of the offense is expected to return intact for the 2018 season; a scary proposition for opposing defensive coordinators who will have to game-plan for multiple weapons.
The arsenal will feature:
- Tailback Jonathan Taylor who broke Adrian Peterson's FBS rushing record for a freshman by running for 1,977 yards, including 130 against Miami, the most the Canes had given up this season.
"I grew up watching Adrian Peterson," said Taylor, a New Jersey native. "I even watched his highlights before the game tonight (Saturday). Just being mentioned with him now is kind of crazy."
- Quarterback Alex Hornibrook who was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl after completing 23 of 34 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns. He was sacked just once and didn't throw a pick.
"The O-line gave me some great lanes to step up into," he said. "I trusted myself and the O-line. It wasn't like they were getting beat. They were pushing guys outside and I had the room to move up."
- Wide receivers Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor, Kendrick Pryor and Quintez Cephus, who will be coming back off a leg injury. Davis had three touchdowns and Taylor had eight catches against Miami.
"They've learned to play with a lot of energy," Cephus said of his "brothers" in the rotation. "They've learned to play together. They've had the mindset to be aggressive and make plays."
Size Still Matters
The Badgers will be loaded at the skill positions; more so than normal. But size still matters. And they'll have plenty of that, too — size and seasoning — on the line of scrimmage.
"We should be one of the most dominant offenses in the country next year," said right tackle David Edwards, who received All-America recognition along with Michael Deiter and Beau Benzschawel.
"We set the standard (up front) for how to go about our business every week. We've got guys that have played a lot of reps. And we've got guys behind us who are itching to compete."
Edwards, who was injured in the first half of the Orange Bowl, was replaced midway through the third quarter by redshirt freshman Patrick Kasl. "And you saw Pat do a great job," said Edwards.
Depth abounds. The Badgers didn't have a senior in the O-line room. "We set the standard back to where a Wisconsin offensive line should be," Edwards said. "That's something we're really proud of."
Orange Bowl MVP @alex_hornibrook is 20-3 as a starter. His 25 TD passes this season were second-most in school history, behind only @DangeRussWilson's 33 TDs in 2011. #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) January 4, 2017
Jonathan Taylor was certainly one of the beneficiaries of their robust play.
"It's scary," Taylor said of the returning personnel at most positions. "And it definitely gives us momentum knowing that we have a lot of young guys (i.e. wideouts) coming back who can make plays.
"It's just a matter of, how hard are we willing to work to have another great season? I know I'm definitely going to have to work to have another season better than this one. But I'm willing to do it."
Congrats to Beau Benzschawel for being named to the @AP_Top25's All-Bowl Team after his strong performance in the @OrangeBowl. #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) January 4, 2017
No Strangers to Experience
At tight end, the Badgers will welcome back Zander Neuville, who had knee surgery and missed the Ohio State and Miami games. Neuville, a marquee blocker, had nine catches and two touchdowns.
Joining Penniston and Neuville in competition for playing time will be Luke Benzschawel, who will be a sophomore, and Jake Ferguson, who redshirted as a true freshman. "Hopefully we can keep that tight end tradition going," Penniston said.
UW coach Paul Chryst has a knack for developing and utilizing tight ends and fullbacks. At that, Ingold is already a proven commodity in the backfield with 14 TDs on 86 touches (38 career games).
"There's nothing like experience," Chryst admitted.
The wide receivers, in particular, benefited from game action. They were pressed into service, ready or not, after Jazz Peavy left the program in September and the Cephus injury in November.
"Everyone contributed, and those guys had big roles," Chryst said of the true freshmen, Davis and Jonathan Taylor. "Certainly, Danny's (role) went up when Q (Cephus) went down."
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was not surprised by what he saw out of Davis, Taylor and Pryor in the Orange Bowl. He had been monitoring their progress in practice throughout the season.
"You know guys were going to have to make contested plays and Alex trusted them," Leonhard said. "It was awesome to watch them battle and win those 50/50 balls."
We spy a Badger on this list of college football's breakout players for 2018 ?? Hint: ????????
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFB) January 3, 2017
The Canes challenged the UW receivers with their man coverage. And they responded with catches over the middle and on back shoulder fades. There was only one drop all night.
"I'm really excited about that group," Hornibrook said. "They're real athletic and they know how to make plays. Obviously, they're young so we've got a lot more time with them.
"We're going to get this offense as good as we can get it during the offseason."
As for Hornibrook taking on more leadership responsibilities, he said, "It always cranks up the more time you're in a system and in just the role you have (as QB) that requires you to be a leader."
That was his way of saying "Yes" to wanting to be held even more accountable. He's not alone.
"I'm definitely going to have to take on more leadership and I had a lot of great role models," said Taylor, who rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of 14 games. "I'm up for the challenge."
Chryst liked that answer and said, "I hope he (Taylor) takes the time to look back and appreciate what happened. How do you take that and continue to move forward? I'm confident he will."
Reflecting on the 13-win season, Chryst offered, "I don't think anyone has done it that quietly."
Alluding to the postgame award presentation, he then added, "Alex and I were on the wrong stage. We wanted to be on the one behind us where all the guys are."
In the end, Hornibrook's resiliency was in the spotlight again.
"Alex has done that all year," Chryst said. "He has done it in games. He never gets too high and doesn't get too low and continues to work. As a coach, you appreciate that a ton."
Chryst anticipated the inevitable follow-up questions after the Orange Bowl triumph over Miami. Particularly considering all the returning pieces on offense.
"Everybody wants to say, 'What's it mean going forward?'" he said. "Really, what it is … (pause) … is a culmination of a heckuva season that you appreciate it and want to be a part of."
This is a big deal, he later reaffirmed, without having to read his lips. Or between the lines.
