Jim French Stepstool

We were there. Probably as soaked through the skin as I've ever been at a sporting event. But worth it.

As is the case with Winter, he has very good perimeter skills for a big. Also reminds me a bit of Ethan Happ & Tyler Wahl regarding his craftiness around the bucket. I actually expected him to be the 1st "big" off the bench, but he's had to deal with being a little behind on conditioning due to a minor ding or two, and both Winter & Carter Gilmore have been very impressive. It's turning into a real competitive situation for frontcourt bench minutes.

For quite a few years now Ohio State has had talented, athletic, versatile QBs who can beat you in many ways. Combine that with the waves of talent they threw at you in other positions & it's the recipe for the 40-50 pt losses. McCord has been more than good enough but he isn't in that same mold. UW needs to disguise the defensive looks, change things up (the zone coverage actually looked OK Saturday) and just force McCord to have to think, to do some guesswork. Still going to be a monumental task, but play cleaner & catch a couple breaks and I could see them hanging around longer than some expect. That being said, if I was a betting type I would jump on OSU covering if it stays at 14.

In the case of the RPO, I don't think we're going to see Locke keep the ball very often the rest of the way because A) Locke isn't nearly the runner Mordecai is, and B) you're now down one rung further on the depth chart so I don't see them asking him to gain yards on the ground a whole lot. The receivers stepped up pretty well in the 4th quarter. Certainly there were 3 or 4 balls earlier that could've been caught & weren't. I've said before; I believe there's sufficient talent in that group but the problem is there's no one go-to guy to stretch a secondary. That'll be maybe the biggest problem next week--I don't see anyone that can consistently beat OSUs' man coverage, and this line just doesn't run block consistently vs good-to-average fronts, not to mention the front seven they'll be seeing in 7 days.

Thoughts: A typical start with the fumble that led to a TD & some bad penalties. That stuff was mostly cleaned up in the 2nd half, though, so hopefully a trend. Good to see B. Allen leaned on in the 2nd half, and him responding positively. Still feels like it's "passing to set up the run" more than the other way around, but it worked in the final couple drives. One thing that indicates a little more concerted effort to run the ball--Mostly Rucci & Nowakowski (blockers) at TE. I don't know if Ashcraft ever even saw the field. It's fun to see someone grow up before your very eyes. I was ready to comment that I thought Locke was OK after his early fumble, but he was receiving very little help (no 1st half run game, a few drops). Whie this is true, he never let the moments get too big for him, and his 4th quarter performance was an awful lot of fun to watch. Even with Allens' final numbers, still not much consistency to the run game. But Locke overcame a lot of 2nd & 3rd and longs. And after the final TD, saw him on the sidelines not going nuts, but still relatively placid. THAT'S impressive. In a post-game radio interview, Fickell claimed he didn't know about the play call on the pass to Nolan Rucci. Some stops defensively when they needed them, but IMO still too shoddy on some of the tackle attempts. And needed to do a much better job of containing Altmyer. In the 3rd quarter, he's faced with a 3rd & 10, rolls right, straddles the line of scrimmage w/o going over, hesitates, looks downfield, finds no one open, then takes off & gains about 15 yards. This, after not wanting to run unless totally necessary. That was put-your-foot-through-the-TV moment #1 for me today. Kinda feels like they missed Jordan Turner. Is there something about being a college football announcer that totally discourages anyone with talent from applying? Among other things, when UW scored to make it 21-16, "Oh---they're going for TWO!!!" Dude, any 5th grader that didn't flunk math anticipated that. As long as I'm commenting on the production end of things, I watched some of Iowa-Minnesota. I have to assume that the guy NBC assigned to direct the telecast was being paid extra for every time he ordered shots of PJ Fleck to be put on screen. I saw fewer pics of Princess Diana in the 80s than I saw of him, and I wasn't even watching it all the way through.

And I'm sure Jim Leonhard was ultra-focused on devising a defensive strategy for this one. They have to run the ball better. Even if it's moderately so, and they stick with it (something they've had no interest in doing), it would make a difference. Locke has the ability to throw effectively if given time (he's not a scrambler) & the down & distance is consistently manageable (that's where running the ball comes in). Illinois hasn't been lighting it up offensively, so it's winnable. But for the personnel UW has right now, this 40-50 throws a game has to stop. And still waiting for the ill-timed penalties to cease.

My gut tells me the same thing. I don't know enough about Essegian or especially Storr to have an opinion as to how they would react to coming off the bench. But I'm really confident Klesmit would handle it just fine if asked to. And as I alluded to earlier, part of that role is being alert & paying attention to what's going on in the opening minutes and then reacting to it once entering. I think Klesmit would be terrific at that.

Just a casual observation & I could be way off since I haven't seen him pitch as often as many of you have, but when I see highlights of him I see Jhoulys Chacin w/more velocity. Is that palpable?

Yeah, that's a pretty good comp.

You mentioned the ultra-quick hands, along with the miniscule leg kick. For me, that's a combination that excites. I hope (expect) they don't tinker with him, & just let the power development come naturally. Even if he gets moved, just having a 6'4" kid athletic enough that they're even considering him sticking at SS is music to my ears.

That's one of the things I've noticed about Clarke through his professional career, besides the 3TO tendencies-- he always seems to find ways to drive in runs. Hoping to hear updates on where he's used defensively this fall, if he ever finds himself behind the plate, how he handles himself there & at 1B, etc. Also appreciate the Justin Yaeger updates. Hoping we have a sleeper there, after all his inactivity.

I think he is. But like the old adage, it's often more important who's on the floor at the end. Essegian IMO improved defensively by the end of last season but still has more road to travel in that regard. There's a lot that goes into it including, unfortunately, who was promised what regarding transferring in, or keeping someone from transferring OUT. Unsavory to think about, but a factor. Bottom line, barring the unforseen the starting five will come from a group of six, all of whom will get a lot of minutes.

There have been so many examples of Gard, or Ryan before him, seeing something in a kid as a 9th or 10th grader, before other schools show interest. That was the case with Blackwell. Although his recruitment never "blew up" he's a very nice fit for the UW program.

This team reminds me of some of the better squads they've had in the last 25 years, in that they have a solid amount of game/minutes coming back & potentially 4 or 5 people around 10-13 PPG with another 2 around 8-9 per game. And anyone of the top 5-6 can realistically give you 20 on a given night. The new talent also seems to have an idea on the defensive end as well. My observations re individuals: Blackwell fits the program really well. How McGee settles into his role--and how often they feel the need to go smaller--should dictate how much time he gets this season. But again, a really nice fit. I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel that Carter Gilmores' minutes will shrink to mop-up status now that Yalden & Winter are here. I doubt that. His scoring limitations have been well-documented, but he brings enough other things to the party that Gard appreciates--and that others didn't bring--that he'll still have a role. Having said that, I don't expect him to get the minutes he did last season. Yalden has been a little behind in early workouts but has a unique skillset for a freshman, and Winter has hit the ground running (double-digit rebounds, even though it was an intrasquad scrimmage, really opened some eyes). Good kids I'm sure, but I was surprised both Ilver & Hodges are still here. I have zero problem with it, maybe they're both actually taking academics into account while making a decision. But save for a monumental injury epidemic minutes will probably be scarce. A healthy Wahl is almost certainly one of the top 12-15 players in the league minimum. If Crowl builds on last seasons' finish he may join him. Looking forward to seeing what the slimmed-down version of Hepburn brings. In a perfect world should be more of a facillitator, but one you can't sag off of. My guess is Storr starts, and either Klesmit or Essegian comes off the bench. I do think Klesmit would be excellent at starting a game at Gards' shoulder, observing/talking about what's going on early, then being the 1st sub to enter. But it's a tough call.

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression, but I was referring to '25 recruits. In the current senior class, they've kept in contact with a C from Chicago, Jaden Smith, but I suspect they're pretty much all done there. In the '25 class, they have a commitment from Zack Kinziger, a combo-ish guard from DePere. Other current HS juniors they're recruiting: Daniel Jacobsen 7-2 Brewster Academy (NH) Will Garlock 6-10 Middleton Kai Rogers 6-11 Wauwatosa West Xzavion Mitchell 6-6 Oshkosh North Davion Hannah 6-6 Glendale Nicolet LaTrevion Fenderson 6-5 Racine Prairie IMO I believe they're in a great spot with Garlock & Jacobsen, who is originally from Mt Horeb. Mitchell & Fenderson are pretty wide open but possibilities. Rogers seems to be keeping an open mind, but my gut says landing him is less than likely, Georgetown has recruited him enthusiastically since the get-go. Hope I'm wrong but I feel Hannah will wind up out of state.

Four double-digit scorers returning plus another who averaged around 8ppg, but no one with Happ or Johnny Davis-type numbers, so I guess that makes sense. Their strength should be in having four to five guys on the floor at any time that need to be guarded. Those are usually their best squads. We have season tix, so if no one starts a thread before their exhibition on 11-1 I'll volunteer myself.🙂

Jake Renfroe, it was hoped, would be the starter. He was Fickells' C at Cincy. Has had injury issues & still hasn't seen the field. Bortolinis' best role IMO is as a swing man in the line (or replacing one of the current starters at guard) while also being the backup center. I think this offensive line has enough talent that the returning guys should be a year better, a year more consistent. Unfortunately they're being asked to learn a new way of doing things by a new staff, which I'm sure is cancelling out any improvement that could/should be expected. Add in the fact that they were kinda so-so last year to begin with, and here we are.

Obviously you needed Mordecai in this game b/c they weren't running the ball consistently all day & he gives you the added dimension with his feet. Locke looked like he could be effective, but against this team he needs some semblance of a run game & there was none outside of 2-3 drives in the 3rd quarter. Bad matchup today. The offensive line has been avg to mediocre to poor/mistake prone all season & this isn't a team where you can get away with that. Very assignment-sure, physical, and they make very few mistakes. Ferentz & his staff didn't wow anybody, they just won. Deacon Hill isn't going to beat people on his own, and their wideouts vs our secondary is a pretty big mismatch in our favor. Ferentz made sure neither of those things were factors. And I don't know if I can remember a punter being as effective against us as theirs was. Seven penalties, and almost every one was a killer. Before the season Braelon Allen was excited that there would be one less defender "in the box". No one mentioned he'd have no lead blocker, the blocking from the TEs would be mediocre at best, and he'd be the recipient of swing passes out in the flat, a yard or two behind the line of scrimmage w/either no blocking or the aforementioned TE. We were out-physicaled. But Iowa does that to people, and I thought the D-line had some good moments. Rodas Johnson was active, and Curt Neal injected himself into the fray pretty well. Getting pretty frustrating that Isaiah Mullens STILL can't see the field (not to mention Jake Renfroe at C). At the end of the day, if you're a longtime Badger football fan, today Iowa was us. Don't know how many times in the last 30 years we played a team that was "athletic", "up-tempo", or played "wide open" & we won because we controlled the ball, made fewer mistakes & were more physical. Certainly you have to let Fickell get 2-3 recruiting classes under his belt before passing judgement. But it's a big break from what folks here are used to.

Baez DOES have a pretty pronounced leg kick. That may be one of the most impressive things about him, that despite it he still rarely strikes out. Thought O'Rae's arm was considered subpar. Nice to read otherwise. If he can maintain it as he advances, those are plate skills that IMO will always be valuable, even w/o power. It will be a real interesting season in Carolina when you project some of the likely names that should be there.

Today, Northwestern hung on late to win, 23-20, against the mighty Howard Bison of the MEAC. The same Northwestern that defeated Minnesota recently. I don't think that's a boat I'd want to be rowing right now.

Certainly seems top-heavy w/Mich, OSU & Penn State. UW-Iowa next week becomes a huge game in the West. After seeing Maryland hang tough in Columbus well into the 3rd quarter you could argue the East has the top four teams. I'll be happy if UW gets better each week, which they seem to be trending towards doing.

I'm not a WWE guy & I think it's more than worth the 6 bucks/mo too. I believe about 5/6 UW basketball games are exclusively on Peacock as well.

Not just you😛. Renfroe was expected back today, and I expected him to eventually slide into the C spot w/ Bortolini either moving to guard or supplying some versatile depth. If Renfroe played today I didn't notice. Stay tuned, I guess.

I suspect there are folks out there who see Rutgers as the opponent & are upset we didn't beat them 42-3. That's not a bad team (notice I didn't say "good". Schiano has instilled a level of toughness they lacked before, and they compete pretty well). Take away the couple of times we put the ball on the ground & it's most likely a 31-6 final. I suppose it's impressive to move the ball & score the points they did, when you're at 2nd & 10 forty-seven times in the game (I guess it just seemed that way). This offense would be much more fun to watch if receivers were running free due to opposing defenses having to emphasize stopping the run. Fortunately Mordecais' feet are an added factor, you'd almost have to say a necessary one. The more I watch this WR group, the more I like the overall depth of talent. But there isn't one go-to guy. I thought, and still think, Dike has that ability but it seems this offense is more about spreading the ball to eight different guys. I thought Acker would be at least adequate in his new role, he may be a bit more than that. As hard as he (and Allen) run it would be nice to see a little more push at the point of attack, but this just doesn't seem to be that kinda O-line. Had reservations about Tressel early on, but have to give the defense credit, the gameplanning for Wimsatt seemed to be spot-on. He got them into the end zone himself once, and only then after being given the ball on the UW 20. I guess you have to temper the enthusiasm somewhat because Wimsatts' no Joe Montana, but I thought this was clearly the best game the secondary turned in all season. For one play, Hallman reminded everyone of another #2 from a couple decades ago. Continues to show big play ability. And the secondary didn't get a lot of help from pressure, either. I do miss some of the disguises & variety Leonhard dialed up to put heat on QBs. Maybe on passing downs, either blitz w/Turner or let him watch from the sidelines if we're in man coverage. Beaten 2-3 times today.

Can anyone who's seen their games tell me how Graham Mertz has looked for Florida? I noticed the guy had completed about 75% of his throws on the season. Only was able to see some of their game vs Kentucky, and the 'cats looked like they could've beaten everybody that day.