Jeff Potrykus

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Madison – In Week 1, Wisconsin defenders showed they could prevent LSU tailback Leonard Fournette from dominating a game.

In Week 2, the task was to handle Akron’s spread offense and Justin Wilcox’s unit aced the test. The Zips’ offense was limited to a field goal in a 54-10 loss. Akron has averaged 50 points per game in its three other games.

In Week 3 against Georgia State, the UW secondary suffered second-half lapses before finishing strong on the final two series.

In Week 4 against Michigan State, UW’s defense smothered the Spartans’ ground game (75 yards on 27 attempts) and grounded quarterback Tyler O’Connor (47.4% completion rate, four sacks).

Gaglianone improving but questionable

The test in Week 5 – at No. 5 Michigan (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday – appears more daunting, at least on paper.

CHAT TRANSCRIPT: Jeff Potrykus' weekly Q&A

Michigan took advantage of a suspect Penn State defense to rush for 326 yards and six touchdowns, both season-high marks, in a 49-10 victory last Saturday. Five backs scored at least one touchdown; four generated runs of 25 yards or longer, and the Wolverines averaged 6.7 yards per carry.

“All of them contributed in big ways,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said of his running backs. “I thought our line was blocking well. It was a job well done in the running game."

With junior Wilton Speight comfortable as the No. 1 quarterback (63.2% completion rate, nine TDs and one interception), the offense is humming.

Michigan has scored at least 40 points in all four games this season and enters the game No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 4 nationally in scoring at 52.0 points per game.

“I can already tell on film they are very well coached,” UW senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel said Monday. “They’ve got some tight ends who are strong. I can already tell Jim Harbaugh has done a great job of really coaching up the quarterback position.

“They’ve got multiple running backs who can run the ball. They have talented and skilled wide receivers.”

Anything else?

“And the offensive line is physical and tough,” Biegel concluded.

But have the Wolverines been sufficiently tested?

The bulk of Michigan’s rushing yards (632 of 919) and rushing touchdowns (10 of 15) came against Hawaii and Penn State. Hawaii is 124th nationally against the run (264.0 ypg.) and Penn State is 104th (213.8 ypg.).

UW enters the week No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 7 nationally in scoring defense (11.8 points per game); No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 10 nationally in rushing defense (80.5 yards per game) and No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 12 nationally in total defense (277.0 ypg.). The Badgers have held eight of their last 11 foes below the 100-yard rushing mark and they are 8-0 in those games.

Overall, the defense has limited foes to seven scoring drives, including just three touchdowns, on 46 full possessions. UW has forced foes into 18 three-and-outs.

“I’ve been around some really good defenses,” UW coach Paul Chryst said after the Badgers held Michigan State to two field goals on 12 full possessions. “I thought again it was a good plan by our defensive coaches because our kids understood it, and they were able to execute it and they were opportunistic."



UW’s defensive game plan against Michigan State included loading the box and leaving the cornerbacks in single coverage.

They held up against the Spartans, in part because O’Connor was under constant pressure.

Can the secondary reprise its performance this week against Speight, who has attempted 113 passes without an interception since throwing an interception on his first attempt of the season?

“It doesn’t matter if people or the media or whoever believe in us as a secondary,” senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton said. “We believe in each other and we play like that every week. Ups and downs, it doesn’t matter."