B5Q Roundtable: Wisconsin beat Central Michigan 61-0, mainly through the air

The Wisconsin Badgers are still undefeated and un-scored upon after two weeks of college football. What did the B5Q staff like from Saturday’s game? What, if anything, did they not like? Read on and find out!

What went right for the Badgers in their 61-0 destruction of CMU on Saturday afternoon?

Ryan: Ummmm everything…? Most importantly we saw what Wisconsin’s offense was supposed to be last year, with Wisconsin airing it out. Cephus, Davis, Taylor and Pryor all played well, thanks to Coan slinging it all over the field.

Bob: When a team plays poorly, it’s easy to say they were under-motivated. Similarly, when a team plays well, it’s easy to say some sort of cliche about how they “played as a team.” Well, I have to say that this team has been really clicking in its last three competitions going back to the Miami bowl game. I get the sense the players trust each other on and off the field.

And Jack Coan and every wide receiver and every defensive player. And Graham Mertz. Don’t forget Graham Mertz!

Drew: This is such a dumb question. Who wrote these questions? I’ll look into it. Anyways, everything basically went right, again, for the Badgers in game two. Jack Coan looked sharp, Jonathan Taylor was his usual self, the defense was swarming and angry...it was a great performance all around. And Bob is right! HOW CAN I FORGET MERTZ! MERTZ! MERTZ! MERTZ!

My buddy Tank offered up this gem in my Badger alumni text thread: “I’m not going to lie MERTZ has the look of a QB more than Coan.” If you pass the Tank Eye Test, you’re guaranteed to be an All-American.

Matt: I thought that the passing game and the defense both looked sharp. The defense has looked tremendous this season, and the passing game showed a glimpse of what media members saw all fall camp from Jack Coan. It was apparent that Paul Chryst wanted to work on the passing game in preparation for conference play, and it seemed to work well on Saturday.

This is the same question as last week because, well, the Badgers played well again. What, if anything, could the Badgers clean up before game three against Michigan?

Ryan: A little more consistency in the kicking game. Lotti had one punt, but it only went for 29 yards and Larsh missed wide-left at the end of the first half (but had more than enough distance) and then later connected on a 28-yarder. As we move into Big Ten play, Wisconsin will probably have to punt more often and may have to settle for field goals.

Bob: Jack Dunn didn’t commit on a fair catch, and it could have been a mild nuisance for the Badgers. Anthony Lotti and Zach Hintze both flubbed one of their respective punts/kicks.

Drew: Umm, yeah, the kicking game was suspect which will EVENTUALLY be a bigger problem. But besides that?

::looks over the box score::

Uh, I guess Brady Schipper could try and gain a yard on his next carry?

Matt: There isn’t much to pick apart outside of the kicking game like Ryan has already pointed out, but for the sake of being different Nakia Watson’s fumble late in the game around midfield is never something a coach wants to see. I am sure that John Settle will coach him up about that, but in a mostly mistake free game that was a play that Watson probably wants back.

How impressed are we with Jack Coan’s performance? Are the calls for Mertz going to stop?

Ryan: Very. Coan finished with the fifth most passing yards in school history. He looked poised in the pocket and moved well when he had to. Mertz played well tonight, but he did mention in post game that he will likely redshirt. I don’t know if the calls for Mertz will stop, but if Coan keeps playing well, they should lessen.

Bob: I’m going to go off on a limb and say that Coan will not throw 26/33 for 363 against Michigan, so maybe folks will start calling for Mertz. If your goal is to troll, however, I will be very disappointed if you stop calling for Mertz. The meme cannot die now!

Plus, I just realized how many Jacks and Zachs are on this team. Why is that? Must be those one-syllable first names.

Drew: Coan had a beautiful game. He hit deep balls (!!!), he looked comfortable in the pocket and he even scrambled for six yards once! He was like Wisconsin Quarterback Plus against Central Michigan. Obviously, regular Michigan will provide his toughest challenge yet, but I am expecting the next two weeks to be relatively quiet on the MERTZ MERTZ MERTZ front.

That being said, Mertz looked mighty impressive in his one drive.

@B5Qphotos, Matt Fleming

Matt: I thought Coan looked sharp. He distributed the ball well at all levels, and it was reassuring to see him hit those chunk plays to Cephus on the two touchdowns. He seems to be in complete control of the offense, and outside of not seeing that one safety blitz where he was sacked he was able to maneuver the offense in and out of checks well. I hope that quiets the haters a bit for his sake.

Game balls on offense and defense for the Badgers?

Ryan: On Offense: Coan, Cephus and Taylor. On defense: Sanborn and Baun.

Bob: On offense, Quintez Cephus and Jack Coan. On defense, Zack Baun and Jack Sanborn. Sometimes life gives us easy decisions.

Drew: It can’t be anyone other that Coan and Cephus on offense. They were brilliant and seem to have developed chemistry quickly. On defense, Zack Baun was everywhere he needed to be and Jack Sanborn had a pick, on a terrible throw but Sanborn still made the play. I thought Keeanu Benton acquitted himself quite nicely in the middle of the defense while filling in for Bryson Williams.

Matt: Chris Orr’s tweet, hands down. But if you want a serious answer I will agree on the Coan/Cephus connection for offense. On defense I think Zack Baun has shown some serious growth from last year after another strong game.

What was the most hilarious/shocking thing you saw from around the country this weekend? And you CAN ALL SAY NEBRASKA BLOWING A 17-0 HALFTIME LEAD TO COLORADO IN OVERTIME HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ryan: Michigan just narrowly beating Army and Nebraska, obviously.

Bob: I mentioned this in my grades post, but my goodness Kent State really screwed it up. They shut down a field hockey game against Maine so that they could get the field ready to play football. It’s KENT STATE! Your field hockey team is probably more relevant!

Anyways, the bright side is Maine’s field hockey twitter account just gained me as a follower.

Well, you’ll be glad to know that Kent State squeaked out a 26-23 overtime win over Kennesaw State.

Drew: Nebraska losing to Colorado is just ::chef’s kiss:: but Michigan pooping their pants against Army was classic as well. I know the Wolverines won, but they shouldn’t have, and that almost makes it better! They’ll have people shouting about how poorly they played even though they’re 2-0. It’s great. Jim Harbaugh is a fraud.

Minnesota going to OT with Fresno State and almost losing was very funny too, but I fell asleep while watching that game so who knows HOW funny it actually was.

Matt: Justin Wilcox leading Cal over 14th ranked Washington Huskies on the road. After a long delay the game ended super early in the morning, but not many people saw that upset coming, and not just because everyone was already asleep.