Wisconsin Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season

5. Jazz Peavy hauls in 1,000-plus yards receiving

It is no secret that when the Badgers have struggled on offense in recent history, it all begins with the passing game. Historically known for not having a passing threat, the program has steadily improved over the years at both the quarterback position and wide receiver group.

If you ignore the fact that the Badgers received a gift with Russell Wilson in 2011, team has not seen a championship-level passing game in quite some time. Yes, Joel Stave was solid- becoming the team’s all-time wins leader and his consistency at the position was the first part of the puzzle.  This year and beyond, the team is hoping Hornibrook can complete the other part.

Wisconsin has not seen a 1,000-yard receiver since the 2013 season, when Jared Abbrederis- a former walk on quarterback, hauled in 1081. The last time before that? The year 2005 when Brandon Williams secured 1095 yards at the realm of quarterback John Stocco.

Senior receiver Jazz Peavy returns to a balanced Wisconsin offense in 2017 and returns as the team’s top receiver from 2016. If you’ve followed Badgers football over the last decade or so, you may have noticed that when it comes to the passing game- it usually is a one-man show on the receiving side of things. Whether it was Abbrederis, Alex Erickson, Nick Toon- it just goes to show that despite being the top dog on offense, it was still so difficult to get to that 1,000-yard threshold.

Not this year.

Yes, Peavy will return as the No. 1 target, but this time defenses will need to keep tabs on the likes of Troy Fumagalli, an Athlon Sports pre-season All-American, and Quintez Cephus- picked by many to be a major breakout player for the Badgers.

While logically it may appear this type of balance may hurt the chances of the Badgers securing  1,000-yard receiver in 2017, the focus all across the field will help open up the big play opportunities and creating a bigger yard-per-play chance.