Five players to watch for Wisconsin football vs New Mexico

Everybody’s new favorite Wisconsin Badger is Scott Nelson. The redshirt freshmen earned the trust of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard and made his first career start last week, and did he ever impress.

Nelson was everywhere on the football field. Breaking up passes, including nearly picking one off, tying for the team-lead in tackles, and even getting one in the backfield for a loss. There wasn’t much he didn’t do.

Nelson’s confidence has to be sky-high right now. As a young player with no previous experience, getting involved in so many plays the way he did is exactly what you need to keep building on a strong start.

What I really hope to see from Nelson this weekend against New Mexico is consistency. It’s great to be able to do this once, but to establish a trend of playmaking would be huge, regardless of the opponent. Nelson did drop what should have been a surefire interception, and he didn’t tackle as soundly as he could have in some situations. Those are some things to watch.

Every game is an opportunity for Nelson to get better. I want to see him continue to grow and work his way towards becoming one of the best safeties in the Big Ten. That’s a lofty goal, but if he can play consistently to the level he did against Western Kentucky, he’s well on his way.