Wisconsin’s defense didn’t just slow USC down Saturday night. It swallowed the Trojans whole.
That kind of performance is what has the buzz building around Badgers outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks, who is starting to climb into the NFL Draft conversation after another disruptive showing. Against USC, Wisconsin piled up nine tackles for loss, held the Trojans to -17 rushing yards and limited them to seven points, the fewest a Lincoln Riley-coached team has ever scored.
The broader profile of this defense explains why the hype is growing around one of its best playmakers. Wisconsin leads the country in yards per play allowed at 3.9, ranks No. 13 nationally in total defense at 280.1 yards allowed per game and is tied for No. 10 in scoring defense, giving up 15.29 points per game.
Head coach Luke Fickell said the strength of the unit comes from how the whole staff works together.
"It starts with their ability to have a lot of guys that do a lot of things, and I mean that as a coaching staff. It’s not a one-man show.
Coach Tress does call the defense, Coach Tress is the guy that makes the decision. But how he works with Coach Haynes, who works with the back end, how he listens to those guys up front, I mean, we don’t work separately," head coach Luke Fickell said after the win Saturday night.
"Those guys are in there grinding together every single day, and that’s what’s special about it.”
Even with that collective edge, Cheeks has separated himself as a true difference-maker. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. singled him out for the way he attacked USC’s protection.
"I love how Wisconsin edge rusher Sebastian Cheeks varies his path to the quarterback. He can get home on the inside or outside with explosion, and he always has a secondary move ready to go.
We saw that against USC, with 2.5 sacks. And at 6-3 and 243 pounds, he plays with more power than you might think -- he can drive offensive tackles back with his bull rush.
His motor never stops," he said in his evaluation of the Badgers' top edge rusher, before adding that he believes Cheeks to be a third or fourth-round pick at the moment.
The traits show up on film and in the production. Cheeks brings twitch, speed, power and bend to Wisconsin’s pass rush, and he’s been one of the steadiest players on the roster. His 34 pressures are tied for third in the country and trail only Virginia’s Matthew Fobbs-White among Power Four players.
That kind of season matters for Wisconsin, especially after the program failed to have a player selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, the first time that had happened since 1978. Cheeks looks positioned to help end that streak in 2027.
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Wisconsins Rotation Is Taking Shape Around One Growing Concern
Wisconsins exhibition slate offered enough to feel encouraged and enough to keep the staff measuring the depth chart with caution. The Badgers finished 3-0, capped by a win over Oklahoma State, and Owen Foxwell looked like the guard most ready to steady things early. He brought efficient scoring and a clear presence in the backcourt, the kind of start that can settle a team while the rest of the rotation sorts itself out.
The bigger question now is what happens in the minutes around him. Other players have flashed, but nobody has yet locked down a dependable scoring role, which leaves the Badgers with a real sense of possibility and a lingering concern as the season approaches. Wisconsin has a workable foundation, but the way those non-Foxwell possessions are filled in may end up shaping how quickly this group finds its rhythm once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Showed Real Promise But One Issue Still Stands Out
The Badgers closed the preseason with a convincing 82-65 win over Oklahoma State, a performance that offered a cleaner snapshot of what this group can be when the offense is clicking. Owen Foxwell led the way with 19 points and three assists, and he was especially sharp from deep, going 3-for-3 from three-point range as Wisconsin shot 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Even with the strong shooting night and a defense that held the Cowboys to 65 points, there was still a familiar issue sitting in the background. Wisconsin turned the ball over 15 times, and while that did not spoil the result in an exhibition setting, it remains the kind of detail that can undercut a promising night once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces Two Iowa Unknowns That Could Decide The Heartland Trophy
Wisconsin heads to Iowa this week with the kind of game that can turn on small details, and the matchup already has a little extra uncertainty baked in. The Badgers, now No. 25, are facing an Iowa team that slipped out of the AP Poll after its loss to Minnesota, but the bigger question is what the Hawkeyes will look like on offense with the quarterback situation still unsettled and Hank Brown set to start.
There is another layer of unpredictability around Iowas backfield, too, with star running back Kamari Moulton out for the season and the workload shifting elsewhere. For Wisconsin, that means preparing for a rivalry game in which the usual scouting report may not hold up for long, and the Heartland Trophy could come down to which side adapts fastest once the ball is kicked off. [Read more 🡒]