ESSENTIAL: Why PJ Wilkins Must SHINE for Wisconsin Badgers to Beat Notre Dame – GAME SUPERLATIVES!

0:00This is the Lockdown Podcast Network celebrating 10 years of your team every day. I think PJ Wilkins might be the most important non-correct of the game for the Wisconsin Badgers. Let's talk about it. You are Lockdown Badgers. You're daily podcast on the Wisconsin Badgers. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. What is going on Badger Fans? Well, the Lockdown Badgers put a Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network. Thank you for being here. We have an amazing guest coming up. Paying Blossom at 247 Sports. Joining the show again always stoked to have him on. I got a tremendous job covering this part of a tremendous team over 247. We have game predictions. We got superlatives for the Notre Dame game and some depth chart thoughts.

1:00Painless start here. I didn't bury my lead with this. I think PJ Wilkins might be the most important player for the Badgers non-correct of that condition. We don't really know, even if Kevin Haywood plays, there's a chance Kevin Haywood's roster is not 100%. You need two good tackles playing Notre Dame. PJ Wilkins, if he can come out week one, hold his own and help establish the wrong game, it would be absolutely massive for the Badgers. Yeah, Ryan, again, thank you so much for having me on. Very happy to be here and very happy to be here during game week. Finally, it was a long summer, long preseason, very, very happy to be here. And I think you're exactly right. And that injury situation on the offensive line is maybe adds a little bit more importance to those guys that have been in the starting lineup, have been working with this unit. They got to take on some more responsibility because that injury situation with Emerson Mendel and Kevin Haywood hasn't quite cleared up yet. We'll get an update on Thursday with the release of the Big Ten injury report, but other than that, we don't have a whole lot to go on.

2:05So the guys that have been here doing it got to step up because this Notre Dame defensive front is multiple. It's deep and they're going to try and get after the quarterback. And you tell me if you think I'm wrong, I don't feel like when that Thursday injury update hits is going to be anything other than questionable. It feels like it's still going to be we're going to be in the same spot. Yeah, I feel the same way. Yeah, who's your most give me a player that sticks out to you? Most important player of the game for the Badgers non-corderback edition? Well, I don't want to be too similar in saying someone like Austin Kuweki, who I think is one of Wisconsin's most important players on offense just with his experience, his size, his kind of tenacity up front. He's going to be really important for the offense, but to go somewhere different, let's say someone like Agusama because establishing the run is going to be especially important against a Notre Dame secondary that is likely to have a couple of Americans. And finally, a future first round pick in Leonard Moore, they got to be able to establish the run, break some big plays on the ground to give themselves a chance and really open some things up.

3:11So if Agusama or even the Dariann Dupree, or maybe a Nate Palmer, someone like that, if they can find a couple of explosive plays that is going to be instrumental for this offense against a defense that probably won't give a whole lot. Yeah, I think Somersick Red Pick, they absolutely need the run the ball effectively in this game, period. Otherwise, I don't think, I don't think the game stays close if they can have a semblance of a running game. I think it's a really good one. Give me your player with the most approved. It's an easy one, but I think that's probably got to be Colton Joseph. Like he came in with so much expectations, and that's not necessarily his fault that this offense has been screaming for a winner at quarterback. They've been desperately in need of someone that can move the ball efficiently, attack over the middle, attack downfield, and with his dual threat capability that should add another dynamic to this offense, Wisconsin needs him to be good. And they need him to be kind of the playmaker under under the lights here. So he's shown some highlights and practice, maybe a little bit of inconsistency too.

4:20It's a huge stage in his first outing as a badger, but Wisconsin needs him to really show up and make an impact here. No matter what we're going to over react, right? Like we've been, we've been a long off season and we finally a football. Are we going to learn what we need to learn from Colton Joseph and we, what do you think against this defense? I don't honestly, and I don't know. I hesitate to say it, but I don't know if we'll learn a whole lot from this team in general, because unlike maybe some other elite teams that Wisconsin faced last year, take Alabama, for instance, an explosive elite offense, but maybe their defense had some questions. Notre Dame's such a complete all around group that, you know, it's just hard, maybe to have a good measuring stick to at least project what the rest of the season looks like. And Luke Fickles talked all week that this is the game where Wisconsin kind of sees how much it's closed the gap in the off season with these elite teams that they're trying to overcome.

5:21And, you know, we could have another situation like organ over the past two outings where it's an absolute battle to the end. But in terms of like extrapolating this to the rest of the season, I don't know if I can say for certain that it kind of goes twofold, but I think we're all the other games that will show a little bit more for Wisconsin. If this game's closed, does it say more about Notre Dame or more about Wisconsin? I think it says more about Wisconsin, and that's a great question. I think it'll show that this offense can be competent enough to hang with an exceptionally talented defense. I think it shows that the defense is probably what has been advertised because Notre Dame is no slouch on offense either. And they have a potential, has been trophy winner in CJ Carrick quarterback and plenty of tools and physicality. So if this is a close game in the fourth quarter, if this is a close game going into the final five or two minutes, like that says to me that Wisconsin really has made those steps that they were hoping to take in the off season.

6:24Yeah, I think that's all said. I agree with you, by the way. I think it would say more about where Wisconsin's exit. I don't think they know the names of Mirage. I don't think there are paper tiger. I think they are maybe not quite as good as advertised. I think the blue bloods always come into season with a little bit of blue blood bump, but they're really good. So I think you would say more about Wisconsin. Let me give you my two most important, our most proven players. Why I want to decide the ball and Colt Joseph, I think, would be on this list, but you hit him. So I'm going to go somewhere else. I think Charles Perkins, like this is a prove it moment year defining moment for Charles Perkins who came in with a lot of hype and then kind of injuries and a few other things, but really didn't play that much or that impact fully last year. I think that's a big part of this and then I kind of think Eugene Hilton, even though I know is a younger receiver, but you talk about a guy who came in with quite a bit of hype. There's a lot of opportunity and receiver paying for Wisconsin. The portal came back. Then the most consistent guy in fall receivers can typically kind of play earlier. Like I know you're a sophomore, but it's time to step up.

7:25I think both those guys are in big prove at moments. It's the Eugene Hilton. We started to see a connection kind of develop between him and Colt Joseph over maybe the second half of fall camp and wide receivers, a position right now for Wisconsin where injuries have kind of hampered them a little bit too. So we'll see what the full picture actually looks like comes Sunday, but he's a guy that has the fluidity has the sort of just the playmaking ability, the catch radius, like he's someone that can make those impact plays in those big moments. So we saw it against Oregon last season where he comes back to the ball makes a leaping grab and that sets up Wisconsin's first touchdown and I think it was three matchups. So he's a guy that they need to make some plays and I think your spot on with Charles Perkins, like his best game was I believe at Indiana last year. That's certainly an elite front that he was facing then, but he's someone that has to take charge in kind of a new look unit. So if he can, if you can tell me right now, he'll have a great game.

8:28I think you feel pretty good about at least what Wisconsin's front seven can do in this one. Yeah, which I think is the key to making no other name one dimensional. Like you have to, you have to make Notre Dame be a little one dimensional both sides of the ball. So it's like, I think it's a massive part of that. What's a quick second here? We're going to come back re talk X factors coach with the most approved biggest newcomer. We got a lot more superlatives for this Notre Dame Wisconsin game coming up next with the great pain loss, which that's next unlock on badge. The first let's take a quick second to talk about our tremendous friends of the show. Just like pain is a tremendous friend of the show. So square. You know, if you're running a business or you're trying to get one up and running or grow your business square is going to help you power so many of the, you know, parts of your business that you want to push forward, you know, it powers so many of the places we are, you know, in love. So it brings payments, inventory payroll, invoices, customer insights, and it brings all those things together into connected systems. So whether you got once one place or your business is expanding and you have multiple locations. Square gives you the tools to sell manage and grow without meeting an IT team to figure it all out because you don't want to deal with all that let's square kind of be that part in your business that takes some of that stress off your plate.

9:38Right now one of my favorite things about, you know, there are one of my, my, you know, the things about running a business is you want simplicity, right. You want everything connected when you're running your business and again squares going to help you do that bringing a bunch of different systems that oftentimes, if you are meant to work together squares going to bring those things together to save you time and make it easier for you to do the things you love, which is running your business. If you're starting a business or running one that deserves better tools square helps you sell manage and grow without slowing down right now you can get up to $200 all square hardware at square.com slash college. That's sqa r e dot com slash go slash college run your business smarter with square it started today. Let's come back in with pain 247 pain velocities joining the show. Let's talk X factor so somebody that we don't really know about but could swing swing the game either way. We talked about him a little bit in camp, but I think someone like Shamar Rigby certainly has that potential. He was coming off of injury that he suffered late in the spring and kind of only began to ramp up over the latter half of camp and he's made some exceptional plays, you know, some contested catches nice grabs in the face of defense and has gotten open down feel the couple of times as well just from what we've seen.

10:54He's someone that if he continues to sort of make that progress, I think he's someone that Wisconsin can reliably hit, you know, for for some of those chunk gains that they're looking for in the passing game. And I would also point to not necessarily one player, but I'm kind of intrigued to see what the tide end room can do in a matchup like this because with the proficiency of Notre Dame secondary. Colton Joseph's got to be able to look to to his tight end room, you know, in the flat over the middle and those guys have also made some plays down feel that times. The dynamic ability in that room, I think will will give them a huge role against a defense like this. So I'm looking to the type multiple tight ends to kind of make an impact against a defense that is probably not going to allow a whole lot trying to go down field. I love the joint rigby that that's where we're down for my offensive expector to I just think physically gives you something different like when you walk on when you go down to watch practice, you're on the field.

12:24I think we know what cheeks right the question of cheeks is just how good he's going to be, but we know he's good. We know he's impactful when I think of an X factor, it's something where you don't really know, but you do know the potentials there and I could see Nicholas Clayton coming out on a couple plays maybe plays 10 or 15, but on third and seven, I could see him being disruptive. What what do you think the game plan and the snap count is for a Nicholas Clayton week one Notre Dame. It's a good question. I I would think if Notre Dame is trying to move the ball on the ground more often than not, I'd expect the outside linebacker group to kind of go with its bulky or set. So I'm thinking guys like Tyrie's fear, Bre, you know, kind of moving justice, boom, maybe inside and out. Someone like Michael Garner is probably going to see a lot of action to and of course Sebastian cheeks, but I think someone like Nicholas Clayton is we need you to make a play behind the line of scrimmage. It's third and long, you know, rush the past or kind of situation.

13:25We need that explosiveness. He's probably the fastest guy in that room, maybe just barely over Sebastian cheeks. So when they need to get after the quarterback and create some pressure, which I think they're going to try and do fairly often. He's someone that can really just get downhill and go make a play behind the line of scrimmage. Here's a super little for you and I just thought of this in a second or just now the positional group that you feel as the most hyped that you're maybe most worried about and where I'm going with this. I wonder were you covering the badgers when they brought in John Pius Leon Lowry, Jihim Thomas. I was not that was the one year before me. So we went through this off season and the off season goal was we need more linebackers. We weren't very good there and they went and they got John Pius who was like this really athletic kid from a lower level. Leon Lowry comes in, Jihim Thomas from Arkansas and the entire off season we all talked about man this linebacker room is so athletic. I can't wait to see these guys. Bro it was terrible. But we spent the entire off season talking about because they were athletic on paper my concern is we spent a lot of time talking about the secondary and the athletic the upgrades.

14:32Is there a chance it doesn't live up to the hype that we've kind of created in the off season. I'm glad you went that direction because that that has certainly crossed my mind. I maybe look at the corner back room in particular just because they haven't necessarily been challenged with the true like downhill burn or speed threat. I'm curious what that looks like when they actually face some of that athleticism on the perimeter and kind of the same deal with the safeties to like they honestly didn't get challenged a whole lot in practice. They made plays coming downhill but maybe not necessarily the volume of breakups or interceptions that I was maybe expecting from that top line. So I'm not saying I'm concerned about that unit right now but I'll put a question marked by them just because I want to see what they look like when they're stress tested basically like I can definitely see the upside in practice. But I want to see what it looks like when bullets are actually flying.

15:32Yeah, I think that's really well said because I think I'm in a similar boat. I feel good about it and it feels like everybody I talk to is just most athletic secondary sense dot dot dot I love this guy. I love Robinson the coaches are super high on them but again in this year before you I remember coaches being super high on jampa highest and I just need to see it. I just want to see it. All right coach under the most pressure. I think the obvious answers look fickle but let's go like positional coaches or coordinators one of those two. Yeah, well if we're going coordinators it's certainly Jeff Grimes just because the output from Wisconsin's offense was not good enough plain and simple. I think they were second to last in the country and total offense and points for game last year just above UMass which is just not going to be good enough especially in the big 10. So whatever way that they can put more points on the board it's got to happen this year and you know going down toward you know different position coaches. I'm curious about someone like a jade never it just taking over this position this running backs group coming from Minnesota.

16:39Just curious what his unit looks like what a jaden ever running back room how they play with their disposition is on the field that I'm curious about them maybe not concerned but just there's a lot to learn because there's. You know a handful of new guys on this staff same thing with like audio confessor at wide receivers like what does that group do but. I'm also maybe curious about Kenny guidance quarterback room just how much development can. Colton Joseph make in in the months that he's been here and if we end up seeing any other quarterback on the field whether it be in garbage time or whatever the case may be like. Do we see some growth as well so those are some guys on the offensive end and then with defense it's probably a jack Cooper's group I think they're veteran experience but they've got to. Show some more consistency because Wisconsin safety unit. Struggled the first part of last season they kind of. Found a rhythm sort of came into their own but it's got to be better from the get go this season and I think they have the guys to make it happen but those are some groups that I'm watching yeah my mind immediately went offensive immediately went to gotten quarterbacks like we brought in this really expensive.

17:50Here a quarterback but now you got to help coach him and put it help put him in the right spots that's between grinds between guidance and then the other one I went to pain and I think this is a guy that a lot of people are really high on and believe in and I like to hire. But if you're coach materials you're coming into an offensive line group that is now nicked up that was the weakness of the team last year it's Wisconsin you got a lot of young pieces it's like. You don't have a lot of runway to fix this you know you are coming into a spot we need you to fix this right now and. I don't know if he's got the pieces to fix it right now people are doing up I think there's a lot of pressure from for Mateo's what he's a really good coach I like to hire. But this is if have if it would in mandellar banged up man there's only so much you can do right. Well it's funny because he he had a couple of quotes in the offseason that said you know when media people say that an offensive line doesn't have death that just you know shows how intelligent about the game they are and it's funny because I actually think Wisconsin's death that offensive line is pretty solid and. The problem now is that they've had to flex it so much that you know I don't know how much more room they have to go you know you can't go down a couple more guys right now but.

18:59If they can get their their leaders on that unit back healthy playing I think there's a lot to like about the offensive line especially someone like a returner and call and cover we who had a great fall camp in my opinion some of the newcomers like Kwecki Wilkins who we had talked about but you know you're you're right and that he doesn't have a whole lot of runway and he's already being kind of. Tested in just how to this new group can be right now let me ask you on the offensive line depth chart. Is it do you think it's black styles black men or do you think it's cherry if mandal can't go. That's a good question and we saw a mix of the both of them. I I'm inclined to maybe say Blake cherry just we saw a little bit more action with him with that group but I thought maybe styles black men showed maybe a few more impressive moments just individually. I don't know it's kind of tough to say right now and I'd expect a lot of rotation but. My mind goes to to Blake cherry right now in the interior and also Blake is that connection to Mateo's not that that's the BL and all but I don't think it hurts and then at tackle but we have Wilkins that left and let's say hey would again I'm hoping both these guys are great and the both but let's say you can't play and you got Simmons at right at right tackle who's the next tackle it if you were to get somebody think up.

20:19Next tackle in I would probably. That's a good question because you asked me this I think in the spring and I said I would have kicked mandal outside and I wonder if you can go someone like a a dab in port who has seen some some action there that might be a guy but. Maybe someone like hardy watch who has plenty of experience running with that second group can you move them there like. It starts to get a little bit tricky and you might need to shift some guys in and out but. At least to get probably the best guys on the field that you can but. You're starting to start to run out of room so you need those those do guys back yeah you know the fact that. We are both and that wasn't that wasn't to try to put you on the spot that I struggle trying to figure out who the next tackle was which is why I asked the fact that we're both kind of struggling with that tells you that.

21:19The limits of your depth tolerance have kind of been reached right this is kind of the limit of where we can go right now before it starts to get dicey because. Please tell me to get wrong and be brutally honest I don't think the wheels fall off if it's Simmons and Wilkins I don't think it's as good. But at Simmons as Wilkins and Heywood but I think you can survive it if you was another tackle I think you might get in the situation like you were last year. Oh yeah I mean I don't think you're going to have again and I say this knowing the defensive front that they're going to face but I don't think you have a situation where you had like week one last season where. The opposing team was living in the backfield I think these guys can can hold their own but. When you got 13 guys moving up to second second team guys moving up to first they just kind of jump was the whole thing up. Yeah I hear you there we're going to take one more quick second with pain we're going to come back we're going to talk about the stat that Wisconsin has to win in this game plus a few more depth or thoughts that's next unlocked on Badgers with the great pain loss of it. So stay quick second for a tremendous friends of the show and as always a quick second to say thank you for tuning the locked in Badgers today's episode brought to you by ultra pouches.

22:25Listen football season is here that means a long days early mornings and plenty of time trying to stay focused and energized whether you're heading into work maybe getting that workout in or you're just settling in for a full day of football. You need something that can help you stay locked in ultra pouches are designed to deliver instant focus smooth energy and a convenient pouch without the nicotine and without the caffeine. Ultra partner with leading neuroscientists to great pouches using new tropics including affinity and L.C. and need L.F.A.G.B.C. vitamins B6 and B12. The result is a pouch designed to support focus mental clarity and smooth energy lasting one to two hours again without caffeine without nicotine and without the crash which is so so so nice. I mean there's days where I'm just grinding away all day doing content with the kids house projects and then I just need a convenient pouch with zero nicotine zero caffeine to just help me kind of calm down focusing on something and not crash later and that's what this is done for me ultra is the ultimate guilt free pouch delivering instant focus mental clarity without nicotine without caffeine new customers could use locked on college football and get 15% off take ultra at that.

23:33So if you're not a strong that's take ultra calm 15% off with the code locked on college football after purchase they will ask where you heard about them please. Yeah, it's for a show and tell them that we sent you there. All right, let's come back into this with pain. My friend always where can people find the work that you and your team are doing. And we just announced a new special is 75% off of VIP subscription. So that's all the analysis all the recruiting until the message board stuff you can find all of that badger 247 and that's myself. Nick Oson John McNamara we got stuff going every single day. So if you want to see more of this like that's the spot to go. That's great stuff great people I subscribe there definitely recommend everybody going to check that out if you're a badger fan. What's the one stat if Wisconsin is going to keep this closer even pull the upset what's the one stat that they have to win. Yeah, I've given this some thought. I think it's an easy answer to say time of possession but that gives you a chance to maybe just convince the game and if the game gets compacted a little bit gives you a better chance to

24:42hit the big player to and swing a game in your favor but I would also point to when Wisconsin was going through its worst stretch of play last season they couldn't get any explosives going at all. So can you see you know I don't know if it's bullish to say maybe three or four you know either 15 plus yard runs or 20 plus yard passes. Can you just get a couple of plays to a rhythm going break things open and if you can hit a few of those I think that gives you a shot to at least be in the game by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. I like where your mind is going. I like both of those it's not what I wrote down but I really like the time of possession thing because if you the longer you have a fight between two people and I think we're all honest in this. No, it has the better roster to a program that's further along right now it's similar in a boxing match if you have a really good fighter fighting some of that's not quite in their way class the longer that fight goes on. The better a chance that that lesser quality opponent and we're just being honest here gets knocked out right gets put on the mat if Wisconsin short in the game you just shorten those opportunities for noting to land a hey maker I think it's a really good one.

25:51I want to be arts for carry like offensively and defensively if you and I don't know what the magic number is dude but I think it's vitally important that you make note it in just a little one dimensional right that they're running for 4.6 a clip and cars completing 67% of his passes 68% of his passes you just you're going to be in a blender against this team but if you can hold into like. I don't know 3.9 yards per carry you're not going to smother them but enough where they're not just always in favorable down a distance and then on offense if you get 4.2 again like this isn't going to be like no melvin gourd and where you're getting 6.7 7.3 against your defense but if you can consistently do be in I don't know second and 5. 3.3.2 I just think it's so important for this game to keep yourself in manageable situations on both sides of the ball. Yeah also shout out melvin gourd and I though officially inducted into the Wisconsin Hall of Fame so. Good call. But on that note with the at least defensive yards per carry Notre Dame really likes the group that they have but they are replacing two first rounders at running back in.

26:59They also are facing a couple of injuries on the offensive line to so that at least gives you an opening to if this defensive front is what we think it can be and if these linebackers are what we know they are at least gives you a chance to kind of make an impact and maybe 4.6 a card and just push the ball and press a little bit more than he might like and whenever that happens that at least gives you an opportunity to capitalize. 100% agree are speaking of capitalizing speaking of opportunities it's a big one this this Sunday that the better sure going to try to capitalize on what happens what happens in this game in your opinion. I've gone back and forth so much on this but I think where my head is at right now is I can see this being a lot similar to a game script like Indiana last season where. It's competitive kind of a rock fight real nasty in the first half and then the better team just starts to pull away as time goes on which. You know if they can keep that score line a little bit closer and have the offense look a little bit more efficient.

28:00I think you're okay with that at least as a Wisconsin fan and I know this staff certainly isn't in the business of moral victories this season but. I can at least give you some confidence that maybe we can hang with a team that might compete for a championship but. You know I think it's going to be a close first half it's what can they limit Notre Dame do and what can the offense kind of get going in the second half that will determine the rest of this game. Yeah I mean that's where I've been at to almost word for word I think it's a closer first half Notre Dame pulls away they're just better talent often just wins and they have a good coaching staff like. It was not a lot of weaknesses you look over there and you see I had somebody sent me something interesting though they said you know what Ryan though this is a team that last year down the stretch hung with we talked about it you know hung with Oregon hung with Indiana for a while beat Washington beat Illinois and the point he made was Notre Dame I don't think is better than like an Indiana last year and we hung with the court about. Yeah that's kind of true right so if you have the back end the back half of last year's badger team playing that way and Colton Joseph is the player we hope you can be.

29:08This could be a game into the second half I firmly believe that. No I think Wisconsin will get completely written off nationally I mean it's already happened but. You can get it just sort of feeling like like Oregon last season I think you feel better about this offense going down to score and give yourselves a chance to win like that's got to be the game it's got to be Mason Poston Cupercatilano it's got to be these these outside linebackers and defensive lineman it's got to be getting the run game just finding some push and certainly Colton Joseph breaking a couple of big plays on his own like. The defense has to messy this game up and the offense has to capitalize on whatever opportunities are presented. 100% and you got to you got to play a great game by any still may not win but if you play a great game I think you can put yourself in position to be within striking distance in the fourth quarter and in that case man you've seen a lot of ball better offense seen a lot of ball like if you're in striking distance weird things happen you can.

30:08You can just pass it you can just that's it right so. He is a great pain loss of it game this weekend go check him out at two four seven sports thank you for doing into this channel as always appreciate absolutely heck out of every single one of you on Wisconsin as always and we will definitely talk to all you all tomorrow.