Wisconsin Football Snap Counts & PFF Grades vs. Washington State

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football team (1-1, 0-0 B1G) dropped their first road test of the season in disappointing fashion to the Washington State Cougars, 31-22 on Saturday. 

In this post-game recap, we will delve into the performance of the Wisconsin Badgers by analyzing snap counts and Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades for each position group. 

By examining these metrics, we can better understand how each unit contributed to the team’s overall performance, who did what things well, and who was a key contributor to the Badgers football program. 

Let’s dive in. 

Wisconsin Football Offensive Snap Counts & PFF Grades

Quarterbacks:

Tanner Mordecai – Snap Count: [71] – PFF Grade: [83.0]

Running Backs:

Braelon Allen – Snap Count: [49] – PFF Grade: [55.3]

Chez Mellusi – Snap Count: [25] – PFF Grade: [54.4]

Wide Receivers:

Chimere Dike – Snap Count: [62] – PFF Grade: [69.1]

Bryson Green – Snap Count: [53] – PFF Grade: [64.6]

Will Pauling – Snap Count: [51] – PFF Grade: [72.7]

Skyler Bell – Snap Count: [31] – PFF Grade: [67.7]

C.J. Williams – Snap Count: [22] – PFF Grade: [60.1]

Alex Moeller – Snap Count: [10] – PFF Grade: [53.6]

Vinny Anthony – Snap Count: [3] – PFF Grade: [55.6]

Tight Ends:

Hayden Rucci – Snap Count: [42] – PFF Grade: [51.6]

Tucker Ashcraft – Snap Count: [5] – PFF Grade: [55.1]

JT Seagreaves – Snap Count: [2] – PFF Grade: [60.0]

Offensive Line:

Jack Nelson – Snap Count: [71] – PFF Grade: [64.6]

Joe Huber – Snap Count: [57] – PFF Grade: [65.3]

Tanor Bortolini – Snap Count: [71] – PFF Grade: [57.6]

Michael Furtney – Snap Count: [71] – PFF Grade: [61.2]

Riley Mahlman – Snap Count: [71] – PFF Grade: [71.1]

Trey Wedig – Snap Count: [14] – PFF Grade: [63.0]

…

Offensive Analysis:

Overall, Phil Longo and the Wisconsin football offense had a pretty forgettable game against Washington State. UW’s average drive on Saturday was 5.9 plays and 30 yards gained.

Tanner Mordecai completed 25-of-40 passes for 278 yards (7.0 YPA) with one touchdown and no interceptions. PFF also credited him with four big-time throws. He faced pressure all night, stayed calm, and helped lead the Badgers on a third-quarter comeback that gave UW a fighting chance. It was a pretty decent game for Mordecai.

The running game was bad. Point blank, period. Together, Allen & Mellusi combined for 19 carries and 69 yards. Wisconsin football averaged 3.1 yards per rush as a team, which simply wasn’t good enough.

But the real story here is the offensive line — and, more specifically, left tackle Jack Nelson struggling to protect Mordecai’s blindside. PFF credits Nelson with five pressures allowed and two sacks.

There are plenty of areas the Wisconsin Badgers need to work on — and I’ll be interested in seeing how this team bounces back.

Wisconsin Football Defensive Snap Counts & PFF Grades

Defensive Line:

Rodas Johnson – Snap Count: [38] – PFF Grade: [54.9]

James Thomspon – Snap Count: [34] – PFF Grade: [70.9]

Gio Paez – Snap Count: [37] – PFF Grade: [70.1]

Cade McDonald – Snap Count: [2] – PFF Grade: [70.1]

Ben Barten – Snap Count: [15] – PFF Grade: [59.8]

Curt Neal – Snap Count: [12] – PFF Grade: [60.0]

Darian Varner – Snap Count: [8] – PFF Grade: [56.0]

Inside Linebackers:

Maema Njongmeta – Snap Count: [60] – PFF Grade: [81.8]

Jordan Turner – Snap Count: [27] – PFF Grade: [56.2]

Jake Chaney – Snap Count: [49] – PFF Grade: [57.4]

Outside Linebackers:

C.J. Goetz – Snap Count: [32] – PFF Grade: [65.6]

Darryl Peterson – Snap Count: [30] – PFF Grade: [62.0]

Jeff Pietrowski – Snap Count: [19] – PFF Grade: [63.5]

Cornerbacks:

Alexander Smith – Snap Count: [68] – PFF Grade: [53.0]

Ricardo Hallman – Snap Count: [67] – PFF Grade: [70.6]

Jason Maitre – Snap Count: [61] – PFF Grade: [60.1]

Safeties:

Hunter Wohler – Snap Count: [67] – PFF Grade: [72.5]

Kamo’i Latu – Snap Count: [18] – PFF Grade: [44.7]

Travian Blaylock – Snap Count: [55] – PFF Grade: [64.2]

Preston Zachman – Snap Count: [50] – PFF Grade: [74.3]

…

Defensive Analysis:

Wisconsin football is in a transition period where they want to run a defensive scheme focused on cover-one principles and a roster full of players best suited for the zone. But make no mistake about it, even Jim Leonhard would be struggling with this group; there aren’t enough playmakers.

Kamo’i Latu had his second straight terrible week, but Preston Zachman put together a nice game in relief — not allowing a single catch despite being targeted three times.

PFF credits the Badgers with 17 pressures—however, their inability to get after the QB is a growing concern. Starting outside linebackers Darryl Peterson and C.J. Goetz combined for three pressures.

The defensive line is meh — like we expected — but I must mention that James Thompson and Gio Paez have played pretty well.

It was also telling that Wisconsin football opted to rotate only three players against Washington State one week after playing just four cornerbacks vs. Buffalo.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to BadgerNotes After Dark on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the official Wisconsin Badgers podcast of the Big Banter Sports Network.