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Wisconsin Football: Five team weaknesses for 2018

By Tanner Nestle

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 02: Quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass against the defensive lineman Nick Bosa #97 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 02: Quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass against the defensive lineman Nick Bosa #97 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – DECEMBER 30: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers fumbles during the 2017 Capital One Orange Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Turnovers

This is the biggest weakness, by far. The Badgers were tied for 105th in the country in turnovers lost last season. It’s a good thing the defense was as great as it was otherwise the Badgers may not have had the success they did in 2017.

The two biggest culprits of turning the ball over are the two most important pieces on offense. Alex Hornibrook threw 15 interceptions last year and Jonathan Taylor fumbled far too frequently. If those ball security issues are cleaned up, the offense can operate at even more efficient levels.

Hornibrook can be protected with better play calls, but that only means safer and shorter throws, which returns us back to the previous point about playcalling. Towards the end of the year, he cleaned up the sloppy passes and improved his interception ratio significantly. His arrow is trending in a positive direction.

Taylor is another story. He fumbled early in the Orange Bowl and wasn’t able to finish the season as strong. His game is fantastic otherwise and there wasn’t much for him to work on this summer. We’ll soon find out if fumbling is something that can or cannot be fixed in running backs. Taylor is a workhorse and has a ton of trust from the coaches so hopefully, he has addressed this issue and the Badgers can cut back on the large turnover number next year.

Next. Ten reasons Wisconsin Football is overlooked. dark

Be sure to stay tuned to Badger of Honor to see what we say are the five biggest strengths of the 2018 Wisconsin Football team.