Badger of Honor
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Wisconsin Football: Bold predictions for the rest of the 2018 season

By Tanner Nestle

MADISON, WI - AUGUST 31: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Camp Randall Stadium on August 31, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - AUGUST 31: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Camp Randall Stadium on August 31, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football Rachad Wildgoose
ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 13: Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines is knocked out of bounds after a long first half run by Rachad Wildgoose #5 of the Wisconsin Badgers on October 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The secondary will become a strength

I have wavered on the secondary all year. I liked the group at first, then they got shredded by BYU, Iowa, and Nebraska. After the showing against Michigan, I’m ready to buy in again.

I loved the performances from Reggie Pearson and Eric Burrell in relief of Scott Nelson and D’Cota Dixon. The safety position is suddenly one of the deepest groups on the team. I could be jumping the gun here after only one game, but I really liked how Pearson and Burrell played aggressively and confidently, especially Pearson who saw his first action of the year against Michigan.

The cornerback position is somewhat of a different story. That group has been riddled with injuries and is still a long way off from being healthy. The silver lining of all of these injuries is all of the experience being gained by the underclassmen reserves. Guys like Rachad Wildgoose and Donte Burton likely wouldn’t have seen much action this year. With the injuries, they’re getting a valuable taste of some real Big Ten football.

The secondary is Jim Leonhard’s specialty, two of the next three are at home, and all three are winnable. There’s room to get healthy and gain confidence for this evolving group before heading to Happy Valley.

The future is bright for the secondary and I’m looking forward to seeing how they play the rest of the year.