... can beat the Badgers. He touched on ...
• The Wisconsin game: "It's a huge week in football. I feel like we've all kind of been waiting on this game, and this stretch, to start, so we can actually see how the chips are going to fall at the end of the season.
"I kind of tip my hat to [Wisconsin], in being able to maintain their identity as a program through different coaching changes. They've been consistent. They're going to come in and one tight end, if not two tight ends in the game. They're probably going to have a fullback, or some kind of H-back in front of their running back, and they're going to run some variation of power scheme at you.
"They might even come to the line and let you know: 'Hey, deuce, double-team. You're getting a double-team.' They don't care if you know it's coming. Their mindset is, we do what we do well enough that even if you know it's coming, you can't stop it.
"I kind of have a respect for how they operate. But I do think we match up well this week."
• How he'd attack Wisconsin's defense: "You definitely have to test them, especially guys that are coming in who were second-stringers at the start of the season. It's in every playbook to go after the substitutes if you have them in the game.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see some early runs that are setting up trying to suck some safeties down into the box and see if we can't get a match-up that's favorable for one of our receivers. I would like to see us still run the ball, so they have to load up the box.
"Our offense has a more dynamic approach than Wisconsin's. I don't think Wisconsin's athletes on the defensive side of the ball match up with our athletes. They have size, and they have 11 guys out there, but their downfall — not just this year, but consistently, year after year — is if they get matched up against speedier guys, or talented guys at the skill positions, that's where they end up struggling.
"[Junior quarterback] Shea Patterson and our receiving corps have gotten more and more momentum as the season has rolled on. You should be able to see [sophomore wideout] Donovan Peoples-Jones free up, you should be able to see [senior wideout] Grant Perry free up. [Redshirt junior] Zach Gentry at the tight end position is always a mismatch for any team we play against.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see an equal balance of run and pass, but I'd like to see us start run, just to maintain our identity. We don't want to fall behind Wisconsin, because if you fall behind Wisconsin, that's where they want to be. They want to be in the driver's seat. They want to be in possession of the ball, keeping your offense off the field.
"We need to come out and try to strike first. Wisconsin playing from behind is a totally different team than Wisconsin even, or Wisconsin ahead of you."
• The difference Patterson can make: "Shea Patterson's escape-ability has been his number one asset. There have been multiple occasions where he's had a guy coming in clean, where maybe we've missed a block, and not only does he avoid the tackle, but he's also in position to continue to throw the ball or he can still threaten you with the run.
"He's got an innate ability to escape and continue to make a play, extend the play. You hear about that a lot at the NFL level. Guys that can extend plays and make good decisions with the football usually are pretty productive quarterbacks.
"If we're in the fourth quarter and trying to win the game, Shea Patterson at the helm, that's the most comfortable I've felt with a quarterback trying to lead a comeback since I don't even know when — multiple years. I think Denard [Robinson] would be the last one, because Denard could put the ball in the end zone.
"Having that person we can rely on … we're not all wondering, can this guy get the job done? He's done it before."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...ll-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-3
• The Wisconsin game: "It's a huge week in football. I feel like we've all kind of been waiting on this game, and this stretch, to start, so we can actually see how the chips are going to fall at the end of the season.
"I kind of tip my hat to [Wisconsin], in being able to maintain their identity as a program through different coaching changes. They've been consistent. They're going to come in and one tight end, if not two tight ends in the game. They're probably going to have a fullback, or some kind of H-back in front of their running back, and they're going to run some variation of power scheme at you.
"They might even come to the line and let you know: 'Hey, deuce, double-team. You're getting a double-team.' They don't care if you know it's coming. Their mindset is, we do what we do well enough that even if you know it's coming, you can't stop it.
"I kind of have a respect for how they operate. But I do think we match up well this week."
• How he'd attack Wisconsin's defense: "You definitely have to test them, especially guys that are coming in who were second-stringers at the start of the season. It's in every playbook to go after the substitutes if you have them in the game.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see some early runs that are setting up trying to suck some safeties down into the box and see if we can't get a match-up that's favorable for one of our receivers. I would like to see us still run the ball, so they have to load up the box.
"Our offense has a more dynamic approach than Wisconsin's. I don't think Wisconsin's athletes on the defensive side of the ball match up with our athletes. They have size, and they have 11 guys out there, but their downfall — not just this year, but consistently, year after year — is if they get matched up against speedier guys, or talented guys at the skill positions, that's where they end up struggling.
"[Junior quarterback] Shea Patterson and our receiving corps have gotten more and more momentum as the season has rolled on. You should be able to see [sophomore wideout] Donovan Peoples-Jones free up, you should be able to see [senior wideout] Grant Perry free up. [Redshirt junior] Zach Gentry at the tight end position is always a mismatch for any team we play against.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see an equal balance of run and pass, but I'd like to see us start run, just to maintain our identity. We don't want to fall behind Wisconsin, because if you fall behind Wisconsin, that's where they want to be. They want to be in the driver's seat. They want to be in possession of the ball, keeping your offense off the field.
"We need to come out and try to strike first. Wisconsin playing from behind is a totally different team than Wisconsin even, or Wisconsin ahead of you."
• The difference Patterson can make: "Shea Patterson's escape-ability has been his number one asset. There have been multiple occasions where he's had a guy coming in clean, where maybe we've missed a block, and not only does he avoid the tackle, but he's also in position to continue to throw the ball or he can still threaten you with the run.
"He's got an innate ability to escape and continue to make a play, extend the play. You hear about that a lot at the NFL level. Guys that can extend plays and make good decisions with the football usually are pretty productive quarterbacks.
"If we're in the fourth quarter and trying to win the game, Shea Patterson at the helm, that's the most comfortable I've felt with a quarterback trying to lead a comeback since I don't even know when — multiple years. I think Denard [Robinson] would be the last one, because Denard could put the ball in the end zone.
"Having that person we can rely on … we're not all wondering, can this guy get the job done? He's done it before."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...ll-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-3
