The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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134 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT The Big Ten West Division has only ex‑ isted for four years, but Wisconsin has been its owner, winning it three of the four titles — including last season after a perfect 9‑0 Big Ten record. The Badgers enter 2018 after a phenom‑ enal season that saw them go 13‑1 and win the Orange Bowl. But after going undefeated in the regular season, its failure to beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and reach the College Football Playoff is what sticks in the minds of fans. Wisconsin brings back the talent and play‑ makers to finally break through and win the conference, but it must do so against a significantly more difficult schedule this fall. Last year, the Badgers didn't play a Power Five school in the non‑conference portion of the schedule; missed Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State in the regular season; faced Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern at home; and didn't play a single team with a .500 record or better on the road. That weak schedule, coupled with the loss to the Buck‑ eyes, is what ultimately cost them the chance to play for a national title. This season, Wisconsin plays Michigan, Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State all on the road, which should provide a significant challenge for head coach Paul Chryst's squad. H e i s m a n T r o p h y hopeful and sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor leads a talented offense. Taylor finished No. 6 in the Heisman voting last season after breaking Adrian Pe‑ terson's Football Bowl Subdivision freshman record for rushing yards with 1,977. He's a dy‑ namic rusher that led the Big Ten in rushing and had 574 more yards than Ohio State freshman running back J.K. Dob‑ bins, who was second. Taylor had 10 games with more than 100 yards on the ground and three with more than 200, including a season‑high 249 against Nebraska. He finished second in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns (13) behind only Penn State's Saquon Barkley, who had 18 and was picked No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. Taylor isn't the only weapon on the Wis‑ consin offense. Nine of the team's starters return, including all five offensive linemen — three of which (fifth‑year senior right guard Beau Benzschawel, fifth‑year senior left tackle Michael Deiter and redshirt ju‑ nior right tackle David Edwards) were All‑ Americans in 2017. Redshirt sophomore center Tyler Biadasz was a Freshman All‑ American. Those four started every game for U‑W last season. Also returning is redshirt junior starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook, who tossed 25 touchdown passes last year. He loses his top tar‑ get at tight end in Troy Fumagalli, but still gets to throw to his top three wide receivers from 2017 — junior Quintez Ce‑ phus, sophomore Danny Davis III and junior A.J. Taylor. Cephus missed the final five games of the season, yet still finished with 501 yards and six touchdowns. Meanwhile, Davis and Taylor com‑ bined to have 893 receiv‑ ing yards and 10 scores. Last year, Wisconsin's offense ranked No. 51 nationally and averaged 415.0 yards per game — it should better in 2018. The real strength of the Badgers lies in the defense, though, which ended 2017 No. 2 in the country, allowing just 262.1 yards per contest — 7.9 yards better than Michigan's No. 3 defense. Only four starters from that group return, however, which means there could be some catching up to do for the unit. Fifth‑year senior linebacker T.J. Edwards will be the group's leader. A 2017 Butkus Award finalist (nation's best linebacker) and consensus first‑team All‑Big Ten selection, he'll be a power in the middle of the defense. He's joined by fifth‑year senior linebacker Ryan Connelly, who led the Badgers with 88 tackles last year. The two other returning starters are fifth‑ year senior safety D'Cota Dixon, who was named first‑team All‑Big Ten by the coaches and third‑team all‑conference by the media, and senior defensive tackle Olive Sagapolu, who was awarded All‑Big Ten honorable mention by both the coaches and media. The Wolverines host the Badgers at Mich‑ igan Stadium this fall, which should give U‑M a boost. It kicks off a crucial three‑ game stretch where Michigan faces Wiscon‑ sin, Michigan State and Penn State. Notes Fifth-year senior kicker Rafael Gaglianone returns after be- ing named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media … He made 16 of 18 field goals in 2017 … The Badgers return 100 percent of their offensive line starts, 100 percent of their passing yards, 92.3 percent of their rushing yards and 72.4 percent of their receiving yards … Wisconsin also returns its holder, long snapper, punter and kickoff specialist from last year … The Badgers' 13 wins in 2017 were a school record. ❏ The Badgers Are Loaded For Another Run At The Big Ten Title 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Aug. 31 Western Kentucky — Sept. 8 New Mexico — Sept. 15 BYU W, 40-6 Sept. 22 at Iowa W, 38-14 Oct. 6 Nebraska W, 38-17 Oct. 13 at Michigan W, 24-10 Oct. 20 Illinois W, 24-10 Oct. 27 at Northwestern W, 33-24 Nov. 3 Rutgers — Nov. 10 at Penn State — Nov. 17 at Purdue W, 17-9 Nov. 24 Minnesota W, 31-0 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Alex Hornibrook, R-Jr., QB — Completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,644 yards and 25 touchdowns last season … Threw 15 interceptions, including at least one in all but one Big Ten contest … Named All-Big Ten honorable mention by both the media and coaches … Is 20-3 as a starter at U-W and has the best winning percentage in school history … Was named the 2017 Orange Bowl MVP after he threw four touchdown passes. Defense: T.J. Edwards, 5th-Sr., LB — Ranked second on the team last year with 81 tackles … Also had 11 tackles for loss, two sacks and a team-high four interceptions … Led the team in tackles in 2015 (84) and 2016 (89) … Was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today and ESPN last fall. Sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor finished last year third nationally with 1,977 rushing yards. PHOTO BY DAVID STLUKA/ WISCONSIN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS GAME 7 • WISCONSIN BADGERS • OCT. 13 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 50-15-1 First Meeting: U-M 10, U-W 6 (Oct. 15, 1892, at Madison, Wis.) Last Meeting: U-W 24, U-M 10 (Nov. 18, 2017, at Madison, Wis.) Head Coach: Paul Chryst, 34-7 at U-W (4th year) and 53-26 overall (7th year) 2017 In Review: 13-1 overall, 9-0 Big Ten (1st West) Final 2017 Ranking: No. 7 Associated Press poll and No. 6 coaches' poll Returning Starters: 15 (9 offense, 4 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2017 (Orange Bowl vs. Mi - ami [Fla.], W 34-24) Big Ten Championships (last): 14 (2012) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Alex Hornibrook (2,644 yards, 25 TD, 15 INT) Rushing: Jonathan Taylor (1,977 yards, 13 TD) Receiving: Quintez Cephus (501 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: Ryan Connelly (88) Sacks: Andrew Van Ginkel (6.5) Interceptions: T.J. Edwards (4)