With Wisconsin football on a break this week, yesterday I shared some of my early thoughts on the state of the offense. Today I’ll move on to the defense. I think that’s the unit that played better. Despite giving up 42 points to Alabama last week, most of those points came on miniature fields after the offense turned the ball over. Here are three of my early thoughts on Wisconsin football’s defense.
I still have trouble putting pressure on the quarterback.
When Luke Fickell loaded up the defensive line and linebacker ranks in the transfer portal this offseason, the front seven was supposed to be completely modern and make life challenging for opposing quarterbacks. It was a group in 2023 that averaged just two sacks per game and put little to no pressure on quarterbacks. That was supposed to change this year.
Now? They have just six sacks in three games. The loss of James Thompson Jr. is a gigantic blow to Wisconsin football’s defensive line, but there are still plenty of players who can generate pass rush, both on the line and at linebacker.
At linebacker, it’s a group of veterans with a ton of college football experience. Jaheim Thomas, Leon Lowry and John Pius are all seniors who were brought in to fix that. Add Jake Chane and you have four senior linebackers you can put on the field at once. There’s a ton of talent in this group. It just hasn’t been seen yet.
The second-tier team played quite well
The home runs Alabama hit on Saturday were strenuous to watch. It was the first time the Wisconsin football defense had been targeted in multiple games.
Western Michigan and South Dakota have had similar game plans to run the ball and win time of possession, but even when they try to throw the ball, they haven’t had much success down the field. That makes sense when you have two All-Americans in Hunter Wohler and Ricardo Hallman hunting down the backfield. Despite the injuries from Alabama, I think this unit has played pretty well so far.
The Wisconsin football team has some really talented juvenile players on defense.
Three juvenile players on the defensive end had circumscribed reps but made the most of them: true freshmen cornerback Xavier Lucas and sophomores linebacker Tackett Curtis and Christian Alliegro.
Lucas was a dazzling spot in fall camp, playing play after play. Those who were able to watch the practices kept mentioning that he would likely be on the field right away. He has and already has interceptions in his junior season. If Hallman enters the NFL Draft, Lucas will be a CB1 in 2025.
Curtis was probably the biggest portal win for Fickell, and he didn’t disappoint. After Jake Chaney was ejected for targeting in the second half against South Dakota, Curtis led the defense in the first half against Alabama. He’s quick to the ball, has great instincts, and gets the ball carrier on his feet right away. There’s a lot to like about this guy.
When things were looking bad delayed last season, Alliegro took advantage of the opportunities he was given. Like Curtis, he is everywhere on the field and always seems to be a part of every play he is involved in. Alliegro also has two of the six sacks for the Wisconsin football defense. Even though it is a packed gym, Alliegro deserves more reps. I think he will get them too.
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