We are about to see a new look at Camp Randall.
“It’s just our offense, it’s our scheme,’’ said senior wide receiver Chimere Dike, one of the team leaders. “I know a lot of fans are calling it the Air Raid … or even the Dairy Raid.’’
Wait, the Dairy Raid? On actually hearing someone refer to it that way, Dike smiled and said, “I thought it was a little creative tie-in with the Air Raid and with the Wisconsin dairy industry.
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I am beyond excited for this offense. I have always liked UWs brand of big boy football but on the other hand I think it held them back to a certain extent. If teams stopped their offense they didn't have other options but they do now.
What excites me is that they can now have a mix of dairy raid, RPO, and at times line up and play big boy football and that will keep defenses on their heals.
@The Heckler posted:I am beyond excited for this offense. I have always liked UWs brand of big boy football but on the other hand I think it held them back to a certain extent. If teams stopped their offense they didn't have other options but they do now.
What excites me is that they can now have a mix of dairy raid, RPO, and at times line up and play big boy football and that will keep defenses on their heals.
I think the key will be whether they can recruit enough speed guys to make it work when they play Ohio State, Michigan, USC, and whatever random SEC powerhouse they might face in a decent bowl game. It is likely to work well when they play the other second-tier (good but not elite) Big-10 schools like MSU, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue, etc, but if they end up with a bunch of guys that run 4.5s matching up against Ohio State and Michigan's 4.35 guys it isn't going to be pretty.
The Wisconsin identity since Alvarez (with the exception of the Anderson era/error) was to recruit big guys and develop them into NFL-caliber offensive lineman and then get 3 and 4 star RBs to run behind them. I love the Dairy Raid name and the more options they may have with this offense, but they do risk losing the identity that has made Wisconsin a perennial top 20 football program for the last 30 years. I think they had to do something like this to have a chance to reach elite status and play in some playoff games, but it's not a sure thing by any means.
I agree its definitely not a sure thing and time will tell if it actually works. I do agree that I will miss their old identity that we have enjoyed for the last 30 years. But perhaps it is time to change and evolve with the times. Will they ever recruit like Michigan, PSU, or OSU in the BIG I don't think they ever will but I truly believe Fickell will have them coached up to have a punchers chance.
All that being said I live near Cincinnati and I was able to follow what Fickell did there quite closely. He almost beat a top 10 UGA team in Atlanta in the Peach Bowl, has won at ND, And he managed to get a non power 5 team in to the playoffs only to lose to UGA again. He also has deep recruiting ties to the state of Ohio especially here in SW which is deep in D1 talent.
Who here hasn't dreamed of quality QB play and more than one quality WR to compliment the hogs and stud running backs?
Score points.
ESPN Power Ranking analysis:
Best case: Big Ten championship berth. The Badgers are in the West division of the Big Ten conference, so in order to get in to the conference championship, the team realistically just has to finish in front of Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota to make it in. That seems doable as long as the new offensive system under Phil Longo clicks and is firing on all cylinders. The staff brought in quarterback Tanner Mordecai from SMU to help run the Air Raid-type attack and are bringing back running back Braelon Allen. The Badgers will play Iowa on Oct. 14, Illinois on Oct. 25 and Minnesota on Nov. 25 in the final game of the season. Those three games will determine how far this team will go in Year 1 of Luke Fickell's tenure.
Worst case: There is a stretch in the season where the Badgers have to face Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State in consecutive weeks. That could end up being a three-game losing streak that derails the season altogether. The lowest floor if that happens could be a 7-5 year with a loss to end the season at Minnesota. That wouldn't be a terrible season, but the Badgers went 7-6 in 2022, so that would be consecutive seasons with just seven wins and no Big Ten championship berth. This team has added some good players in the offseason, but there are some roadblocks along the way that could cause problems. -- VanHaaren
I think a case can be made that Luke Fickell and staff have done more in one offseason (recruiting) at the skill positions than Wisconsin has done in the last decade combined.
This is arguably the most talented group of DBs, WRs, and QBs in program history, and next years recruiting class is top 20 in the country already. It’s clear to me that Fickell and staff are trying to address and upgrade the speed and athleticism on the field, not just guys that will outwork and out physical you.
The biggest issue that a team like Wisconsin has has against the big boys like Ohio State is their DBs get exposed against better and faster WRs. How many times have we seen a Buckeyes WR blow past a corner or safety for a long TD? Wisconsin is now getting 4 star guys that can at least compete with higher level WRs.
And not having any real semblance of a passing game or threat at the QB position since the one Russell Wilson season is embarrassing. I think we have some good talent now at the QB position, and more is in the pipeline.
The one question or concern I do have is how good will the defense be at rushing the QB and stopping the run? Teams like Iowa and Illinois and Minnesota will want to line up and pound the rock. I think Wisconsin will be better prepared to score points, but I also think they will allow more yards and points on D compared to recent years under JL.
Truly dominant teams like Bama and Georgia have those studs along the DL that are gamewreckers. That’s the one area Wisconsin is still lacking to be considered a real playoff contender IMO, but I think they can get there in the next couple of years. Losing Benton and Herbig will hurt in the short term.
So the Badgers are going to a more pass oriented Offense? Maybe less emphasis on the running game? What's gotten into Chryst?
Shirley, you jest.
@mrtundra posted:What's gotten into Chryst?
A Texas Longhorn!!!
