2 reasons Wisconsin fans should not overreact to Colton Joseph's first game struggles

Following the Wisconsin Badgers' devastating second-half collapse that resulted in a 13-41 loss to Notre Dame, many questions began to circulate in regards to if this team has to make significant changes. Most of those conversations revolve around head coach Luke Fickell, who, as many know, has a firm spot on the seat after numerous underwhelming seasons since stepping foot in Madison.

Another name that fans have begun to turn on, however, is starting quarterback Colton Joseph – the esteemed get of Wisconsin’s offseason. Joseph, coming over from Old Dominion, was touted as the missing piece of the Badgers by many, so naturally, his uninspiring opening-game performance was a bit disappointing.

Ups and Downs

Joseph completed 19 of his 30 passing attempts, logging 217 yards, a touchdown and an interception, which on paper doesn't look horrible. Along with that, he posted a 128.2 passer rating and an 81.2 QBR per ESPN, both of which suggest solid play.

With that said, it was fairly undeniable that Joseph wasn't on his A game, mostly evident by the little things he didn't do. For one, the “dual-threat” quarterback struggled to get anything rolling on the ground, carrying the ball 12 times for just three yards – 10 carries for 15 yards when you remove sack totals. Still not great.

A large reason for his lack of impact on the ground was due to scheme and lack of good opportunity, as a lot of his designed runs were simplistic play calls that resulted in him having to make multiple layers of defense miss if he wanted to make a big play. The result of that was a lot of big hits from human beings much larger than Joseph, which is something that hopefully doesn't stack up as the year goes on.

Along with that, Joseph has some inconsistency issues in regards to accuracy on his passes. That has been a relatively persistent issue for him over the years, and was particularly prevalent early on in the Notre Dame game.

Joseph was leaving passes short, high and was late on timing on multiple occasions, making it very difficult for his wideouts to make plays after the catch. He did make a couple of very good passes, such as the deep ball to Malachi Coleman that resulted in a touchdown, or a nice layered throw to the boundary that Chris Brooks Jr. couldn't hold on to.

Don't hit the Panic Button

With all of this said, Badger fans have no reason to sink the ship on the QB room, at least for now. Yes, Joseph didn't have an amazing first game, we all can understand that. But it's also important to remember that it was his first game as a Power Five starter, playing against arguably the best team in the country on a massive stage at Lambeau Field.

A lot of those aforementioned misfire throws came very early in the game and can likely be chalked up to early-game jitters. As the game went on, Joseph began to flash more of the talent that fans were waiting to see, instilling confidence that with some tuning, he can be the guy who he was made out to be.

Lucky for Joseph and Wisconsin fans alike, he has a great chance to build that confidence and rhythm over the next few games. The Badgers' next two opponents should be easy wins, as they welcome in Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, both of whom should not be able to hold a candle to Wisconsin.

If the Badgers can go in, take care of business, and build valuable reps for their starting QB, then this season can begin to look a lot more encouraging in the very near future.

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