Wisconsin Football: Jack Coan faces first real test v. Michigan

Coming off of their bye, the Wisconsin Football team is 2-0 and quarterback Jack Coan will have his first real test of the season when Michigan comes to town.

The biggest storyline this offseason within the Wisconsin Football program was who would be the starting quarterback to begin the season? While many of the Badger faithful were hoping to see true Freshman Graham Mertz under center, it was Junior Jack Coan who won the job.

During the offseason, Coan had added 10-15 pounds of muscle, commanded the offense well through practices, and just simply was the more consistent quarterback. Coan received high praise from head coach Paul Chryst and the rest of the coaching staff and he as carried that momentum into the regular season.

Behind a dominant Wisconsin defense and Jonathan Taylor, Jack Coan has led this Badgers team to a 2-0 start with convincing victories over South Florida on the road and Central Michigan at Camp Randall.

While it is easy to be drawn to the Badger defense or Taylor’s ability as a running back, Coan has been very impressive as well. Over the first two games, he has a completion percentage of 76.3, with 562 passing yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.

This includes a performance against Central Michigan where he would pass for 363 yards which is the fifth most school history.

However, as we turn our focus to the Badgers’ third game of the season, the 11th ranked Michigan Wolverines are coming to Madison and will present Coan with his biggest challenge of the season as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback.

While through the first two games the Michigan defense hasn’t blown anyone away, with just four sacks and two interceptions, a large reason for lack of gaudy defensive numbers has been the offenses they’ve gone against.

Against Middle Tennessee, they were up facing 10 personnel (one running back, no tight ends, and four receivers) for a majority of the game which meant a lot of quick passes and very few opportunities to actually go after the quarterback.

In week two against Army, they faced the triple-option so once again, there wasn’t much of an opportunity get after the quarterback or even make plays in the passing game.

This is still a very talented and athletic Michigan defense that is built around getting pressure on the quarterback, and this week will be their first opportunity to truly play that style of football given the Badgers’ offense. Although the Wisconsin offensive line has held up very well early on, there are still four new starters along that front that are going be tested by Michigan’s front-seven.

Often times, Big Ten matchups of this caliber are very close games. So we have to wonder how Coan will respond with the likely added defensive pressure in his face, when the team needs to convert a crucial third-down, or if they need a scoring drive late in the game.

Those questions remain unanswered at this point but based on his first two games, we should be confident that he will be able to get the job done. With that said, it’s not as if Coan has to do this all on his own. He can lean on the stout Badger defense that is going up against what has been a lack-luster Michigan offense, as well as Jonathan Taylor at running back.

Wisconsin just needs Coan to be efficient and not to turn the ball over, which is exactly what he has done up to this point. While it has been an impressive start to the season, Coan’s first real test comes this Saturday as the Wisconsin Football team enters their Big Ten schedule.