Wisconsin Football: Report card from victory against USF in Week 1

Wisconsin football was a blowout winner against USF on Friday night. Which position group received the highest grade for the Badgers?

After a non-conference loss last year to a down BYU team, a blowout victory against another mid-level group of five team had to exorcise some demons for Wisconsin. Here’s how Paul Chryst’s team graded out in the season opener.

Offense

Quarterbacks: B

Jack Coan was solid and reliable Friday night, mainly because he wasn’t asked to do too much. His running back was averaging 8.4 yards per carry, so he knew he could simply take what the defense gave him through the air.

That resulted in a crisp 19-of-26 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. It wasn’t a high volume night, but Coan was efficient and solid.

Running Backs: A

The college football world was fawning over Chuba Hubbard on Friday night, and he totally deserved that recognition. He was fantastic in Oklahoma State’s win.

However, it says a lot that Johnathan Taylor’s performance against USF was another ho-hum day at the office. For most backs, 135 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 touches is a standout night. Not to mention, he also caught both of Coan’s touchdown passes. For Taylor, it was just another day at the office.

Wide Receivers: B

When this running game is what it is, the passing game doesn’t have to be out of this world. It just has to be efficient. That was the case in the receiving core Friday night.

Nine different Badgers caught passes. One of those was Quintez Cephus, who went through a tumultuous offseason. He and Kendric Pryor were the top two options outside, and Jake Ferguson was the reliable option at tight end.

Offensive Line: B

This group wasn’t perfect, they allowed the Bulls to sack Coan three times, but the good outweighed the bad. Aside from those three sacks, Coan was able to stand comfortable for a large portion of the game, and they paved the way for Taylor to have another great night.