Badger of Honor
Fansided

Top ten Wisconsin football players of the season so far

By Tanner Nestle

MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 08: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the New Mexico Lobos at Camp Randall Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 08: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the New Mexico Lobos at Camp Randall Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football - Alex Hornibrook
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter of the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

6. QB Alex Hornibrook

Hornibrook had to be on this list after his game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Completing 17 of 22 passes for three touchdowns and zero interceptions is a great game no matter how you look at it. Especially when he led the team down the field for the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes with a strike to A.J. Taylor.

Hornibrook has completed 60 of his 90 passing attempts on the season this year, good for a 66.7% completion rate, with six touchdowns and two interceptions. He still attempts some throws that beg for trouble but that kind of aggressiveness is what this offense needs from the passing game. In moderation, anyway.

His 8.9 yards per attempt is a solid number I really respect. Hornibrook gets knocked constantly for not being a great passer but if he was really a check down quarterback he would be useless in the offense. If the Badgers wanted chunks of yards four yards at a time, they’d just hand it off to Jonathan Taylor, who is averaging more than that per carry this year.

When Hornibrook drops back it’s to move the ball down the field. I don’t always agree with the timing of those shots, but I love seeing that kind of trust in Hornibrook’s abilities. Without that extra dimension, this offense would be too easy to predict. Seeing those plays early in the season are promising and I expect to see more of it as the year goes on.