The Badgers have learned important lessons from their two-minute drill in the first two games

MADISON – One area of Wisconsin’s offense that clearly requires a bit of fine-tuning is the two-minute drill.

To be fair, the Badgers have executed the two-minute drill just twice in two games this season so the pool of data is small.

Yet UW needed a tremendous effort from tailback Jonathan Taylor to score at the end of a two-minute drill in the opener at South Florida and then failed to score at the end of the first half against Central Michigan.

"There’s a lot of things that go into it (and) I think each situation is different," head coach Paul Chryst said Monday as his team prepared to host Michigan in the Big Ten opener at 11 a.m. Saturday. "What are you trying to get done? How do you play off of what just happened?

"I think that two-minute drills at the end of a half can be very different than at the end of a game. Because you’re seeing if you can get something but you don’t want to give the opponent another possession.

"I think each one has its own uniqueness to it. That is what is great from playing. You do learn from every piece of it."

Quarterback Jack Coan completed 7 of 7 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown at the end of the first half at South Florida. UW drove 80 yards in 11 plays and 5 minutes 10 seconds to build its lead to 28-0.

UW came within a few inches and seconds of not scoring, however.

“I felt that was certainly something we didn't handle the first game real well,” Chryst said.

First, the Badgers burned 28 seconds between the seventh and eighth plays of the drive. Tight end Jake Ferguson was brought down with 1:08 left after an 8-yard reception, leaving UW facing third and 3 from the South Florida 36.

UW had two timeouts but the next snap came at 40 seconds, with tailback Garrett Groshek gaining 8 yards on a run to the 28.

The Badgers got to the line quickly with the clock stopped at 33 seconds to move the chains but still needed seven seconds to snap the ball.

"You have to get the line set and stay in communication with everyone because it is going to be a quick call," center Tyler Biadasz said in describing his responsibility during the two-minute drive. 

Coan gained 4 yards to the 24 on a designed run and UW used its second timeout, with 20 seconds left. Coan then hit Quintez Cephus for 17 yards to the 7 with 12 seconds left and UW lined up quickly to spike the ball.

Biadasz was called for an illegal snap with nine seconds left, however, and UW was forced to use its final timeout to avoid a 10-second run-off.

Coan then passed underneath to Taylor, who caught the ball at the 5 and had to power through two defenders near the goal line to score with two seconds left.

“We’ve got to do a better job helping them and he as the leader can help,” Chryst said, referring to Coan.

Against Central Michigan, UW held a 44-0 lead when it took over at its 42 with 1:22 left in the first half.

Coan completed 3 of 3 passes for 20 yards but two negative-yardage plays killed the drive. Taylor lost 4 yards on a reception on the first play of the drive and Coan was sacked for a 6-yard loss to midfield on the third play of the drive.

UW eventually settled for a 51-yard field-goal attempt by Collin Larsh but the kick was wide left.

"You’ve got to react to pressures (blitzes)," Biadasz said. "Against Central Michigan we got caught with one pressure."

Coan, a combined 10 for 10 for 86 yards in the two-minute drill in the first two games, stressed the importance of making yardage on the first play of the drive. 

Taylor gained just 1 yard on a run to open the series at South Florida and lost 4 yards on a reception to open the series against Central Michigan.

Coan found Groshek for 16 yards on a screen on a key third-down play against South Florida to spark the touchdown drive. A sack for a loss of 6 yards on the third play of the drive against Central Michigan proved too much to overcome.

"First getting us going, getting a completion whether it is down the field or even short is key," Coan said. "Just getting us positive right away and then just keeping us in good situations. You don’t want to take sacks or have negative-yardage plays."

The Badgers was able to overcome a short gain and lesser clock management at South Florida. They weren't good enough to overcome two negative-yardage plays during the two-minute drill against Central Michigan, however.

“There is an example of where we can still be better," Chryst said.