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The Massive Coaching Decisions Luke Fickell Must Make Before Notre Dame
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- The Massive Coaching Decisions Luke Fickell Must Make Before Notre Dame
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell. | Christian Borman.
On paper, talent-wise, whatever metric you'd like to use , it's clear that Notre Dame has the better team than Wisconsin.
The Badgers' talent does appear to be upgraded from where it was last season in a few key areas, namely quarterback, running back and the defensive secondary. Still, Wisconsin is going to need some top-notch coaching if it wants to upset the No. 4 Fighting Irish on Sunday night.
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With that being said, here's a handful of coaching decisions Luke Fickell and the Badgers must make before toe meets leather at Lambeau Field:
Does Wisconsin play banged-up offensive linemen?
Wisconsin's Kevin Heywood. | Christian Borman
We've already touched on this as arguably the biggest decision Fickell is facing ahead of Week 1. If starting right guard Emerson Mandell and starting right tackle Kevin Heywood are cleared to play but not 100% healthy, does Fickell trot them out there?
It's of course a multi-faceted question, and the Badgers need a healthy offensive line all season, not just against the Irish. Fickell acknowledged that he and his staff need to make decisions with the entire season in mind, but he also revealed that both players are practicing this week. All eyes will be on the right side of Wisconsin's offensive line when the Badgers take the field for warmups Sunday evening.
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How much man-to-man does Wisconsin's secondary play?
Wisconsin CB Javan Robinson. | Christian Borman.
While Mike Tressel's defense is still a zone-heavy scheme, Wisconsin acknowledged this offseason that it needed to get more proficient in man coverage in order to be able to mix up looks in the secondary and directly challenge wideouts one-on-one. After almost completely remaking their cornerback room this offseason, the Badgers appear to have made big strides in that category.
The problem? Wisconsin has to face what's expected to be one of the best passing offenses in the country, piloted by a Heisman-favorite quarterback in CJ Carr. Between Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse and a handful of other promising transfers, the Irish also have a bevy of dangerous eligibles.
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Wisconsin will likely mix up its coverages frequently in an effort to confuse Carr, who's a very cerebral quarterback. But how often it goes pure man-to-man will say a lot about how the Badgers view their secondary.
How do the Badgers pressure CJ Carr?
Wisconsin football linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | Christian Borman
Wisconsin would love nothing more than to drop seven players into coverage and collapse Notre Dame's pocket with two down linemen and two edge rushers, creating havoc without sending additional blitzers.
While the Notre Dame tackles are a bigger question mark than the inside of their offensive line, I'm still not sold Wisconsin's edge rushers are going to be able to generate consistent enough pressure to harass Carr.
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How often does Wisconsin send inside linebackers such as Mason Posa and Jon Jon Kamara after the Irish gunslinger? Do they bring any pressure from their revamped secondary? Does defensive coordinator Mike Tressel have any exotic pressure packages we have yet to see?
Which receivers get the biggest chance to shine?
Wisconsin WRs Eugene Hilton Jr (13) and Shamar Rigby (7). | Christian Borman.
This is a befuddled wide receiver room with not a lot of clarity as to who the top player at the position could be. There's more to it than the plays that offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes draws up, of course, but the intended targets on the Badgers' passing plays will be telling in regards to who Wisconsin trusts at wideout.
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Notre Dame's loaded secondary, featuring arguably the best cornerback in the game in Leonard Moore, adds another interesting wrinkle to this question. But Week 1 should provide lots of clarity on a question we've been asking all offseason.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as The Massive Coaching Decisions Luke Fickell Must Make Before Notre Dame .
