Wisconsin Football: Jonathan Taylor becoming weapon in passing game

We all know what Wisconsin Football star Jonathan Taylor can do on the ground, but this season he has become a weapon in the Badgers’ passing game as well.

Coming into his Junior season, there weren’t too many superlatives left that hadn’t already been used to describe Wisconsin Football star, Jonathan Taylor.

Through his first two seasons, he’s totaled over 4,100 yards rushing at a whopping 6.9 yards per carry and 29 touchdowns. Taylor also holds the NCAA’s freshman rushing record, has been named to the All-American team, and was the Doak Walker award winner.

Now in what is likely his final season at Wisconsin, Taylor is a Heisman hopeful, a projected first-round pick in the NFL draft, and in the conversation for best running back in the country. However, Taylor still wasn’t satisfied as there is an area of his game that has been fairly non-existent over his college career, and that was as pass-catcher.

As gaudy as his rushing numbers are, his receiving numbers are quite the opposite with only 16 total receptions for 155 yards and no touchdowns prior to this season. It’s a skill set that Taylor has had to work hard at to develop since, at the NFL level, teams want backs who are just as effective in the passing game as they are in the running game. Not to mention that Taylor is the most dynamic player on this Badgers’ offense, so finding ways to get him the ball in the open field is going to add a new element to the passing game as well as some big plays.

So like he always does, Taylor got to work. This offseason, Taylor continued to develop his pass-blocking which running backs coach John Settle said had really improved. He also worked with the jugs machine to better his hands, as well as his route running ability and his responsibilities as a receiver.

Well, through the first five games of the season, the hard work has certainly paid off as Taylor has become a weapon in this Badgers’ passing attack. Taylor already has 12 receptions for 114 yards and four touchdowns through the air, which is the most amongst division one running backs this season. In fact, he’s on pace for over 270 receiving yards and nearly 10 touchdown receptions on top of his already impressive production in the running game.

With the Badgers’ Big Ten schedule about to ramp up with Michigan State this Saturday, at Ohio State in two weeks, and a matchup with Iowa three weeks out, the eighth-ranked Wisconsin Football team is going to have to rely on Jonathan Taylor more than ever if they hope to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Of course, Taylor is going to be used heavily in the running game, but with his added ability as a pass-catcher, a few receptions per game will go a long way towards a Badgers’ victory against these difficult opponents.