Colton Joseph has a "superpower" that sets him apart from other quarterbacks

One of, if not the single biggest hindrance to the Wisconsin Badgers' success on the football side of things over the past couple years has been the quarterback play. Or rather, the lack thereof. Everything from injuries to inconsistency has derailed the position in Madison over the past handful of years, an issue Wisconsin aggressively pursued a fix for this offseason.

That fix came in the form of Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, a two-year starter and one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the transfer portal this offseason. Joseph is as dynamic and talented as they come at the position, leading many to believe that this could be the year the program finally turns things around.

His "Superpower"

The thing that makes Joseph dynamic is his dual-threat ability. Rarely can you acquire a quarterback from a low-major school who can do the things he can with both his arm and his legs, something Joseph also understands.

When asked if he thinks his dual-threat ability is his superpower, Joseph had this to say:

"I'd say so," Joseph said. "Being able to escape and find ways to create plays and to get out helps me and it helps play callers keep confidence that we can make something happen out of nothing."

With all this said, the "dual-threat" term is one that has been thrown around quite a bit in recent years, which in some regard waters down what it actually means for a player to be dynamic with his legs. In Joseph's case, there is no sugarcoating it, he is just a flat-out elite runner.

Contextualizing Everything

Last season he ran for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging a whopping 6.4 yards per carry. Those numbers were not just him out-athleting lesser players at the mid-major level either, as even against the big dogs that he faced, Joseph remained steady as a runner.

Against the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers, he tallied 179 yards and two touchdowns on 10 rushing attempts, including a 78-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. Joseph did not exactly throw the ball well that game however, logging just 96 yards and three interceptions, neither of which are anywhere near ideal. But nobody played well against Indiana last year, so he can get a pass.

In Joseph's other Power Four matchup against Virginia Tech, it was a different story. He still had the same running prowess, notching 63 yards and a touchdown. In this game however, the passing was also there, as he threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, proving he is capable of being a dual threat even at the highest level.

With all this said, arguably the biggest plus of him being the athlete that he is is that Joseph never gets sacked. Last season he was only brought down 16 times behind the line of scrimmage, which, for reference, was nearly 10 fewer times than No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

All in all, his legs give the Badgers offense something it has been searching for over the past handful of years at the quarterback position: playmaking. Joseph said it best when he described how he can make something out of nothing, an ability every Wisconsin fan should be pumped about come first kickoff.

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