Badger Of Honor answers questions about Pinstripe Bowl

Left guard Michael Deiter and right guard Beau Benzschawel were both named All-Americans this season and should be drafted high in the spring. Right tackle David Edwards is likely to leave school early this year and will probably get drafted even higher than both of those guys. Even center Tyler Biadasz is mulling early entry.

As you can see, you would be hard-pressed to find a more talented offensive line in all of college football. However, despite these postseason accolades and national recognition, most Badgers fans would tell you that they have been disappointed in the offensive line’s play this season. I count myself among them.

That being said, you must first give credit where it is due. Jonathan Taylor is an incredibly talented running back who deserves much of the credit for his success over the past couple of seasons, but this offensive line has been excellent at paving holes for him on the ground throughout his career, and that includes this season.

As a result, I have been satisfied with the group’s run-blocking this year. However, there have been far too many breakdowns in protection in crucial passing situations for my liking, and in some cases, these mistakes have been major factors in losses. In this sense, the line has clearly regressed from last year.