FLOOD: Mix of Physicality and Flare, Jeff Grimes Has the Wisconsin Offense on an Intriguing Track

MADISON, Wis. — Entering my 16th season covering Wisconsin football, I’ve seen a lot of fall camps and spring practices. Until the bullets start flying, you never truly know what to make of the preseason. Along those lines, I’ve seen dormant offenses come alive once the season starts and vice versa. Admittedly, I wasn’t big on the Jeff Grimes hire as offensive coordinator initially. I’ll still reserve final judgment until that time comes, but there’s reason for optimism.

At first, Grimes felt like an overcorrection. Head coach Luke Fickell, saw his splash hire of Phil Longo go down in flames in less than two seasons. The air-raid, which promised to bring Wisconsin football up-to-speed and mirror some of the top offenses in college football, never really got off the ground. Grimes, who had a pro-style, or what he now calls an NFL style, background and a tendency to be very offensive line and tight end-friendly, got run out of his last two stops, Baylor and Kansas of the Big 12.

But, when the fit’s right, it’s right…and just maybe Grimes and Wisconsin seem to fit well together. And unlike the last two seasons, I can watch a practice and not wonder, ‘What is this team trying to be?’

“Being the toughest, most physical, nastiness, and most disciplined team. Really just wearing teams out,” quarterback Billy Edwards said of UW’s offensive identity. “When teams come in here, they should expect a four-quarter fight. It’s our job to kind of make sure that happens on our terms, and we play the game how we want to play. When you look up Wisconsin football and the tradition in history, kind of what pops up and what you know, what does it make you think of? I think that’s what we’re trying to get back to.”

That’s certainly a nice change of pace and a ringing endorsement for a Wisconsin offense that finished No. 73 in the country in rushing yards per game, the program’s lowest finish since the Barry Alvarez era. With him, Grimes has brought an identity. And that identity is to hit defenses in the mouth and then play off of that.

Pound the Rock

Between Dilin Jones, Cade Yacamelli, and Darrion Dupree, the Badgers are coming downhill, but also willing to hit the edge with the wide zone and move these around and offer up different pairings. If you need any further evidence of how important the run game is, Wisconsin begins each practice with the half-line drills and two sets going on simultaneously.

Whereas Longo was exclusively hanging out with the quarterbacks and wide receivers during practice and struggled to answer questions about the offensive line, Grimes usually begins practice involved with the offensive line and tight ends — a noticeable shift in the mentality.

“I know where his (eyes) are going to go and I love it,” offensive line coach A.J. Blazek said of Grimes.

“The biggest thing in an offense like this, the stream, the finish, the competitive drive, the physicality. I think that’s where you see the difference. As an o-lineman, I get it, pass-pro is great, but you like running the football. We’re gonna throw the ball plenty, but there’s gonna be more play-action. It’s going to be built around the run game. As an o-lineman, it gives you a chance to run the rock, get some weight on your hands, and go forward.”

And if you can win at the point of attack and establish the line of scrimmage, it makes everyone’s job easier.

Wisconsin had a third-down conversion rate of 34.5 percent last season, good for No. 114 in FBS. The Badgers also only picked up 4.5 third-down conversions per game, a mark that ranked No. 115. And it’s not hard to understand why. Unable to run the ball effectively on the early downs, facing 3rd and 7 or longer became fairly routine in 2024.

When the Badgers rush for at least 150 yards, they are 12-0 under Fickell. When they don’t? 1-13. UW has been inconsistent when it comes to dictating the tempo. The Badgers were No. 92 and No. 83 nationally in average time of possession under Longo, losing the combined battle to their opponents in each of his two seasons. It’s safe to say, UW does not foresee that trend continuing under Grimes.

“Something this offense has proven to me is controlling the game,” said Yacamelli. “What I mean by that is controlling the clock. I feel like we did not do a very good job of that last year. That goes with running the football. If you can really establish the run, having those methodical drives, that’s something I’ve seen this offense do pretty positively this camp.”

Grimes Can Balance Physicality and Creativity

If you’re worried about it, Grimes isn’t taking Wisconsin all the way back to the Chryst era. A stark contrast, whereas Badger fans were begging Chryst for some innovation on offense, even a simple jet sweep or rolling the quarterback out of the pocket, it might be the opposite with Grimes. Despite his attempts to be a “violent”, run-oriented offense, Grimes may be guilty of too much flare.

“They can expect not to know where the ball is going. I’ll leave it at that. There’s so many different ways the ball moves, you’ll be surprised,” said senior wide receiver Vinny Anthony, who had 672 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season.

And if you’re going to run the football, you better do it right. There is one similarity between Grimes and Chryst, one all Wisconsin fans will surely love…the fullback. The Badgers want all 11 players on the field involved in the run game, and they want them to do it in a physical manner.

“If I had to say what I am most proud of in this training camp so far, it’s that,” tight ends coach Nate Letton stated. “There is belief in how we run the football.”

There’s also plenty to like pre-snap. Grimes has implemented a ton of motion and eye candy that can stress a defense. Junior linebacker Christian Alliegro compared the scheme to Penn State, who made the college football playoffs and was top 25 nationally in scoring offense, total offense, and rushing offense last season. If nothing else, Grimes’ attack should take up plenty of time during film study for opposing defenses.

“You don’t have time to sit there and think,” said senior inside linebacker Aaron Witt in regards to trying to defend UW’s offense. “You have to be comfortable with your playbook top to bottom.”

“All the shifts and adjustments that he forces you to make. You can never line up in one defense and one call and expect not to have to make adjustments,” defensive coordinator Mike Tressel explained. “There are constantly adjustments and there’s a lot of challenges (with) eye discipline.”

Will Wisconsin Revive Grimes?

It’s important to tell the whole story on Longo. He was hired to take a complete 180 with the Wisconsin offense in 2023 and then inherited Braelon Allen, a big, brusing tailback whose best attribute is to play the game in a phone booth and wear down opponents. You don’t have to look hard to find an internal struggle. Just glance at Allen’s carry distribution throughout the season. The Badgers also dealt with injuries to their starting quarterbacks, Tanner Mordecai and Tyler Van Dyke, in both of Longo’s seasons. In the case of Van Dyke, he tore his ACL in week three and never returned.

Grimes’ scheme takes pressure off the quarterback, but Wisconsin almost assuredly can’t survive without Edwards under center. The Badgers are also breaking in a new left tackle, Davis Heinzen, who didn’t arrive until the summer. UW appears to have five capable starters on its offensive line, but it doesn’t appear they have the depth in place quite yet. That being said, Grimes certainly isn’t immune to suffering a similar fate in year one.

While Grimes’ stint at Kansas only lasted one season, the Jayhawks were No. 39 nationally in total offense (410.9 ypg). His three units at Baylor weren’t anything special, but for two out of three seasons, the Bears averaged just shy of 30 ppg under a defensive-minded head coach. In his last season at BYU, Grimes led the Cougars to one of their most prolific offensive seasons in school history. A finalist for the Broyles Award, Grimes watched over a BYU attack that was ninth nationally in points per game (41.5 ppg) and first in FBS in yards per play (7.84).

Compare those numbers to Wisconsin. The finished outside the top 90 each of the last two seasons in scoring offense and has been outside the top 80 in total offense in four of the last five years. Thus far, the Badgers have only had one opponent in fall camp…themselves. But that opponent, the UW defense, admittedly struggles with the philosophical shift.

Now, will it translate to game day?

“We’re getting punched in the mouth every day,” Tressel said.

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