MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s first season with Air Raid disciple Phil Longo as offensive coordinator didn’t work out quite according to plan, as the Badgers posted their lowest scoring average in nearly two decades.
After having a year to adapt to Longo’s fast-paced system, the Badgers are optimistic about matching the success his offense had in his previous stops.
“It was humbling in a sense, for sure,” tight end Riley Nowakowski said Monday during Wisconsin’s Media Day event. “But I think we really used that to grow and hopefully prepare for this year.”
Plenty of fanfare accompanied the arrival of Longo, who joined Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell’s staff after coaching NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye at North Carolina.
Wisconsin backers had grown accustomed to watching the Badgers run the ball as often as just about any major-conference team in the country. They savored the opportunity to watch the Badgers throw the ball a little more often, and they figured higher point totals naturally would follow.
Longo’s offense was as balanced as advertised, as the Badgers threw the ball on 50.8% of their snaps. That’s the first time they had attempted more passes than runs since at least 1946, which is as far back as Wisconsin’s records on the subject go.
But the production was lacking. Wisconsin finished 7-6 and scored just 23.5 points per game for its lowest average since 2004, when the Badgers went 9-3 despite compiling just 20.8 points per game.
They expect things to be different in the upcoming season, which opens Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.
“We still had coaches learning (last year),” Longo said. “I didn’t know where the restroom was until April, you know what I mean? And I had not worked with Fick on a day-to-day basis. And so this year, there’s none of that. This year, there’s a lot of familiarity.”
Wisconsin could offer plenty of excuses for last year’s struggles.
Running back Chez Mellusi played just four games before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai missed three games with a broken right hand. A foot injury sidelined projected starting center Jake Renfro until the bowl game.
Wisconsin’s offense finally started humming late in the season. The Badgers beat Nebraska and Minnesota before Mordecai closed his college career by throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-31 ReliaQuest Bowl loss to LSU.
“It was the three games and the three weeks where I felt like I saw our guys playing instinctively,” Longo said. “I say that and I use that word all the time, and I truly believe that’s where they need to be. They’ve got to be able to grab a signal and line up and not have to do a whole lot of thinking.”
The offense will try to build on that momentum with a new quarterback, as Tyler Van Dyke transferred from Miami to compete with Braedyn Locke. They’ll be throwing to a deeper receiving corps headed by Will Pauling, who caught 74 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns last year.
Fickell emphasized the need to spread the ball around more by saying that “I think we’re in trouble” if Pauling catches the same number of passes that he did last season.
In the running game, Mellusi returns for a sixth season to share carries with Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker, though the departure of New York Jets fourth-round pick Braelon Allen and his 3,494 career yards rushing leaves a major void. Four of Wisconsin’s likely first-team offensive linemen have made at least 19 starts.
That line’s experience could prove critical. When Fickell was asked why he’s confident the offense will improve this year, he started his answer by citing the progress of tackles Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman.
“Both have made incredible strides,” Fickell said. “Jack was up and down last year. He had an incredible expectation for himself, just like we had for him, and he at times early on didn’t play up to the potential that he believed he had. I think it hurt him mentally in some ways. To see how those two guys have grown just in the last eight months makes me feel really good about where we’re starting.”
And they feel good about this offense. Last season’s struggles haven’t lowered their faith in Longo’s scheme.
“We’ve got a year under our belt to work out the kinks,” Nelson said. “Now it’s time to really hammer it. I’d say I’m even more confident now.”
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