The Wisconsin Badgers went through some rough times this past weekend in a 38-14 loss to the No. 19 Alabama Crimson Tide, giving them an early litmus test of where their team stands three weeks into the season.
Heading into the year, many knew it was going to be a difficult season given the Badgers’ rough schedule, as well as the fact that they are playing younger guys at several positions. Injuries have accelerated that timeline, especially along the offensive line, where Wisconsin saw three redshirt
freshmen on the field together: center Ryan Cory, right guard Colin Cubberly, and right tackle Emerson Mandell.
Cubberly and Mandell are now entrenched starters after Wisconsin’s shuffle along the offensive line, while Cory came in for 10 snaps after injuries to starter Jake Renfro and backup Kerry Kodanko.
The Badgers are in a difficult position right now. They have several redshirt freshmen and true freshmen that they’re hoping to put out on the field. But, they are also trying to win games against tough competition, causing growing pains in their current rebuild.
“I think we said it in spring ball, and I know we said it at the beginning of the year: this is not a game meant for redshirt freshmen,” head coach Luke Fickell said on Monday. “I think particularly on the offensive line or the defensive line. I am not saying there aren’t guys out there that can play as true freshmen. There is a reason some guys out there are five-star guys, or high four-star guys. It doesn’t mean they are going be the best NFL players. It just means they are gonna be the most college-ready in a lot of ways.
“A lot of offensive linemen are just not quite college-ready. That doesn’t mean how big are they, how strong are they, or just in the weight room. Because there are plenty of guys that walk in here and are plenty strong in the weight room. The truth of the matter is that is where the grown men stuff really shows. These guys are being thrust into a situation, an opportunity as I look at it, that they have to grow even faster. That is where I look at it, that every snap of every day and every game, we have to take advantage of it.
“Those guys are doing a great job at that and there is a lot of growth. But, I think when we look at the growth between game one and two, and then two to three, they’re the coaches’ cliches. The greatest growth is in those types of guys. Do you see the greatest growth from Riley Mahlman, because he is in their fifth year, or some of those guys? There is still growth, but the real growth is in some of those younger guys when it might be their first opportunities to play in the games. And, you need to stay positive with that and get better every single day.”
After the loss to Alabama, a big part of Fickell’s mantra was staying positive because there is no other alternative for a team with Wisconsin’s schedule. A part of that process is going through the growing pains of a young offensive line and hoping for development throughout the season.
In the Big Ten, a struggling offensive line isn’t the key to success. Wisconsin is already seeing that with its issues running the ball and protecting the quarterback. But, they’ve been hit hard with injuries and just don’t have the depth, so they’re killing two birds with one stone, playing the next man up while also prioritizing development with their younger players.
