From hosting Alabama at Camp Randall Stadium to facing two new Big Ten members in USC and Oregon, Wisconsin will see many sensational players on opposing teams in 2024. Here are some of the best players the Badgers will face this season.
Running back Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan
5-foot-11, 210 pounds
Lowdown: Buckley rushed for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season. He lost a combined 10 yards on 189 carries and was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. He was also named freshman of the year in the Mid-American Conference.
Quarterback Aidan Bouman, South Dakota
6-5 and 245
Lowdown: Bouman isn’t a running threat but last season he completed 66.8% of his passes for 2,551 yards, with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Two of the interceptions came in a loss to North Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe, Alabama
6-2 and 220
Lowdown: Milroe stayed at Alabama despite the retirement of Nick Saban and subsequent hiring of Kalen DeBoer. Milroe last season finished third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.98) and seventh yards per completion (15.16). He passed for 2,834 yards, with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions, and rushed for 531 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns.
Quarterback Miller Moss, USC
6-1 and 205
Lowdown: With Heisman winner Caleb Williams now with the Chicago Bears, Moss could be running the offense this season. The redshirt junior has played in a total of 12 games in three seasons with the Trojans. But he filled in for Williams in the Holiday Bowl last season and completed 23 of 33 attempts for 372 yards and record six touchdown passes in a 42-28 victory over Louisville. His overall numbers at USC: 66 of 92 attempts (71.7%) for 914 yards, with nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
Defensive back Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
6-0 and 205
Lowdown: Thieneman last season recorded six interceptions, 74 solo tackles and 106 total tackles. He was named the Big Ten freshman of the year and a third-team All-American according to The Associated Press.
Running back Kyle Monangai, Rutgers
5-9 and 210
Lowdown: A consensus second-team, all-Big Ten pick last season, Monangai led the league in rushing with 1,262 yards. He scored eight touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
Linebacker Xander Mueller, Northwestern
6-3 and 235
Lowdown: Mueller had a relatively quiet game (six tackles) in the Wildcats’ 24-10 victory over UW last season but he finished the season with five sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 110 total tackles and three interceptions.
Quarterback Drew Allar, Penn State
6-5 and 241
Lowdown: The Nittany Lions return two outstanding tailbacks but Allar is coming off an impressive sophomore season. Allar became just the second FBS quarterback to throw at least 25 touchdown passes and no more than two interceptions. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker was the first, in 2022. Allar didn’t have an interception in his first 251 attempts last season. How well he meshes with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki should be interesting.
Defensive back Sebastian Castro, Iowa
5-11 and 205
Lowdown: Castro was overshadowed last season by the play of Cooper DeJean. With DeJean in the NFL, Castro should receive more attention for his outstanding play. He led Iowa in passes broken up (eight) and interceptions (three), tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (eight) and finished third in tackles (67). He was named a third-team All-American by The Associated Press.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
5-11 and 205
Lowdown: Gabriel transferred to Oregon after playing the last two seasons at Oklahoma. Gabriel, who played his first two seasons at Central Florida, enters 2024 tied for fourth in NCAA history in all-time total touchdowns (152), seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865) and eighth in passing touchdowns (125).
Quarterback Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
6-3 and 220
Lowdown: Does anyone remember the last time Nebraska had a difference-maker at quarterback? Raiola, a freshman and son of former Nebraska center Dominic Raiola, is expected to give the offense something it has lacked for years. For fans who live and die with recruiting rankings, Raiola was the No. 1 ranked quarterback in his class.
Running back Darius Taylor, Minnesota
5-11 and 210
Lowdown: Taylor missed more than half the season because of a leg injury but still finished with 799 rushing yards, 133.2 yards per game, and five touchdowns. He closed his freshman season by rushing for 208 yards and a touchdown in the Gophers’ 30-24 victory over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66d2eabb43884fd489d5e89a58703a86&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fuw%2F2024%2F08%2F30%2Fthese-are-the-best-players-wisconsins-football-team-will-face-in-2024%2F74926347007%2F&c=17030682341077840723&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-30 00:02:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
