Colton Joseph’s first-half inconsistencies are clearly testing Luke Fickell’s patience

Despite the Wisconsin Badgers pulling off the biggest victory of the Luke Fickell era in a 24-20 upset road win over Penn State, quarterback Colton Joseph definitely had his fair share of struggles. The Old Dominion transfer finished with just 18 completions on 35 passing attempts, logging 235 yards, two TDs and a whopping three interceptions.

Luke Fickell wasn't thrilled about it after the game, "Unfortunately, it might just be a roller coaster with him." Fickell said that he was proud of Joseph for being able to rally and keep fighting but the struggles early were a real problem.

Joseph's struggles were obvious and costly. Yet, he rallied, and thanks to a big Wisconsin win, you can call it a streaky night, to put it mildly. That said, a couple of big-time plays down the stretch, paired with some really good plays by his pass catchers, allowed Wisconsin to pull through even through his rough outing.

Whats the Issue?

Joseph’s slow starts have, sadly, become a bit of a trend as well, with his early-game jitters looking a bit different than most. Typically, quarterbacks who struggle early in games are having issues with communication or are putting a bit too much pep on the ball, leading to some errant throws.

In Joseph’s case, his early-game butterflies come more so in the form of wildly misthrown passes or extreme lapses in judgment regarding reading opposing defenses, which often result in turnovers.

One of his three interceptions against Penn State was a pick-six on a screen pass where he seemingly missed the DB tailing the only route he had to read on the entire play. The throw undoubtedly had every Badger fan pulling out their hair, as it, like many others, seemed like such a preventable mistake.

This lackluster trend has started to weigh on fans too, with seemingly the first quarter of every game being filled with calls for backup quarterback and true freshman Ryan Hopkins to get a chance. Fickell has ultimately chosen against that thus far — which seems to be the right choice — but the frustration continuing to build won’t help Joseph’s case.

It was clear all throughout camp that Hopkins wasn’t a typical freshman and that he was going to put legitimate pressure on Joseph to perform. Thus far, the job is still firmly in the hands of the senior, but that's not to say that he has ultimate protection moving forward.

If Joseph were to continue the trend of digging the team into holes against an opponent that was ready to jump on it, then he may not be able to even get the chance at second-half heroics. Thus far, the Wisconsin defense has done a great job at keeping them in games no matter the scenario, but the offense playing to the top of its ability is something we have yet to see.

Nonetheless, the trust remains in Joseph for the foreseeable future, as if he can build upon the second half he had in Happy Valley, then he could find his way back fully into the good graces of the fans.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow