Maryland’s record says one thing. Its pass rush says something very different.
The Terps are 3-6 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten play, and they’re three weeks removed from firing their head coach. But Wisconsin can’t afford to look at the standings and assume this is a soft landing in College Park. There’s enough talent on this roster to cause problems, and the player who should worry the Badgers most is true freshman edge rusher Zion Elee.
Elee is only a freshman, but he’s already playing like a disruptor who belongs on a much bigger stage. The five-star recruit from Baltimore jumped right into a rotational role, and even though he isn’t technically a starter, he’s Maryland’s No. 3 edge defender by snap count. Over his last three games, he’s averaged 32 snaps per outing.
The production has followed. Elee leads the Terps with six sacks and has added 19 total pressures. Last week against Purdue, he was a one-man headache, piling up seven pressures and three sacks in that game alone.
He’s also turned those pressures into game-changing plays. Elee has three forced fumbles, including the relentless strip-sack effort against Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
Wisconsin has already seen what Maryland quarterback Malik Washington can do. Last season, in his first career Big Ten start, he came into Camp Randall Stadium and threw for 265 yards while accounting for three total touchdowns.
The Terps also have a dangerous receiving threat in Wyoming transfer Chris Durr, who ranks third in the Big Ten with 62 catches and sixth with 765 receiving yards.
But from Wisconsin’s perspective, the biggest concern is still Elee. The Badgers had to go back to much-maligned tackle PJ Wilkins after starting left tackle Kevin Heywood was set to undergo surgery and officially done for the year.
Wilkins, an Ole Miss transfer, has had a rough season, especially in pass protection. Luke Fickell said Wilkins had his best week of preparation yet before the Rutgers game, and he backed it up with what was arguably his best performance in a Wisconsin uniform, allowing just one pressure on 19 pass-blocking snaps.
That’s a step in the right direction, but Rutgers didn’t bring anything close to the kind of edge threat Maryland can. Wilkins will need to keep stacking good outings if Wisconsin wants to keep Elee from wrecking the pocket and making true freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins uncomfortable.
Maryland’s defense as a whole still leaves plenty to be desired. Even so, there are a few players who can flip a game, and Elee is the one Wisconsin has to account for first on Saturday morning.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Commit Kingston Allen Just Showed Why Everyone Wants Him
Kingston Allen keeps making the kind of statement that turns a recruiting commitment into a full-blown national storyline. The Notre Dame Academy running back broke multiple Wisconsin high school rushing records against Union Grove High School, including the career rushing yards mark, while scoring three touchdowns in a 21-17 win that sent his team into the championship game.
For Wisconsin, the appeal is obvious and only getting stronger. Allen has stayed committed to the Badgers even as Ohio State and Alabama have come calling, and performances like this are exactly why the pressure around his recruitment is unlikely to fade anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Have Lost A Key Defender For Much Longer Than Saturday
The Badgers may be bracing for more than just a short-term absence after senior safety Matt Jung went down with a serious right leg injury in Saturdays game. Jung made a huge play by dislodging the ball at the goal line, but the moment quickly turned grim as he was visibly in pain, needed a cart and a leg brace to leave the field, and left Wisconsins defense with a major concern.
Jung is expected to miss the remainder of the season, a tough blow for a veteran presence in the secondary and for a defense that also saw Mason Posa and Javan Robinson leave with injuries. For Wisconsin, the immediate challenge is not just replacing production, but trying to steady a unit that suddenly looks a lot thinner after one of its most physical games of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Offense Just Put Jeff Grimes Back Under The Spotlight
Wisconsins 24-21 loss to Maryland put the focus right back on Jeff Grimes and the direction of the offense. After a stretch in which freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins had been given a little more freedom, the Badgers leaned back into a conservative approach that left the unit looking stuck and predictable, even as some of the backs showed they could have been part of a more balanced plan.
Hopkins never found much room to breathe, finishing with 72 passing yards and three fumbles while operating under steady pressure. The bigger issue for Wisconsin is that the game plan seemed to limit the quarterback rather than help him, and with the offense again underperforming, the questions around Grimes have only grown louder, with Luke Fickells broader offensive direction now part of the conversation too. [Read more 🡒]