Wisconsin’s defense is reaching new heights under Mike Tressel. Now comes the real test

MADISON, Wis. – After the last three games, there have been times in film review when Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel could press pause before a play and see that the offense will do exactly what it wants in a given situation. The sign that his players have taken a big step is that, by and large, it didn’t matter how well the Badgers played.

“I think the guys are playing really fast right now, refusing to stay blocked and constantly moving people to the football,” Tressel said Monday. “I think there’s a really good understanding of exactly what we want to do. So there is very little thought on the pitch. The physicality has really increased.”

Three weeks ago, after giving up 10 touchdowns in consecutive losses to Alabama and USC, Wisconsin’s defense felt like a unit whose ceiling was well below the standard the program expected. But during a three-game winning streak against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, Wisconsin’s defense reached levels it hadn’t previously reached under Tressel.

In fact, the Badgers’ only touchdown allowed is their lowest touchdown over a three-game Big Ten stretch since 1998. That team defeated Illinois 37-3, Iowa 31-0 and Minnesota 26-7 en route to a Co -Big Ten championships and Rose Bowl victories under Barry Alvarez.

There is no doubt that Wisconsin’s success coincided with the most manageable part of the schedule. Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern are a combined 2-10 in the Big Ten. Rutgers’ passing offense ranks 14th in the conference, Purdue is 15th and Northwestern is 16th. None of these teams rank in the top half of the league in total offense or scoring.

Still, Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) dominated defensively, providing cautious optimism ahead of its big showdown at Camp Randall Stadium against No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0) at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday .

“It’s going in a really good direction,” Badgers safety Hunter Wohler said after Wisconsin’s 23-3 win over Northwestern on Saturday. “The boys play fast. Guys just trust themselves and trust each other. And plays are just being made everywhere on the field. It’s a lot of fun to be there, standing at the back and just watching the guys dominate up front.”

Wisconsin excelled in a few areas, which led to the turnaround. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 33 of 78 passes (42.3 percent) for 302 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the last three games. The third-down defense was outstanding. Alabama and USC converted 19 of 31 third downs into first downs (61.2 percent). Wisconsin has allowed third-down conversions on just 8 of 42 attempts (19 percent) during this three-game winning streak.

Tressel didn’t necessarily do anything significantly different. According to TruMedia, Wisconsin played nickel defense in 135 of 170 defensive games (79.4 percent) after doing so in 164 of 241 games (68 percent) through four games. The Badgers simply performed better, finishing with a havoc rate of at least 20 percent twice after failing to do so at all in four games. Wisconsin now ranks 18th nationally in scoring defense (17.6 points per game), seventh in pass defense (155.9 yards per game) and 14th in total defense (295.7 yards per game) .

One of the key factors was the performance of Wisconsin’s defensive line, which was perhaps the biggest question mark in the position group early in the season after starter James Thompson Jr. suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle. Former Albany defensive lineman Elijah Hills, one of the program’s most pleasant offseason transfer portal surprises, recorded five tackles and recovered a fumble against Northwestern. Curt Neal shared a sack on a safety. Ben Barten blocked a field goal attempt and was named Defensive Player of the Game by the coaches.

“You can see the mindset you have when you try to change the situation,” Tressel said. “And now, all of a sudden, run plays happen, or tailbacks hit the back end of their own offensive linemen. It’s just the attitude of, ‘Hey, I know Northwestern wants to play physical.’ We need to take it to another level where they ask themselves, ‘Do they really want to play that physical?'”

Wisconsin doesn’t have the type of All-American linebackers the program has had in years past. Rather, it was the sum of the defensive parts that contributed to the trend reversal. Eight different players have either led the team in tackles or secured the lead in seven games.

Badgers coach Luke Fickell said the ability to have multiple players play the same position and give starters a break was an important factor. Last year, for example, outside linebacker CJ Goetz played 702 snaps and Darryl Peterson played 554 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. No other player at the position played more than 277 snaps.

This season, the Badgers have been able to continually rotate four outside linebackers: Peterson (267 snaps), Leon Lowery (228), John Pius (179) and Aaron Witt (135), who missed the Purdue game due to injury. Sebastian Cheeks recently proved to be a playmaker on the edge, recording three tackles and a safety with Neal against Northwestern.

“I think those physical hits take their toll, and our guys were really fresh in the second half,” Fickell said. “The coaches are doing a great job. The players are doing a great job. But development is really where we start to grow.”

Now comes the kind of test Wisconsin has been craving since suffering back-to-back losses earlier this season. Penn State ranks fourth in the Big Ten in total offense (34.2 points per game) and third in total offense (471.2 yards per game). The Nittany Lions haven’t necessarily had a strong performance in every game, but they remain undefeated and are a clear College Football Playoff contender.

Penn State University’s Tyler Warren earned an overtime win at USC in which he tied the FBS record for most catches by a tight end with 17 for 224 yards – the second-most receiving yards in a game in program history. Quarterback Drew Allar has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,492 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions and is a threat against the run, having scored three scores on the ground.

“No doubt part of their plan is to throw enough exotic, crazy looks to turn guys’ heads and make them think, rather than playing fast,” Tressel said. “Our strength in the last few weeks has been how fast we played and how little we thought. We have to be able to adapt to all these different formations. We must not let this slow us down. And that is the challenge. They’re definitely trying to cause confusion on the defense.”

Wisconsin’s defense has raised the bar on its play in recent weeks. It can make a bold statement by stepping it up a notch to help the Badgers beat their first ranked opponent in three years on Saturday.

“Every week it’s a different guy that shines and a different guy that makes a big play,” Wohler said. “So it was a lot of fun to watch.”

(Photo: Mark Hoffman / USA Today via Imagn Images)