Wisconsin Football: Is Alex Hornibrook holding Badgers’ offense back?

Alex Hornibrook had an up and down season as the starting quarterback for Wisconsin. Would the offense look better with someone else under center?

Alex Hornibrook has taken a lot of criticism over the last year. In the 2017 season, he completed 62 percent of his passes, throwing for over 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns. But it is his knack for throwing inopportune interceptions which cause Badger fans the most heart ache.

Despite the up and down performance from it’s quarterback, winning cures all and Wisconsin had an undefeated regular season. However Hornibrook had his worse game of the season in the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State, completing only 47 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns. With a six point final margin, it could be argued had Hornibrook played better, the Badgers would have won the Big Ten title and landed in the College Football Playoff.

In his two seasons in Madison, Hornibrook has thrown 34 touchdowns to 22 interceptions. He averages 1.2 interceptions per game, which does not sound bad but many of his turnovers come in bad situations.

Could the Badger offense be even better under a different quarterback?

The Badger offense could absolutely be better with a different quarterback. Hornibrook is never going to be mistaken for Joe Montana or Tom Brady. However the Badgers do not have many options. There are only unproven sophomores with little to no game experience behind Hornibrook. The Badgers could have heavily pursued a transfer quarterback, like Shea Patterson from Ole Miss, but Hornibrook would have still had the leg up over a transfer quarterback since he knows the system.

In the end, I think Hornibrook is the best for what the Badgers are trying to do currently on offense. Hornibrook had an excellent game (four touchdowns and no interceptions) in the Orange Bowl to beat Miami and could use the performance as a stepping stone to next season. He has another off-season to work on his vision and limiting his turnovers. As a junior this upcoming year, he will be expected to be a leader and could take a big step forward in his progression as a quarterback.

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With outstanding running back Johnathan Taylor just getting started in his career, this offense will be just fine with Hornibrook. As long as he keeps improving, the offense will keep moving and the Badgers should keep winning in 2018.