Managing Melvin Gordon's Expectations

If you watched the 2012 Big Ten Championship, you knew the Badgers had something special with Melvin
Gordon. He did not look like other Wisconsin running backs rather a new, dynamic breed who could score any time he touched the football. The redshirt sophomore has started off 2013 with an absolute bang in the month of September rushing for over 600 yards already. As the Badgers face their toughest test of the season against Ohio State this week, many people need to relax on a Gordon hyperbole... for now.

Gordon is not just leading the B1G in rushing right now, but the entire NCAA. No person has more yards than Gordon right now, and as USA Today's Paul Myerberg points out, he is doing it without the carries as a normal college running back making it that much more impressive. People deserve to be calling him the next great Wisconsin running back, but people need to restrain themselves a bit from calling him the winner of the 2013 Heisman trophy although he is in the conversation as we head into conference play.

Looking at Gordon's numbers, they jump off the page without question especially the Arizona State game last week when he faced a premier defensive front seven. Gordon averaged 9.2 yards a carry last week and that was his low for the season.  Gordon is basically getting a first down on every carry.  Despite having three touchdowns on Saturday, it was the first game of the season where Gordon did not have a 50-plus yard run. Gordon still did a bunch of little things to factor into the Badgers blowout victory against Purdue on Saturday afternoon. Ohio State has a young but talented defense. If he puts up some of the same numbers against the Buckeyes, the Gordon for Heisman talk will reach new levels.

Head coach Gary Andersen seems committed to the running back by committee plan. It is not a bad idea seeing as James White has 445 yards on the season and Corey Clement is playing great as a freshman as well. Any three of them would be starters with any team and the Badgers are able to wear down teams with the different approaches that each running back brings to the backfield. The rumble for Gordon to get more carries is likely warranted given how good his season has been already, but it might take the effectiveness out of why the Badgers use Gordon.

Gordon does not seem like Montee Ball where you can ride him for an entire game. On the other hand, White has the body type to carry the ball 30 times and take all the hits.  Gordon is a home run hitter and right now, Andersen is doing the smart thing by using him selectively. I would not be surprised if his carries keep slightly increasing, but Gordon does not strike me as a running back that can double as a bruiser for the team. For the third straight year, the Badgers have the best backfield in the nation and it is not a bad thing to have a triple threat of Gordon, White and Clement. Each of them will have a game where their style of running will come in need.

The Badgers do need to be a little more creative when it comes to Gordon in the passing game. He caught only two passes last year, but Gordon seems like the perfect running back to sneak out the backfield for a wheel route touchdown. Gordon not having a catch for the entire year is legitimately surprising. Additionally, he could be an complete terror in the screen game. Combine the size of the Badgers offensive line and Gordon's speed makes the screen is Paranormal Activity level scary.  Possibly, Gordon does not need more carries rather he needs to get involved in more parts of the offense.

Gordon has become the most interesting Badger. He continues the year he is having as a redshirt sophomore Gordon could declare for the NFL Draft and get drafted in the first two rounds. Gordon could also slow down some bit but still be a super solid option for the Badgers. Either way, the Kenosha product will be a major factor in how the Badgers finish this season.

Charlie.

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SnoTap Badger Preview: Purdue vs. Wisconsin

The Solid Verbal, one of my favorite podcasts, talks about games being a 'Trap' and play an Adrimal Akbar sound drop for it.  Yes, Wisconsin is favored by three touchdowns and a field goal, yet at the same point, this is the team sandwiched in-between road games against Arizona State and Ohio State. Purdue is coming off what some might call a moral victory against Notre Dame last Saturday night. But the Badgers have a vice grip over Purdue in the last 10 years, and they look to tighten the screws for another year.

The biggest thing for Wisconsin on Saturday is to have a good first quarter. They had an awful way to finish a game on Saturday and while we can debate all day whose at the truest fault for the finish, it still ended in the worst way possible.  It is important to have a solid first quarter as a response to the disaster at Arizona State.  They come out and play Badger football, it should be smooth sailing although the first quarter ends with 0-0 after one quarter, things might get a little tight and everyone could start tensing up.

One of the other big things to watch this Saturday is the running back situation. Everyone and their mother believes Melvin Gordon should be the number one running back. He is dominating the college football world in the first three weeks of the season. As we talked about, Gordon's game-breaking abilities, few have in the Big Ten. Not to say James White is having a bad year, Gordon has just been that much better.

Andy Ludwig knows the offense more so than I do, but it seems like the logical move would be to have Gordon and White in the backfield at the same time as much as possible. I realize the Badgers focus more on an I-formation featuring a fullback and a running back, but it seems like a two running back system could be absolutely lethal for the competition.

Purdue comes into the B1G season with a 1-2 record. Cincinnati wiped the floor with them at home to open the year then they barely snuck by Indiana State the following week and had Notre Dame beat for the first three quarters.  There is no real leader on this team offensively and there might lie the problem with this team. The Boilermakers have yet to figure the run game out as Akeem Hunt has only rushed for 125 yards in the first three games. Rob Henry is putting up adequate numbers at the quarterback position, but nothing to make you think he is one of the better B1G quarterbacks. It looks like another rebuilding year for the men in West Lafayette.

The Badgers have won seven straight against Purdue. In the last four meetings between these two B1G squads, Wisconsin's lowest point total has been 34 with their highest being 62. Purdue did some fight last week, but I feel like Camp Randall with a motivated team and crowd will issue a rout on Saturday. Wisconsin 42  Purdue 17  

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Blame the Badgers, not the Officials, for Saturday's Defeat.

Nothing gets the State of Wisconsin more mad than bad officiating in football.  Everyone feels like their team has a target on their back all while not realizing mistakes happen all over the college and pro football landscape. Pac-12 officials made the wrong call in the final moments of the Badger game allowing Arizona State to win the game, but Wisconsin should have never got to that point.  

The officials are probably the headline of most stories, but really what will get lost in the shuffle is how the Wisconsin defense could not keep up with Arizona State's up-tempo offense due to defensive coordinator David Aranda's blitzing nature. The Sun Devils had 93 total plays on Saturday night in the ninety degree heat and the Badgers could not keep up by the end of the game. Some of that had to do with the fact Aranda kept sending blitzes throughout the game causing the front line of the Badgers to wear down. There is nothing wrong with Aranda's blitz-happy way of doing things against the majority of the B1G, but when facing an up-tempo team, it is the sort of thing  that bites the Badgers in the ass. 

Although the front seven should not get all the blame for Arizona State wearing down the Badgers defense. The secondary did not have themselves a great game either. Taylor Kelly thrashed the secondary in the second half of the game. He probably would have had a bigger game than 352 yards if Arizona State's receivers could hang onto the football in the first half.  There is a great deal of work left to be done for Wisconsin when it comes to the secondary and definitely need to rethink their strategy when it comes to up-tempo offenses. 

Another major issue to the Badgers struggles on Saturday night was Joel Stave. He turned in one of his worst performances as a Badger. Stave did not really seem like the same quarterback after getting decked in the ribs in the second quarter of the game. There is nothing I can find that shows he suffered an injury, but it did seem like it altered his play throughout the rest of the game. Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig seemed to give Stave opportunity after opportunity to try to rite the ship. He had a couple nice passes, but he did not do this job - be a compliment to the Badgers rushing attack. One thing that needs to be fixed immediately is Stave avoiding getting his passes knocked down. He is 6'5, that should not happen.  

The Badgers also will deal with an awkward situation with their running backs. Melvin Gordon had another gigantic game for the Badgers and he looks like the real deal this year. Gordon had 15 carries for 193 yards with two touchdowns averaging 12.9 yards a carry. All of those numbers are pretty impressive, but he deserves to be carrying the ball more often. Yes, James White has done a ton for this Badger team throughout the year and is a true unsung hero of his team in the last couple years yet Gordon is the better player no matter his age.

As for the officials, it was a stupid error by the officials. Stave did nothing wrong, but he was not demonstrative enough.  They should have called Arizona State for a delay of game on Anthony Jones without question, but if you will, this is the cherry on top of a disastrous fourth quarter for the Badgers.  One question that has not been asked, if Kyle French preferred the other hash, why did Wisconsin run the hitch route to the other side of the field Another question, with how good Gordon played on Saturday, why not try to see if he can get some more yardage?   The officials deserve some of the blame, but there is no guarantee French makes that kick.

The Badgers had a double-digit lead in the first half and could not deliver the knockout blow. The Badgers also had five point lead in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin has nobody to blame but themselves for this defeat in the desert.

Charlie.

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SnoTap Badger Preview: Wisconsin at Arizona State

Unknown.

This is probably the best word to describe the matchup between 20th ranked Wisconsin against Arizona State on Saturday night in the desert on ESPN. Both teams are 2-0 for the season, but they have fattened up on cupcakes. No one really has a true read on either teams thus far this season. The Sun Devils could be the second or the top team in Pac-12 South this season while the Badgers might have a chance at another B1G title game appearance. Both teams could also finish with seven wins and play some meaningless bowl game that no one cares about in December.  All of that being said, this is one of the premier games of the weekend.

There is a tired old saying about sports where they say 'something gotta give' when it comes to the Badgers rush offense facing the Arizona State's front seven.  The Badgers running backs are off to a great start with James White, Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement all going for over 100 yards in the the first two games of the season. Each member of the three-headed rushing monster brings a different element to the table. White is a combination of a power runner as well as being able to break a run here and there. Clement can wear teams down and then Gordon is the first game-breaker for Wisconsin in a long time.

Gordon is as good of a player at Wisconsin in some time. I realize Montee Ball had a great established career at Wisconsin, but it seems like Gordon is ready to blow the doors off the whole B1G. Every time Gordon is in the backfield or split out wide, there is a chance that play is going for a touchdown. When is the last time the Badgers can say that about a player?  Ball and White can break a long run, but not to Gordon's levels where every time it could be a touchdown. That is such a luxury with the team, and sometimes it gets forgotten.

Enter in the competition of Arizona State's defensive front spearheaded by Will Sutton. The Sun Devils defensive tackle could have been a first or second round pick in last year's NFL Draft. He will probably be a top 20 pick next season. The thing I love about Sutton is he plays 3-4 defensive tackle and is able to get to the quarterback and in the backfield. Last year, he had 13 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss in a dominating year in the Pac-12 Sutton is not at this level and has a better attitude yet he reminds me a bit of Ndamukong Suh in the ways where he can push and have an effect on offensive linemen. I realized Suh never played 3-4, but I feel like Sutton makes a Suh-like impact. Sutton is not the only Arizona State defender the Badgers have to worry about on Saturday night.

Linebacker Carl Bradford is a terror on the outside who had 11.5 sacks last season then add Jaxon Hood who resides next to Sutton was a Freshman All-American last season and they are pretty high on ends Junior Onyeali and Davon Coleman.  This will be an entertaining as hell matchup to watch all of these beasts go up against the Badgers three-headed rushing attack.

For all of the reason above, this could be Joel Stave time in Tempe. Play action will play such a large part in what the Badgers do this weekend. Running the football is important, but keeping the tough front-seven on their toes is extremely so important.  If the Badgers come in with a predictable offense, they will get submerged by that defense. The other thing about Arizona State is their secondary is not at the same level as their front-seven so there might be some opportunities to go deep.  This will be a big game for Stave

The Sun Devils offense and the weather could go hand and hand Saturday night. The Sun Devils are a part of the revolution that is the up-tempo offense we are seeing pop up all over the country. Taylor Kelly is a pretty solid quarterback and probably does not get the credit as some of the other Pac-12 quarterbacks do nationally. Kelly also can make some plays on the run thus the Badgers need to contain him in the tackle box as much as possible. They also have two solid running backs in Marion Grice and D.J. Foster who can both change a game very quickly with their speed.

One thing people might be underestimating is the weather in the Valley of the Sun. On Saturday, the weather temperature will be 102 degrees with a low 82 degrees.  It will be 7:30 pm when kickoff starts meaning it will still be in the high eighties or hotter. This sounds weird, but August was a pretty tame month in Wisconsin when it came to weather meaning the Badgers really have not practiced in these types of weather conditions. Some Wisconsin Augusts feature deep south-like humidity and could make a grown man crumble to his knees.They had a couple hot days here and there, but it was not like other summers. This would make me nervous in the final two quarters of the game.

As for the game itself, it will be extremely competitive and a ton of fun to watch. I want to believe White and his two sidekicks could carry this team to victory, but I have trouble seeing them being able to handle all the different elements that Arizona State brings to the table. This will be a close, nail-biter and once again, the Badgers will be on the wrong en yet there will be a ton of encouraging things moving forward.

Arizona State 24 Wisconsin 23

Charlie.

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SnoTap 12-Pack: College Football Players to Watch

At least for the next two days, the SnoTap 12-Pack will be a thing. I have no idea if it will continue weekly, monthly or whenever I feel like it. I also understand there are so, so many good players left off this list, I would love to hear your list on Twitter or in the comments section. 

12.) Marqise Lee, Wide Receiver, USC, Junior - One of the most electrifying receivers in college football. Lee will definitely put up some big numbers when it comes to grabbing all ball thrown to him looking like no Pac-12 opposing secondary can stop him. Lee had seven games where he had 10 or more catches and only had five games where he did not have 100 yards of receiving. He always has breakaway speed making him a threat for the deep ball. Now, he does need a quarterback to throw him the ball.

11.) Duke Johnson, Running Back, Miami, Sophomore - This man is an absolute beast in the making. He might not be familiar with casual college football fans, but he definitely could be the next in the long linage of Miami running backs. Johnson is an absolute threat to score every single time he touches the football and cuts like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Johnson is one of the reasons why there will be articles from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others on why 'The U is back.'

10.) Taylor Lewan, Offensive Lineman, Michigan, Senior - Many people would not put a lineman in their 12 players to watch, but most people do not watch the position. I did more so when I still played to learn more about the position, but now and again, I will watch the lineman versus the play happening. Lewan will be the player to watch this year as he might be a top five pick in the NFL Draft next year.  He also has a finger mustache tattoo which is a just a fantastic side note.  

SnoTap 12-Pack Wisconsin Special 
Melvin Gordon, Running Back, Wisconsin, Sophomore - While he will not even start this year for the Badgers, he has to be the most exciting player coming back to the roster right?  Gordon has SEC speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield making him a versatile player. James White is not a bruising back by any means, but Gordon and him could be a thunder/lightening duo on the year wearing down opposing teams. Not outrageous to think Gordon might have Heisman consideration in years to come.

9.) Anthony Barr, Linebacker, UCLA 


Other than the bad man in Columbia, South Carolina, there is not a player in college football who will inflict more pain than Barr.  He is a machine in Jim Mora's 3-4 defense and projected to be a top pick in next year's draft.  Barr is more famously known for his punishing hit on former USC quarterback Matt Barkley, but he is so much more than just one single hit. Barr has fantastic closing speed and can truly get off the ball. He is one of two linebackers (Kyle Van Noy says hello) to really keep a close eye on all Fall.  

8.) Braxton Miller, Quarterback, Ohio State, Junior - When the rumors started about Urban Meyer going to Ohio State, I told my old roommate Seth that 'Braxton Miller might be a Heisman by his junior year.' Miller will definitely have that chance this year. This is his second year in Urban Meyer's system which tends to be the golden ticket...  Alex Smith threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns along with 600 yards of rushing in year 2 in Meyer's system leading them to an undefeated record. Tim Tebow had over 2,800 yards passing and almost 900 yards rushing to go along with 55 total touchdowns; Tebow won the Heisman and a National Championship. It should be expected that Miller will be excellent.

7.) Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Oregon, Sophomore - In my opinion, he is the most underrated player in all of college football. People love to talk about Manziel, Miller, Boyd but somehow Mariotta gets forgotten. Why is that?  In part, he is on the west coast and players not in Los Angeles tend to get a little less love than your SEC/B1G players even though Oregon is an extremely public team, some of their games are on when people are sleeping or attempting to get black out drunk. The other might be the system. I am telling you Mariotta is far from a system quarterback and he will be a contender to be one of the best quarterbacks all year.

6.) T.J. Yeldon, Running Back, Alabama, Sophomore - Want the next Adrian Peterson? This might be your answer. We have talked about Johnson and Gordon plus countless other great ones but Yeldon might be the best running back of the year when it is all said and done. Yeldon has the rare combination of size and speed that is unmatched by most in college football. After being in the shadows of Eddie Lacy, he will be ready to shine this season. We all saw a glimpse of Yeldon's potential late last season when he broke out for over 150 yards against Georgia and followed it up with another 100 yard performance against a tough Notre Dame run defense.

 5.) Louis Nix, Defensive Tackle, Notre Dame, Senior - There are some players I am happy to see stay in school because I get to watch them dominate for another year. Louis Nix is one of those players. He is the definition of a space eater but he also has feet like a ballerina. The size and speed Nix brings to the table is a sight to see on a weekly basis. Nix can make plays to disrupt both the pass and the rush as well as clear pathways for linebackers.  Much of Manti Te'o's success in stopping the run and getting through on blitzes is due to Nix and Stephon Tuitt.

4.) Tajh Boyd, Quarterback, Clemson, Senior - Maybe I am alone on an island, but I feel like he could be a hell of an NFL quarterback. I hope we have gotten past 'Well he's too short for the position' because Russell Wilson would love to have a word with you. Clemson is known for their car crash finishes to their season, and Boyd is the type of player that could change things. In the last two years, Boyd's yardage is near 4,000 yards with 35+ touchdowns and last year he increased his running yardage from 200 to 500 yards. What he will do for his final encore could be truly special.  

3.) Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback, Louisville, Junior - I can still remember watching Louisville-Cincinnati with the Bellevue boys on a Friday night. I kept telling them about the potential Bridgewater possessed; many had not heard of him yet as he was a virtual unknown to casual fans in late October.  I told them I believe he will be a top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and could make Louisville a National Championship contender. I have no idea why I started so high on Bridgewater, but I love everything about his game. Every single positive adjective used to describe a quarterback can be used for Bridgewater.

2.) Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, South Carolina, Junior - Hate to keep going down memory road, but I still recall seeing Clowney commit to college. I worked out early that morning and wondered 'Is this kid really worth the hype?' My self-asked question would be answered quickly and swiftly in the first year Clowney played at South Carolina. He is a beast, freak, and any other word to describe someone whom seems like a superhero in football pads. For his short career, he has 21 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 35.5 tackles for losses and probably many more assists for South Carolina linebackers. He is must-see TV every week.

1.) Johnny Manziel, Quarterback Texas A&M, Sophomore


 He is the number one and maybe not for the reason stated above. Right now, Manziel is the most-talked about college athlete and probably top three most talked about athlete in all sports. If Dirk Notwitzki read ESPN's Wright Thompson's piece on Manziel, he would be shutting it down and going home, it's that good.  Manziel will drive the ratings of the Alabama-Texas A&M to astronomical numbers for the second game of the season.  None of this currently has to do with football, but truthfully, he is one of the most fun players to watch in college football. Let's hope there is no sophomore slump.

Charlie.  

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