Wisconsin Football: Four Badgers who need more playing time

Jack Coan

Here it is. After Alex Hornibrook’s awful showing over the weekend, it’s time to find a way to get another quarterback some snaps. The Badgers have played plenty of ‘garbage time’ snaps this season and Hornibrook has taken every one. We now know it’s probably because he needed the reps.

Moving forward, Hornibrook should, and will, still be the starter. For now. But something needs to motivate him to play better. I’m still convinced Hornibrook can be a good quarterback. He’s shown flashes before several times. They’re just too few and far between now. Wisconsin can’t go into a big game hoping to get the ‘good Hornibrook’ when the ‘bad Hornibrook’ has been the only one showing up for weeks. It’s gotten to the point where it’s not worth my time to argue in his favor anymore.

I don’t think a quarterback change is the answer right now, but playing Jack Coan in garbage time snaps against some of the lesser teams coming up on the schedule would get a lot of people’s attention. If Coan looked at all like he could make some throws, then a discussion would rightfully begin.

My only concern is Coan wouldn’t get a shot, even if he was put in the game late. If the Badgers are up huge against Illinois or Rutgers in the coming weeks and Coan goes under center, he’ll likely just hand the ball off until the clock runs out.

This team is only as good as its weakest link. Right now, that’s not the inexperienced defensive line or the battered secondary. It’s the quarterback. If he hasn’t gotten better by this point in the season then he just isn’t going to be better. Hornibrook is good enough to take this team to the Big Ten Championship, but that’s it. The shakeup starts by introducing Coan into the mix while you still can.