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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst acknowledged a hard truth Monday.
Asked to describe his club's margin for error, Chryst used the word "small."
He proceeded to link it to an offense that, according to Football Bowl Subdivision data, ranks 98th in scoring, 110th in touchdowns generated and 113th in red zone conversion ratio out of 128 schools.
"Right now we're not that explosive of an offense," Chryst said matter-of-factly. "Right now we're not putting a ton of points on the board."
The Badgers are averaging 23.8 points and 371.6 yards per game — on pace to be their lowest outputs since 2004 — but those numbers need some context.
UW has faced five teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll and played clubs that are a combined 47-34 (.580) overall.
Three opponents are currently ranked among the top 15 defenses overall and five are situated among the top scoring defenses in the FBS.
The margin for error is notable because Wisconsin has still managed to spend seven weeks ranked among the AP top 10 — the most since 2011 — and placed itself in the middle of the Big Ten Conference title chase.
So far the seventh-ranked Badgers (7-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten) have found a way to balance their deficiencies with discipline and resourcefulness.
A balky offense is complemented by a defensive unit that ranks in the top 15 in rushing, scoring and total defense.
UW also doesn't beat itself with unforced errors like fumbles — only four have been lost to date — and penalties.
Going into their Big Ten matchup with Illinois (3-6, 2-4) at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, the Badgers are one of the least-penalized clubs in the FBS.
Their rate of 2.67 infractions per game (24 in nine) ranks second nationally and is on pace to be the best in program history. The only other UW clubs to average under three penalties per outing were in 1950 (2.78), 1972 (2.91) and 1995 (2.91).
"It comes down to everyone being disciplined and everyone really trusting their technique and trusting one another," junior tight end Troy Fumagalli said. "Just doing their jobs sound.
"I think it's a testament to the way we practice and how we're taught the game."
Wisconsin has had two penalty-less outings this season — vs. Georgia State and Iowa — something it hadn't done in a game since 1997.
The Badgers have had a grand total of two penalties in their last three games, including one each vs. Nebraska and Northwestern.
Why is UW so adept at avoiding yellow penalty flags this season?
"Our coaches coach within the rules and our players understand it," Chryst said.
"We have very smart guys," senior safety Leo Musso said. "A lot of guys take a lot of pride in that."
Overall, 10 of the penalties have come with UW on offense, nine on defense and five on special teams.
"We take enough penalties in practice," junior wide receiver Jazz Peavy said. "You get yelled at (and) you learn not to do it in a game for sure. You lock in and get a little more focused because we know how costly things like that can be for us."
Sophomore inside linebacker T.J. Edwards echoed that thought.
"You'll hear from the rest of your teammates," he said of in-practice penalties. "They'll harp on you. They let you know you messed up."
Wisconsin is 5-1 this season and 12-3 during the Chryst era when having fewer penalties.
Being disciplined when it comes to penalties is no guarantee of success, though. Half of the FBS top 10 in that category have losing records.
It all goes back to knowing your margin for error and understanding what it takes to stay inside the lines.
Musso said members of the UW defense go into each game believing they have zero margin for error.
"Anything they get is on us, whether it's a blown assignment or blown technique," he said of opponents.
"We don't like to make a lot of mistakes just because, if we do, we're going to hear it from our teammates," Edwards said.
The Badgers have been spotty on offense — they've made good on 75.8 percent of red zone chances and their third-down conversion ratio is middle-of-the-pack at 41.1 percent — which "puts more pressure on the defense (and) special teams," Chryst said.
It is pressure that Edwards and the UW defense embrace.
"The only thing we can do is make sure the offense gets as many chances to score as we can," he said.
The Badgers are quite young on offense — 13 freshmen and sophomores in the two-deep, including five starters — which helps put their inconsistencies in perspective.
"We've played good teams (and) against good teams you're going to have a smaller margin for error," Chryst said.
According to Chryst, there's a benefit to having an abbreviated margin for error in that everyone must be engaged if you want the right outcome.
"We need everyone — all units and all guys who contribute on those — because you can look back at a lot of our games and say these four, five, six plays make the difference," he said.
So far, UW has made enough of those plays count.
