Oklahoma Sooners Top Preseason Softball Coaches Poll
The Oklahoma Sooners ended 2016 on top and that is where they will start the 2017 season. The Sooners were ranked #1 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and it was unanimous as they received all 32 first-place votes.
The top five is rounded out with Auburn at two, Florida State at three, and a tie for fourth between Florida and LSU. The entire top 25 is listed below.
Rank
School (1st place votes)
Points
2016 Record
2016
Final Rank
1
Oklahoma (32)
800
57-8
1
2
Auburn
745
58-12
2
3
Florida State
683
55-10
4
T-4
Florida
671
56-7
8
T-4
LSU
671
52-18
3
6
Michigan
655
52-7
5
7
Alabama
633
51-14
6
8
UCLA
534
40-16-1
9
9
Oregon
484
48-10
10
10
Arizona
466
40-21
14
11
Louisiana-Lafayette
444
46-9
12
12
Georgia
435
46-20
7
13
Washington
430
39-15
13
14
James Madison
418
50-6
11
15
Tennessee
331
43-16
17
16
Minnesota
295
43-14
20
17
Missouri
271
42-16
15
18
Utah
266
36-21
16
19
Texas A&M
258
39-20
19
20
Kentucky
250
46-14
18
21
Baylor
171
45-14
21
22
Notre Dame
121
43-13
23
23
Florida Atlantic
87
51-9
24
24
Fresno State
65
42-12-1
22
25
South Florida
47
45-16
25
16 other schools received votes including Oregon State (23), Oklahoma State (22), Texas (17), South Carolina (13), Ole Miss (12), Nebraska (12), and Central Florida (10).
Meanwhile in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, Oklahoma was also the unanimous number one team. They were followed by Auburn in second, Florida in third, Florida State in fourth, and LSU fifth. The entire top 25 ESPN.com/USA Softball is below.
Rank
School (1st place votes)
2016 Record
2016
Final Rank
1
Oklahoma (20)
57-8
1
2
Auburn
58-12
2
3
Florida
56-7
8
4
Florida State
55-10
3
5
LSU
52-18
4
6
Michigan
52-7
5
7
Alabama
51-14
7
8
UCLA
40-16-1
9
9
Oregon
48-10
11
10
Georgia
46-20
6
11
Louisiana-Lafayette
46-9
14
12
Arizona
40-21
15
13
Washington
39-15
13
14
Minnesota
43-14
19
15
Tennessee
43-16
18
16
James Madison
50-6
10
17
Utah
36-21
16
18
Texas A&M
39-20
20
19
Missouri
42-16
12
20
Kentucky
46-14
17
21
Baylor
45-14
21
22
Notre Dame
43-13
25
23
Florida Atlantic
51-9
23
T-24
California
33-24-1
NR
T-24
South Florida
45-16
NR
In this poll, Ole Miss (24), Texas (20), Oklahoma State (17), Nebraska (14), Florida International (12), Arizona State (11), Fresno State (10), and Ohio State (10) were among the teams who also received votes.
The 2017 college softball season will begin on Thursday, February 9. The 2016 Women’s College Series Championship Series finalists will be in action as both Auburn and Oklahoma face off in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Edit: This article was updated on 2/1/17 to include the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll that was released on January 31, 2017.
The 2017 NCAA Softball season is less than two weeks away and there are some burning questions such as will Oklahoma repeat as National Champions, will Florida reclaim the throne, or will another team outside of those two win the title for the first time since 2012? We will ask five questions about various topics for the upcoming college softball season below.
1. Will any team usurp the Michigan Wolverines in the Big 10? Will any team not named Michigan make the Women’s College World Series from the Big 10?
We start with a two-part question for an early bonus. Michigan has undoubtedly been the top team in the Big 10 under Carol Hutchins. The Wolverines have won or tied for the Big 10 regular season title every year since 2008. The Wolverines lost their do everything star Sierra Romero, but they still return lots of talent. Kelly Christner, Tera Blanco, Aidan Falk, and Abby Ramirez all return as does one of the best pitchers in the nation, Megan Betsa. The Wolverines are still the favorite in the conference.
The Wolverines have been dominant in the regular season, but of the five Big 10 Conference Tournaments to have been played since 2008, Michigan has only won once. (Note: The Big 10 did not have aconference tournament from 2009 through 2012). The Wolverines have made the WCWS four times since 2008.
As for the rest of the Big 10, they have had trouble even making the WCWS. Since Northwestern made back-to-back Oklahoma City trips in 2006 and 2007, only one team not named Michigan has made it to the WCWS. That was Nebraska in 2013 when the Huskers lost in two extra inning games.
Who will challenge the Wolverines? Minnesota seems like the most likely team given they have won the Big 10 Conference Tournament twice in the last three seasons defeating Michigan both times. Could Nebraska, Illinois, or Ohio State make the jump over Michigan? Stay tuned.
2. Will Auburn take the final step and win the National Championship?
Clint Myers came to Auburn after the 2013 season when he left Arizona State after coaching them from 2006 through 2013. In those 8 years with the Sun Devils, he won 2 titles and made the WCWS 7 times.
He took over an Auburn team had some talent as the Tigers had finished 30-23 overall and 7-17 in the SEC in 2013. In 2014, they reached the NCAA Regional Final, losing to Minnesota in the decisive game. The Tigers were part of the final four in the 2015 WCWS and then lost the thrilling 2016 WCWS Championship Series 2 game to 1 against Oklahoma.
The Tigers did lose some talent in Emily Carasone (.399 average with 13 home runs and 67 RBI), Tiffany Howard (.390 average and 11 stolen bases), and Jade Rhodes (.338 average with 20 home runs and 74 RBI). That is a lot of production from three starters that will not be returning.
Haley Fagan will be back after missing most of the 2016 season (she played in the NCAA Tournament). Fagan’s replacement, Whitney Jordan (.228 average, 7 home runs, and 39 RBI), is back along with CarleeWallace (5 home runs and 42 RBI) and Madi Gipson (6 home runs and 43 RBI). The biggest bat returning just happens to be the team leader in batting average, home runs, and RBI from 2016. Those stats belong to Kasey Cooper who hit .422 with 21 home runs and 83 runs batted in.
Also back are the top two pitchers from last season in MakaylaMartin and Kaylee Carlson. Martin went 15-4 last year with a 1.57 ERA with four complete games as freshman. Carlson finished 19-2 overall with a 2.36 ERA and completed 10 games. They present a scary 1-2 punch in the circle for opposing teams.
The expectations are sky-high for Auburn in 2017. Will the Tigers deliver the National Championship? They are certainly one of the favorites to win it all.
3. Who (if any) will be the surprise team in 2017?
Last year, one could easily make the argument that Georgia, the #16 national seed, was the surprise team considering they defeated the 2-time defending champs Florida in the Super Regional two games to none. They also had a solid showing in Oklahoma City when they won their first game, but ultimately lost the next two.
2015 was very straight forward as the top 8 national seeds all advanced to the WCWS. 2014 had both Kentucky (#14 seed) and Baylor (#13 seed) make the WCWS. Baylor made the final four, but were ousted by eventual champion Florida.
2013 saw #11 Washington and #14 both make the WCWS. It was the #7 seed Tennessee that ended up making the Championship Series where they lost to Oklahoma in two games.
2012 was a crazy post-season in which unseeded LSU and South Florida both made the WCWS. Unseeded Oklahoma State made it to Oklahoma City in 2011.
2010 was the year of the double-digit seeds. #16 Hawaii defeated #1 Alabama in the Super Regionals and then opened the WCWS with a 3-2 win over #9 Missouri. #10 Arizona and #15 Tennessee both made the WCWS with the Wildcats going all the way to the Championship Series (lost the series 2-0 to UCLA).
It is likely that any surprise run will come from a major conference team, but it is always worth keeping an eye on the unseeded team that can get on a hot run and see how far it takes them.
4. Will the Pac-12 Conference have a resurgence?
NCAA softball was dominated in the early days by teams located on the West Coast. Between 1982 and 2004, only three times did a team not from the West Coast win a National Championship: Texas A&M in both 1983 and 1987 and Oklahoma in 2000. The Pac-10 (as it was called prior to 2012) won the championship every year between 1988 and 2004 except for 1998 (Fresno State) and 2000 (Oklahoma).
Michigan’s win in 2005 finally saw a team east of the Mississippi River win the title, but 2006 through 2011 saw it go right back to the Pac-10. However, there has been a noticeable and seismic shift in the balance of power. It has migrated back east with to the Big 12 and SEC conferences.
In fact, since 2011 when Clint Myers won the title at Arizona State, no team in the Pac-12 has even made the WCWS Championship Series. That is not to say the Pac-12 does not have good teams. They do in traditional powers Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, and Washington, but also recent power Oregon, who has made the WCWS three times since 2012.
The Pac-12 placed eight teams in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, 7 in the 2015 edition, and 5 in the 2014 season. Only 1 made the WCWS in 2016, two in 2015, and one in 2014. There are several capable National Championship contenders in this conference, but will it end up being a sixth straight season without a title going back to the West Coast?
5. Will scoring continue to trend up?
Women’s softball has seen an explosion on offense since 2000. At the turn of the century, the average runs scored per game was hovering near 3.5. In 2016, that average was up a full run to 4.52 per game. As one would expect, home runs have also gone up from slightly above 0.3 per game in 2000 to a high of .76 in 2015. Last year had a per game average of 0.65 home runs. Below is a table of the runs and home runs per game since 2011 for Division I softball.
Year
Games
Runs
Home Runs
Runs/Game
HR/Game
2011
14,956
63,814
9,610
4.27
0.64
2012
15,425
62,700
9,260
4.06
0.60
2013
15,309
65,555
9,807
4.28
0.64
2014
15,239
67,028
10,138
4.40
0.67
2015
15,083
72,562
11,525
4.81
0.76
2016
15,600
70,548
10,159
4.52
0.65
If you are looking a for great reference into the scoring averages since 2000, please click here for an article from the middle of the 2015 season. The article provides a graphical view of runs, home runs, and stolen bases per game since 2000.
It looks safe to say that high scoring is probably here to stay for the foreseeable future. That will make for some entertaining games where one swing of the bat can change the entire complexion of a game. Apologies to those who yearn for the old days where pitching duels were common.
Deshaun Watson and Clemson won the 2017 College Football Playoff versus Alabama. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)
Reviewing Our 2016 College Football Predictions
Prior to the start of the 2016 College Football season, we made five predictions for each conference. Those can all be found here. Below we will list and then review how each prediction turned out.
1. Army will beat Navy in 2016 – This was correct as Army defeated Navy 21-17. This was Army’s first win against Navy since 2001.
2. Army will reach 6 wins in 2016 – Army reached the 6 win plateau and went beyond as they finished 8-5 overall with a win in Heart of Dallas Bowl versus North Texas.
3. UMass will not top 3 wins in 2016 – Another one that proved correct. Massachusetts slumped to 2-10 in 2016, which was their first year as an Independent.
4. BYU will pull at least 3 upsets in the regular season – We missed on this one. Going by Vegas Insider’s lines, the Cougars pulled only one outright upset. BYU did cover all five games in which they were underdogs, but lost four outright.
5. Notre Dame will lose at least 3 regular season games – Perhaps we were too kind. The Irish lost 8 games and reached our magic mark of three losses by the end of September.
Final Result: 4 out of 5 predictions were correct.
1. Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida will lead the Sun Belt in rushing – This was a risky prediction and it did not come close at all. Breida finished with 646 yards on the season while Appalachian State’s Jalin Mooreled the conference with 1,402 yards.
2. Arkansas State or Appalachian State will win the Conference – This was correctly predicted. This required a Troy loss on the final day of the regular season. Both Arkansas State and Appalachian State tied for the title.
3. Texas State will not win more than 3 games in 2016 – We called this correctly, but early in the season it looked iffy. Texas State started the season with a 2-2 record, but lost all their Sun Belt games to drop to 2-10 in Everett Withers’ first season.
4. New Mexico State’s bowl drought will extend to 56 years – This seemed like an easy call and it was. The Aggies went 3-9 on the season though they did have some entertaining games throughout the season.
5. Idaho will make a bowl game –This was another correct prediction. Idaho started 2-3, but won 7 of their last 8 games including the bowl versus Colorado State. It is a shame Paul Petrino and Idaho will be in the FCS by 2018.
Final Result: 4 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 8 correct out of 10.
1. Rice will win the West Division – This pick was not even close. The Owls started 0-6 and even though they went .500 the final six games, they never really had a chance to win the division.
2. Old Dominion will make a bowl game – The Monarchs proved this one right. Old Dominion went 7-1 in C-USA and 10-3 overall. Their loss to Western Kentucky prevented them from competing for the C-USA Championship.
3. Charlotte’s offense will top 25 points per game in 2016 – This was correct, but barely as Charlotte scored 25.2 points per game. The 49ers had 6 games were they scored less than 25 points and went 4-8 overall.
4. North Texas will finish with double digit losses – This was wrong and in a big way. The Mean Green went 5-8 overall this year and made an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in Seth Littrell’s first season as coach.
5. Middle Tennessee will finish no worse than 2nd in the East – Another incorrect prediction. The Blue Raiders started the C-USA season well, but losses to Western Kentucky, UT-San Antonio, and Marshall saw them finish 3rd in the East Division.
Final Result: 2 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 10 correct out of 15.
1. Northern Illinois will make it 7 straight MAC Title Game Appearances – This never came to fruition as the Huskies lost three MAC games and did not even reach a bowl game.
2. Western Michigan will defeat at least one Big Ten opponent in 2016 – This one was correct. They defeated Northwestern in the opening game 22-21 and then blew the doors off Illinois two weeks later in 34-10 win. They had a chance for the rare Big 10 trifecta in the Cotton Bowl against Wisconsin, but lost 24-16.
3. The East will be mayhem – This is a very hard prediction to quantify. Ohio ended up as the MAC East winner at 6-2 in conference play, but Miami (OH) came back from an 0-6 start to win out and reach a bowl game. Miami finished 6-2 in the conference as well. We will call this a draw and award half a point.
4. Kent State will reach six wins – This prediction was incorrect. The Flashes lost to North Carolina A&T in week two and then bounced back the next week to defeat FCS foe Monmouth. Kent State never threatened to get to 6 wins and finished at 3-9.
5. Eastern Michigan will end their four straight years of double digit losses (and not finish last in the West) – This was correct. The Eagles got off to a flying start at 4-1 and then sealed their winning season with two wins in the final three games. They finished 7-6 overall and fourth in the MAC West.
Final Result: 2.5 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 12.5 correct out of 20.
1. SMU will win at least four games in 2016 – This was correct. SMU could not get on a roll in a choppy season as they went 5-7 overall. They did upset Houston at home with a resounding 38-16 win.
2. South Florida will win the East Division – This one was close, but was incorrect. The Bulls had a great 11-2 season and went 7-1 in AAC play. Their lone conference loss was to Temple (7-1 AAC), the AAC Champions, thus preventing them from winning the East.
3. Houston will win the West Division and Conference title – This one was incorrect. Houston started 5-0, but finished 4-4 and placed fourth in the AAC West.
4. Connecticut will have winning season –This one ended up as incorrect. The Huskies started 3-3, but lost their last six games to fall to 3-9. The lack of offense cost them and it also cost Bob Diaco his job.
5. The Three “T” teams (Tulsa, Tulane, and Temple) will win at least 20 games combined – This was correct due to Tulsa and Temple. Temple went 10-4 overall (won the AAC Championship), Tulsa went 10-3 overall, and Tulane came in at 4-8 overall to make it 24 wins combined.
Final Result: 2 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 14.5 correct out of 25.
1. Air Force will win the Commander-in-Chief Trophyand win 10 games – This prediction was correct on both accounts. The Falcons started 4-0, then lost 3 in a row, and finished the season on a 6 game winning streak. They also defeated Navy and Army.
2. San Diego State will win the West Division – An obvious call before the season, this one was correct. The Aztecs won the West Division going away and finished 11-3 as the only team in the West with a winning record.
3. Boise State will lead the MWC in points scored and Thomas Sperbeck will lead the MWC in receiving yardage – This prediction was wrong on both accounts. Boise State’s offense never reached the expected heights as they finished sixth in the conference at 33.8 points per game. Thomas Sperbeck ended up tied for second in the conference with 1,272 yards receiving behind Tanner Gentry of Wyoming (1,326 yards receiving).
4. UNLV will make a bowl game in 2016 – This was incorrect as the Rebels could never find a good flow. They finished 4-8 overall with wins against Jackson State, Fresno State, Hawaii, and Wyoming.
5. New Mexico will make their second straight bowl game in 2016 – This prediction was correct. The Lobos started 2-3 with losses to New Mexico State, Rutgers, and Boise State, but finished with 7 wins in their last 8 games. They played, and won, in the New Mexico Bowl.
Final Result: 3 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 17.5 correct out of 30.
1. Kansas State will make a seventh straight bowl game – This was correct. The Wildcats had a sneaky good season going 9-4 overall and finished it off with a 33-28 win in the Texas Bowl over former conference foe Texas A&M.
2. Oklahoma will lose at least one game they are favored in – This prediction was correct after the first weekend of games. Oklahoma was favored by 13.5 against Houston, but lost 33-23. The Sooners finished 11-2 overall.
3. West Virginia will not win more than 7 games – This prediction was wrong. West Virginia started 6-0 to put this prediction to shame. They went on to finish 10-3 with losses to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Miami (FL) as they finished 3rd in the Big 12.
4. TCU and Baylor will win 20 games or lesscombined – This prediction was correct. TCU underachieved going 6-7 overall while Baylor went 7-6 with Jim Grobe at the helm.
5. Texas and Texas Tech will both make a bowl game – This prediction was doubly wrong. Neither Texas nor Texas Tech had a winning record, much less made to a bowl game. Both teams finished 5-7 overall.
Final Result: 3 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 20.5 correct out of 35.
1. Georgia Tech will get back to a bowl game – This prediction was correct. The Yellow Jackets went 9-4 overall on the season with losses to Clemson, Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, and North Carolina. Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 33-18 in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
2. The ACC Champion will make the National Championship – This one was correct. Clemson won the ACC over Virginia Tech and then defeated Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs Semifinal 31-0. They reached the National Championship game to face Alabama for a second straight seeason and won 35-31.
3. Pittsburgh will have a double digit win season – This prediction was close, but incorrect. Pittsburgh went 8-5 with losses to Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), and Northwestern. Only the game against Miami (51-28) was decided by more than a touchdown.
4. Boston College will average at least 25 points per game on offense and give up less than 20 points per game on defense – This prediction was wrong on both accounts. In fact, if the numbers were flipped, this would have been on point. Boston College put up 20.4 points per game on offense and allowed 25 points per game on defense. They finished 7-6 overall.
5. Duke’s bowl streak will end at four – This was correct. The schedule set up against Duke finishing with 6 wins and that is how it turned out. They defeated North Carolina Central, Notre Dame, Army, and North Carolina to finish 4-8.
Final Result: 3 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 23.5 correct out of 40.
1. California and Oregon State will both miss a bowl game – This prediction was correct. Surprisingly, neither of these teams finished last in the Pac-12 North as that distinction went to Oregon. California went 5-7 while Oregon State finished 4-8.
2. Colorado will make a bowl game – This prediction was correct and undersold. Colorado had a great season going 10-4 overall and playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game. They unfortunately had to face some tough opponents in 2016 with losses to Michigan, USC, Washington, and Oklahoma State. Still, it was a superb season.
3. The duo of Christian McCaffrey and Royce Freeman will rush for a combined 4,000 yards – This prediction was wrong and was not even close to being right. After stellar 2015 seasons, these two seemed big campaigns again. Christian McCaffrey finished with 1,603 yards rushing while Royce Freeman had 945 yards rushing in 2016 with both getting injured during the year.
4. Washington will not win the Pac-12 – This one was way wrong. The Huskies were never really challenged in the Pac-12 North and they easily dispatched Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game. We probably will not make this prediction again any time soon.
5. The Pac-12 will not make the College Football Playoffs –Another one that was wrong. This prediction was predicated on the idea that Washington would not win the Pac-12. Well, the Huskies DID win the Pac-12 and were a contender for the College Football Playoff all season long.
Final Result: 2 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 25.5 correct out of 45.
1. Indiana will play in their second consecutive bowl game – This prediction was correct. The Hoosiers needed to beat Purdue in the season finale to reach 6 wins and they did in a close 26-24 contest. Head coach Kevin Wilson resigned before the bowl game, which they lost 26-24.
2. Northwestern’s Justin Jackson will lead the conference in rushing – This prediction was correct. Justin Jackson had a very good season leading the Big 10 with 1,524 yards on the ground. He beat out guys like Saquon Barkley, Corey Clement, Rodney Smith, Devine Redding, Mike Weber, and Akrum Wadley for the conference rushing title.
3. Wisconsin will not win 10 games – This prediction was incorrect and happily so. As a Wisconsin fan and someone who attended the school, this is one prediction we are more than happy to eat crow on. The Badgers had what looked like a daunting schedule in the pre-season, but some teams were not as good. However, the Badgers still had to navigate their schedule after back-to-back losses to Michigan and Ohio State. The Badgers finished 11-3 overall with a victory in the Cotton Bowl over Western Michigan.
4. The winner of The Game will make the College Football Playoffs – This prediction was right on the money. Despite a mid-season loss to Penn State, the Buckeyes were selected for the College Football Playoffs after defeating Michigan 30-27 in overtime despite not playing in the Big 10 Championship Game. The Buckeyes were crushed 31-0 in the Playoffs versus Clemson.
5. Iowa will be pushed to the brink by North Dakota State – This prediction was perfectly called. North Dakota State took their patented blueprint to Iowa City and defeated the Hawkeyes 23-21. Iowa finished 8-5 overall on the season.
Final Result: 4 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total is 29.5 correct out of 50.
1. Every SEC West team will make a bowl game – This was close, but incorrect. 6 of the 7 teams made it to a bowl game with only Ole Miss not participating in the post-season. That is interesting because most had Ole Miss as a team contending for the top of the SEC West, not the bottom.
2. Kentucky will not reach that elusive bowl game – This prediction was wrong. Kentucky started 5-3 and had Austin Peay near the end of regular season to make it 6 wins. They did one better as they upset Louisville 41-38 on the road to reach 7-5 and the TaxSlayer Bowl. They lost that game 33-18 to Georgia Tech.
3. Vanderbilt will make a bowl game – This prediction was correct. Vanderbilt needed two late season upsets to reach six wins. They defeated both Ole Miss and Tennessee at home to reach the Independence Bowl, but were thrashed by NC State 41-17.
4. The Arkansas-Mississippi State game will determine the last place finisher in the SEC West – Another one that was close, but ultimately incorrect. Arkansas and Mississippi State played a 58-42 thriller in Starkville late in the season, but it was the Egg Bowl a week later that determined the final team in the SEC West. Ole Miss lost that day 55-20 to finish in the basement after a season of high expectations.
5. Missouri will win the SEC East – It is fitting we round this article out with the worst prediction. Before the season, we thought Missouri’s defense would carry the team, but it ended up being the offense that was key. The Tigers started 2-2 with a 26-11 loss at West Virginia and a 28-27 loss at home to Georgia. It was all downhill from there as they lost five in a row. They won 2 of their final 3 games (Vanderbilt and Arkansas) to finish 4-8 overall. Perhaps this prediction is better suited for 2018 or later.
Final Result: 1 out of 5 predictions were correct. The running total finishes at 30.5 correct out of 55 (55.5%).
Hopefully we can do better in 2017 with our predictions.
T.J. Watt had a big 2017 finishing with a double digit sack total. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)
Wisconsin Badgers 2016-17 Football Season Report Card
The Wisconsin Badgers have finished the 2016-17 season with a 24-16 win over the Western Michigan Broncos to end at 11-3 overall. It was another double digit win season for the Badgers as 2016 marked the sixth time in the last 8 years they have won at least 10 games.
We will give a grade to each unit on the team as well as an overall team grade and a grade for head coach Paul Chryst. For a measuring stick, here is the midseason report card and we will include the midseason grade for each unit below. Let’s start with a quick glance at the results of each game for the Badgers.
2016 was not an easy year for Paul Chryst in his second season. He had to juggle two quarterbacks, a new defensive coordinator, and what looked like a daunting schedule. Looking at the entire season, he did well switching between Bart Houston (began the season as the starter) and Alex Hornibrook.
The hire of Justin Wilcox as the defensive coordinator already looks like a steal. The Badgers allowed 13.7 points per game in 2015 and saw that increase only marginally to 15.6. The yardage allowed per game do go up from from 268.5 in 2015 to 301.4 yards per game. Still, the defense played well this year, but Wilcox has departed for the California Golden Bears’ head coaching vacancy. The Badgers will have their third defensive coordinator in three years for the 2017 season.
The schedule before the season looked imposing. They had LSU, Michigan State (away), Michigan (away), Ohio State, Nebraska, and the potential for a Big 10 Championship Game. The Badgers ended up facing 7 teams that were ranked in the top 15 at the time of the game for the 2016-17 and went 4-3 in those games. Granted, some of those teams were far from being top 25 material by season’s end, but the Badgers navigated the season well under Chryst.
Final Grade: B+
Quarterbacks
Midseason Grade: C-
Bart Houston began the season as starter, but was replaced in the Georgia State contest by Hornibrook. After that game, the duo split time behind center though Hornibrook was injured versus Minnesota and subsequently missed the Big 10 Championship game. Many pundits lament the two quarterback system, but these two actually worked pretty well though they were far from game changers.
We noted that on the midseason report card that Hornibrook had looked like the better of the two quarterbacks after five games. By the end of the season it was far more even as Houston gained confidence and was more efficient. Houston finished the year with 1,245 yards (68.1%) with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. After being benched versus Georgia State and not playing the next three games, Houston threw 70 passes and completing 52 of those (74%) for 718 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 pick.
Hornibrook finished the season with 1,262 yards (58.6%) with 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. In the Badgers’ final eight games, he went 52 of 85 (61%) with 4 touchdowns against 1 interception (remember he missed the Big 10 Championship). He has some things to work on like his reads, throwing the ball into coverage, etc., but he has a bright future as long as he continues to improve.
Final Grade: C+
Running Backs
Midseason Grade: B
It is not hard to see how the running game changed over the Badgers’ season. Over the first five games Wisconsin averaged 161.6 yards per game on the ground. In the final 9 games the Badgers averaged 226.1 yards rushing per game. Corey Clement easily led the team in rushing with 1,375 yards (4.4 yards per carry) with 15 touchdowns. In addition, the final 9 games saw Clement have at least 100 yard performances 7 times.
Dare Ogunbowale had a few big games against Nebraska (120 yards and a touchdown) and Illinois (103 yards) to finish with 506 yards (5.6 YPC) and five touchdowns. He also played a big role in the passing game with 24 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown, but it felt like he was a go to receiver on third down for much of the year.
Both Clement and Ogunbowale are seniors, which means that freshman Bradrick Shaw could feature prominently in the future. He had 457 yards and 5 touchdowns on 88 carries (5.2 YPC). He did have some fumble issues, but his strength, power, and quickness could make for a scary sight in the next few seasons. He could be in a backfield with Taiwan Deal (164 yards rushing) and Pittsburgh transfer Chris James (690 yards rushing in two seasons) in 2017.
Wide receiver Jazz Peavy had a big impact in the rushing game as well. He was used almost exclusively on the end around to finish the season with 318 yards rushing and a touchdown on just 21 carries (15.1 YPC). He came up big throughout the season when called upon and he could see a familiar role in 2017.
Final Grade: A-
Wide Receivers
Midseason Grade: B-
As with any run-heavy Badger offense, the wide receivers are not likely to put up big numbers. There were some stars that emerged in Jazz Peavy and Troy Fumagalli. Peavy finished as the leading receiver with 43 catches for 635 yards and 5 touchdowns (along with the aforementioned rushing impact). Fumagalli had 47 catches for 580 yards and 2 touchdowns, but bookended his season with very good performances against LSU (7 catches for 100 yards) and Western Michigan (6 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown). Both players are juniors and if either of them leave for the NFL, that would create a big void in the passing attack.
Ogunbowale was instrumental in the passing game, but he will move on as a senior. Robert Wheelwright caught 34 passes for 448 yards and 1 touchdown, but is a senior. George Rushing had just 12 catches for 136 yards and was spotty throughout the season. With more consistency he could be a possible #2 opposite of Peavy, but he has a ways to go to fill that void.
Three freshmen who saw some playing time in 2016 and worth keeping an eye on in their development were Kyle Penniston (6 catches for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns), Quintez Cephus (135 total offensive yards), and A.J. Taylor (72 total offensive yards).
Final Grade: B-
Offensive Line
Midseason Grade: C+
The offensive line had a slow start this season. Injuries and new quarterbacks hurt them. It took until after the Michigan game for the line to assert itself. The first five games saw the Badgers average just 3.8 yards per carry while that number shot up to 4.6 yards per carry over the final nine games. For the season, the Badgers averaged 4.3 yards per carry, which was better than 2015’s number of 3.8, but still less than the lowest output between 2009 and 2014 of 4.6. Tackle Ryan Ramczyk was named as a first team All-American. Ramczyk will move on to the NFL creating a massive void to refill.
The offensive line had allowed 8 sacks in the first five games, but gave up another 16 the final 9 games to make it 24 on the season. To be fair, the sacks are not always the fault of the line and both Houston and Hornibrook had a tendency to hold on to the ball too long from time to time. In 2015, the Badgers allowed 23 sacks. The offensive line did make good progress over the course of the season particularly in the running game.
Final Grade: B
Overall Offensive Grade
Midseason Grade: C+
There was a clear change in the offense between the Michigan and Ohio State games. It is worth mentioning that between those games was the Wisconsin bye week, which probably allowed them to re-focus the offense. The running game came alive after the bye week while Houston looked more efficient. The Badgers averaged 28.4 points, 382.1 yards, 203.1 rushing yards, and 179.1 passing yards per game. The total yardage was similar to 2015 (378.6 per game), but the emphasis was more on the run (150.3 yards rushing per game), which was not surprising given a new quarterback.
The offense will need to work on being far more efficient in the red zone. They had 58 red zone trips and converted 49 of those into points (84.4%), which ranked 63rd in the country. However, only 37 of those trips resulted in a touchdown (63.8%). This is a big area of improvement for the Badgers in 2017.
Final Grade: B
Defensive Line/Linebackers
Midseason Grade: A+
The linebackers had a great year in 2016 led by the T.J. duo. T.J. Watt led the team in sacks (11.5) and tackles-for-loss (15.5). His partner T.J. Edwards led the team in total tackles with 89 while also recording 3 sacks and 8.5 tackles-for-loss. Jack Cichy was on his way to a stellar year after 7 games before a torn pectoral ruled him out the rest of the season. Cichy recorded 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles-for-loss. Ryan Connelly (59 tackles and 7 TFL), GarretDooley (40 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 6.5 TFL), and VinceBiegel (44 tackles, 4 sacks, and 6 TFL) were big contributors to an incredible linebacker group.
Only Biegel is a senior though Watt (a second team All-American) or Edwards could bolt for the NFL after stellar campaigns. Chris Orr will also return after missing 2016 with a torn ACL.
Defensive ends Connor Sheehy and Alec James, both juniors, had similar seasons on the stat line. Sheehy had 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 4 tackles-for-loss while James finished with 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Also returning on the defensive line are Chikwe Obasih (31 career starts along with 22 tackles in 2016), and Olive Sagapolu (14 tackles and 1 sack).
The possibility of everyone outside of Biegel returning is tantalizing, but the NFL is a loud call this time of year. Still, the front seven should be a deep and talented group for the Badgers next season.
Final Grade: A+
Defensive Backs
Midseason Grade: A-
One clear area of regression as the season went on was in the secondary. Perhaps the Georgia State game was a sign of things to come for the final few games, particularly the Big 10 Championship. The Panthers were able to put up 269 yards through the air that day and a few other teams had some success as well. Northwestern threw for 277 (they played from behind the whole game), Purdue had going deep, and then Penn State gashed the back four with ease in the second half.
Sojourn Shelton had 4 picks and 12 pass breakups (most on the team) while Leo Musso recorded 74 tackles and 5 interceptions (led the team). Derrick Tindal had 3 picks and 11 pass breakups and Lubern Figaro finished with 7 pass breakups.
Tindall and Figaro will both be seniors in 2017 as will D’Cota Dixon (60 tackles and 4 interceptions) and Natrell Jamerson (mainly a return guy, but he did have 19 tackles and 4 pass breakups). Those four, along with others, will need to step up to replace Shelton and Musso. This group faltered down the stretch and in the pivotal second half of the Big 10 Championship Game versus Penn State. Look out to see if the secondary plays with a chip on their shoulder in the next year after how they finished the season.
Final Grade: B
Overall Defensive Grade
Midseason Grade: A
The defense did play very well for most of the season. The secondary had documented struggles, but they did play well for stretches of the season. The linebackers led the way for this side of the ball and there were some stars we hope return in 2017 to make this another top defense in the nation.
Final Grade: A-
Special Teams Grade
Midseason Grade: B
The loss of Rafael Gaglianone in late September really hurt then, but after seeing the season play out, that is even more evident now. Gaglianone went 7 of 8 on his field goals and was a perfect 10 for 10 on extra points. Andrew Endicott replaced him and from the start was uneasy. He finished the season 13 of 19 with a long of 46 yards. He made 35 of 37 extra points, but even a few of those were barely inside the uprights. Gaglianone will be back in 2017, which will be a boost to the kicking game.
The punting game left some room for improvement. Anthony Lotti averaged 37.7 yards per punt and put 25 punts inside the opponent’s 20 yard line, but he had a few games where he struggled (see the Michigan game). P.J. Rosowski averaged 36.7 yards per punt and also handled kickoff duties. He had 79 kickoffs with 51 touchbacks and just one kick go out of bounds. Lotti was only a freshman in 2016 so he will have a few seasons left as Badgers to get better.
Natrell Jamerson had 12 kick returns for an average of 21.1 yards per return while Dare Ogunbowale had 10 returns for an average of 21.3 yards per return. Jamerson had a long of 39 and Ogunbowale had a long of 41 and neither had a touchdown. Jazz Peavy returned punts for the Badgers and averaged a paltry 5.8 yards per return on 17 returns. The Badgers can afford to work on the return game going into the 2017 season.
Final Grade: C+
Overall Team Grade
Midseason Grade: B+
2016 was a very good year for the Wisconsin Badgers. Expectations were subdued with the loss of Joel Stave, Alex Erickson, MichaelCaputo, and Tanner McEvoy among others. A new starting quarterback turned into two new starters at that position and both players handled it well.
The running game got off to a slow start, but turned it on after the bye week. In turn, the quarterbacks performed more efficiently and the team was able to shake off back-to-back losses to Michigan and Ohio State to claim the Big 10 West. The defense had breakout stars in T.J. Watt and T.J. Edwards under new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox while Corey Clement remained healthy to have a solid season.
Overall, it is hard to argue with the results produced by the Badgers. Many (including this author) thought 10 wins were out of the question, but the Badgers did one better than that and won their first Cotton Bowl.
James Madison claimed their second FCS National Championship in school history. (Photo Courtesy of JMU via Twitter).
James Madison Cruises To 2017 FCS National Title
The James Madison Dukes won their second FCS National Championship in school history after defeating the Youngstown State Penguins 28-14. The Dukes used an impressive defensive performance in which they recorded 5 sacks, forced 3 turnovers, and held the Penguins to 21 yards rushing on 31 carries.
The Dukes were playing without star linebacker Brandon Hereforddue to suspension and then lost fellow linebackers Dimitri Holloway and David Ezeagwu midway through the first quarter. That makes their performance even more impressive.
The Dukes were able to get going with their special teams blocking a punt to give them a short field. Two plays later, Bryan Schor hit Jonathan Kloosterman for a 14 yard score and a 7-0 James Madison lead. The Penguins had a poor punt on their next drive and the Dukes made them pay again with Schor hitting Rashard Davis for an 18 yard touchdown on a controversial call.
💯 TOE TAP 💯
Rashard Davis makes an INCREDIBLE snag for another JMU TD!
Trailing 14-0, Youngstown State had a decent drive going that resulted in a 45 yard field goal attempt, but the kick never got off as the snap was fumbled. Two drives later, James Madison got big back-to-back pass plays from Schor to Davis (33 yards) and Domo Taylor (31 yards). The drive resulted in Khalid Abdullah punching it in for a 21-0 lead.
The Penguins did get a late first half score thanks in large part to a partially blocked punt that set up Hunter Wells hitting Shane Kuhn for a 17 yard touchdown. That made it 21-7 at halftime with the Dukes holding a commanding yardage edge of 208-88 after 30 minutes.
The Penguins started the second half with the ball, but a fluke interception (video below) gave the ball back to James Madison.
YSU committed two defensive pass interference penalties on the drive and Abdullah ran it in from 2 yards out to extend the lead to 28-7. The Penguins mounted another solid drive, but a snap over the head of Nathan Mays was recovered by JMU’s DarriousCarter. The Penguins next drive required a fourth and 12 conversion, but the potential touchdown was broken up and the Dukes took over.
James Madison controlled the contest for the remainder of the game with Youngstown State scoring a garbage time touchdown. Wells found Jermiah Braswell for a 7 yard score to close the game out 28-14.
The Penguins were led by Wells who threw for 271 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception, but he was harassed for most of the game. Jody Webb had 41 yards rushing on 17 carries to go with 10 catches for 63 yards while Alvin Bailey finished with 7 receptions for 68 yards.
It was not a spectacular offensive performance from the Dukes, but it did not have to be. They were efficient with Schor going 7 of 12 passing for 112 yards with 2 touchdowns and no picks along with 36 yards on the ground. Abdullah, who was named Most Outstanding Player, had 101 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing on 26 carries. The Dukes committed no turnovers.
James Madison won their first title back in 2004 when they defeated Montana 31-21 with Mickey Matthews as head coach. This time it was Mike Houston in his first season leading the Dukes to a national title and a 14-1 overall record for the 2016 season.
The 2017 FCS Championship will be determined on January 7, 2017 between Youngstown State and James Madison.
Note: This is the National Championship preview following the 2016 FCS Season.
2017 FCS National Championship Preview
The FCS season has just one game left and it is the National Championship between the Youngstown State Penguins (12-3) and James Madison Dukes (13-1). Both teams have had tough roads to get here and are deserving of their spot in the National Championship.
The FCS National Championship will be played on Saturday, January 7 at Toyota Stadium from Frisco, Texas. The game will be shown on ESPN2 with a kickoff time of 12 PM Eastern.
Through four rounds, our predictions have gone 19-3. Below are the links to our predictions for the previous rounds along with the record for that round.
Below is the 2017 FCS National Championship game preview and we will also provide a prediction for this matchup.
Youngstown State Road To The National Championship
First Round: Defeated Samford 38-24 at home
Second Round: Defeated #3 Jacksonville State 40-24 on the road
Quarterfinals: Defeated Wofford 30-23 at home in 2 overtimes
Semifinals: Defeated #2 Eastern Washington 40-38 on the road
Youngstown State Penguins Preview
The Penguins opened the playoffs with a comfortable 38-24 win over Samford and then had a great game plan against Jacksonville State (force Eli Jenkins to throw) and won 40-24 to reach the Quarterfinals. They won a hard-fought game at home versus Wofford 30-23 in double overtime and then played a wild contest out west at Eastern Washington. Kevin Rader’s catch against the defender’s back gave YSU the 40-38 win and the berth in the title game.
The Penguins average 28.5 points (37 in the playoffs), 431.6 yards, 257.5 yards rushing, and 174.1 yards passing per game on offense. Quarterback Hunter Wells has gone 7-1 since taking over the starting spot from Ricky Davis. Wells has thrown for 1,453 yards (63.5%) with 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Wells will be boosted by a strong backfield combination of JodyWebb (1,301 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6.1 yards per carry) and Tevin McCaster (616 yards with 11 touchdowns and 4.9 YPC). Webb has six straight 100 yard rushing performance and is averaging 157 yards per game in the playoffs. McCaster had a breakout game against Eastern Washington with 154 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns on 29 carries. This duo will be leaned on to get the offense going.
It is worth noting that the team’s second leading rusher, Martin Ruiz, will not play in this game. He had 1,153 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, but was arrested on a weapon charge.
The receivers are not overwhelming with Alvin Bailey the leader in both receptions (40) and touchdowns (5). Bailey is third on the team in yards at 443. Darien Townsend has 32 catches for 525 yards and 4 touchdowns while Webb has caught 26 passes for 328 yards and no touchdowns. Damoun Patterson is worth keeping an eye on because he is the big play guy. He has only 18 catches, but has 461 yards (25.6 yards per catch) and 2 touchdowns. If the running game struggles, this group will have to step up.
The Youngstown State defense allows 19.4 points, 324.4 total yards, 128.1 yards rushing, and 196.3 yards passing per game. The points allowed per game in the playoffs are at 27.3, which is a concern, but they have come up with big stops when needed.
Defensive ends Derek Rivers and Avery Moss have been a menacing duo all season. Rivers had 13 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss on the year while Moss has recorded 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Armand Dellovade has 11.5 tackles for loss and leads the team in total tackles at 98. These three as well as the other players in the front seven will have their hands full with James Madison’s rushing attack. The Penguins have intercepted only 12 passes all season, but LeRoy Alexander has accounted for a third of those. Kenny Bishop leads the team with 11 pass breakups.
The kicking duties fall to Zak Kennedy and he has not been great this season. He has converted only 13 of 19 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards. He has also made 37 of 38 extra points. MarkSchuler has done very well punting the ball with an average of 42.4 yards with 26 landing inside the opponent’s 20.
Jody Webb leads the team in kick returns averaging 23.9 yards per return, but has not recorded a touchdown. Darien Townsend has a 19.4 yards per average return on kickoffs, but can be dangerous on punts. He has averaged 11.9 yards per return on punts and returned one for a touchdown.
James Madison Road To The National Championship
First Round: Bye
Second Round: Defeated New Hampshire 55-22 at home
Quarterfinals: Defeated #5 Sam Houston State 65-7 at home
Semifinals: Defeated #1 North Dakota State 27-17 on the road
James Madison Dukes Preview
James Madison opened the playoffs with a bye before back-to-back blowouts. They decimated New Hampshire 55-22 with quarterback BryanSchor throwing for 371 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the Quarterfinal versus Sam Houston State, the Dukes obliterated the Bearkats 65-7 with 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground from Trai Sharp and 141 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing from Khalid Abdullah. The defense held the prolific passing of Jeremiah Briscoe to just 143 yards on 13 of 44 passing with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
The Semifinal was on the road against the 5 time defending National Champions North Dakota State. Abdullah ran for 180 yards on 23 carries while Schor threw for 242 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. The defense held the Bison to 132 yards rushing and a 3.4 yards per carry average.
The offense for James Madison averages 48 points, 525.6 yards of offense, 284.6 yards rushing, and 241.1 yards passing per game. Bryan Schor leads the team as the quarterback and has thrown for 2,890 yards with 27 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. More impressively, he has completed 73.7% of his passes.
Schor is complimented in the backfield by Khalid Abdullah, who has rushed for 1,708 yards with 20 touchdowns and averages 6.3 yards per carry. Schor is third on the team in rushing with 543 yards and has 10 rushing touchdowns so he can also get the offense moving with his legs. Trai Sharp had big games versus New Hampshire and Sam Houston State, but was held to just 14 yards on 4 carries against North Dakota State. He has the potential for big runs if he can get some touches in the Championship game.
The receiving group is pretty balanced with many contributors. Brandon Ravenel leads the team with 45 catches for 720 yards and 5 touchdowns. Domo Taylor has 34 catches for 547 yards and 3 touchdowns and Rashard Davis has 39 catches for 478 yards and 2 touchdowns. Terrence Alls has 39 catches for 575 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season, but he will miss the National Championship along with 6 other players.
The defense allows 21.7 points, 348 yards of offense, 137.8 yards rushing, and 210.2 yards passing per game. They have been dominant and physical the entire postseason (see both Sam Houston State and North Dakota State games for some great examples). Star linebacker Brandon Hereford had 96 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, but will miss the game along with Alls and five others.
Simeyon Robinson and Martez Stone will anchor the defensive line with Robinson recording 4 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss this year. Stone also has 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss and both will be key to stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. Gage Steele will be the main linebacker and he has 98 tackles on the season with 4.5 tackles for loss.
Leading the secondary is Raven Greene, who has a team high 6 interceptions and also is tied for second on the team with 7 pass breakups. Taylor Reynolds leads the team in pass breakups with 12 and also has 2 interceptions.
Tyler Gray will handle the field goal duties, but he is just 14 of 21 on the season with a long of 45. Gunnar Kane will be the punter and he averages 42.2 yards per punt and has landed 20 inside the opponent’s 20.
The Dukes have two dangerous kickoff returners between RobbieWalker (21.5 yard average) and Brandon Ravenel (23.9 yard average and a touchdown). The real difference could be on punt returns where top returner Rashard Davis has averaged 29.9 yards per return and taken four (!) back to the house for a touchdown.
Prediction
Youngstown State is making their first appearance in the FCS National Championship since 1999 and they have won four titles in school history (1991, 1993, 1994, and 1997). Those four titles came with Jim Tressel as the head coach and Tressel is now the President of Youngstown State. As for James Madison they have only been to one National Championship and that was in 2004 when they defeated Montana 31-21.
Both teams are coming into this contest facing a slew of suspensions. They have been known for a few weeks so there should not be much surprise on either side in that regard. Both teams like to the run the ball and prefer to get their offense started that way. However, James Madison can rely on Bryan Schor’s arm if needed. Hunter Wells has played admirably since taking over the starter and has shown the ability to get the job done throwing as well.
We like the more physical team to win this game and we are going with James Madison. We are taking the Dukes to win 35-21 to claim their second FCS National Championship.
Troy Fumagalli had a big game against the Broncos. The catch above was one of several impressive grabs on the day. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)
Thoughts On Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl Win Over Western Michigan
1. The Badgers get off to a hot start – Just like against Penn State, Wisconsin was able to get off to a hot start on offense with two touchdowns on their first two drives and racking up 163 yards en route to a 14 point cushion. Corey Clement started with 5 carries for 42 yards and a score on the first drive while Dare Ogunbowale ended the second drive with the final 21 yards and the touchdown. The Badgers finished the first half with an average of 7.1 yards per carry (22 carries for 156 yards).
2. The Badgers cooled off… Again – Despite hot starts the past two games, the Badgers slowed down and allowed both Penn State and Western Michigan back into the game. The Broncos went on a 16 play and 65 yard drive to cut the deficit in half and then held the Badgers to a field goal the rest of the half. A slow start by the Badgers in the second half saw the Broncos keep it at 17-10, but the Badgers stuck with their offense and trusted their defense. The Badgers finished the game with 184 yards rushing, just 28 coming in the final 30 minutes.
3. Fumagalli impresses – Troy Fumagalli, a junior, was not perfect in the Cotton Bowl, but he was, without a doubt, the star of the game for the Badgers. Yes, he dropped a sure touchdown in the first half, but he more than made up for it with acrobatic catches and one handers. He even had a big third down catch in the final few minutes to help extinguish hope for the Broncos and end a possible comeback. Fumagalli finished with 6 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Below are a couple of his gems.
4. The defense does its job – Wisconsin’s defense played a good game. T.J. Watt started with two first quarter sacks and they held Western Michigan’s star receiver Corey Davis to 6 catches, 73 yards, and the incredible touchdown catch below.
The Badgers allowed 123 yards rushing on 31 carries for an average of 4 yards per carry. The Broncos never seemed in sync on offense and had 5 fumbles, but Western Michigan managed to recover all of them. The key late in the game was T.J. Edwards‘ interception at the WMU 12 yard line. That allowed the Badgers to pad their lead at 24-10.
5. The Seniors end on a high note – This senior class for the Wisconsin Badgers claimed the school’s first Cotton Bowl victory and also ended as the winningest class in Wisconsin history at 41.
Quarterback Bart Houston got the start and had a quietly effective game going 11 of 12 for 159 yards. Corey Clement had 71 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while fellow senior running back Dare Ogunbowale had 5 carries for 22 yards and a score along with 2 catches for 28 yards.
The defensive seniors of Vince Biegel, Leo Musso, and SojournShelton helped lead a stingy defense this year. The impact of each of those players will be missed, but the Badgers are hopeful for the players behind them going forward.
The Badgers end the 2016-17 season at 11-3, which is their second 11 win season in the last three years. Wisconsin has now recorded 10 wins in six of the last eight seasons and have won three straight bowl games. Below are thoughts of each game the Badgers played in over the past season. There will be one a season long report card published in the next few weeks (midseason report card here).
