Badgers snap counts, grades on offense vs. Notre Dame: The RB distribution was quite even

The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a blowout 41-13 loss at the hands of the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday evening, as they struggled in the second half of a game that quickly got away from them. It was a night when the Badgers played many new faces on offense, including quarterback Colton Joseph, as Wisconsin had nine new starters on offense. Who all played, and what was the snap distribution at every position? Let's break down Wisconsin's snap counts and PFF grades and what they mean for the offense. Quarterbacks Colton Joseph – Snap Count: [61], Grade: 57.1 No surprises here. Colton Joseph got all 61 snaps with the offense, as the Badgers kept their starters out there for the whole night despite the blowout. I shared a ton of my thoughts on Joseph's performance here. Running Backs Abu Sama III – Snap Count: [31], Grade: 66.2 Darrion Dupree – Snap Count: [25], Grade: 64.4 Nate Palmer – Snap Count: [4], Grade: 55.7 Tyler Jansey – Snap Count: [1], Grade: 60.0 Abu Sama was the clear lead back with carries, getting 15 to Darrion Dupree's four. But the two actually got a similar number of snaps, with Dupree coming in on passing downs. The Badgers trust Dupree's improved pass protection, and he's the better pass-catcher, keeping Sama fresh with a near-even split. When Bryan Jackson returns, we'll see how his role is integrated into the mix. Wide Receivers Chris Brooks Jr. – Snap Count: [47], Grade: 66.0 Tyrell Henry – Snap Count: [43], Grade: 59.3 Malachi Coleman – Snap Count: [40], Grade: 75.4 Eugene Hilton Jr. – Snap Count: [17], Grade: 71.4 Shamar Rigby – Snap Count: [15], Grade: 56.5 Chris Brooks, Tyrell Henry, and Malachi Coleman were the clear top three receivers, with Wisconsin interchanging guys from the outside and the slot. Eugene Hilton, despite being listed as a starter, got only 17 reps, while Shamar Rigby got 15 as well. This seems to be Wisconsin's top five right now. Coleman was the highlight of the group, catching four passes for 76 yards, while Hilton, Brooks, and Henry caught four, three, and three passes, respectively, as well. The target distribution was quite even. Henry had seven, Brooks had six, Coleman had five, and Hilton had four. Tight Ends Grant Stec – Snap Count: [42], Grade: 60.9 Emmett Bork – Snap Count: [18], Grade: 60.3 Jacob Harris – Snap Count: [17], Grade: 54.3 Ryan Schwendeman – Snap Count: [5], Grade: 56.2 Grant Stec was the clear lead tight end and the team's top pass catching tight end. He had three catches for 20 yards on three targets. Bork was the main tight end in bigger sets, as him and Stec got most of the run-blocking reps. Harris saw 17 reps, running a route on over two-thirds of them. Ryan Schwendeman was brought in purely as a blocker for his five reps. Offensive Line Colin Cubberly – Snap Count: [61], Grade: 66.0 Austin Kawecki – Snap Count: [61], Grade: 65.4 Kevin Heywood – Snap Count: [61], Grade: 45.1 PJ Wilkins – Snap Count: [53], Grade: 49.3 Blake Cherry – Snap Count: [38], Grade: 57.3 Stylz Blackmon – Snap Count: [23], Grade: 59.5 Lucas Simmons-Johansson – Snap Count: [8], Grade: 54.5 Cubberly, Kawecki, and Heywood all got full workloads, despite the latter coming off his injury. Wisconsin rotated a good amount at right guard, with Stylz Blackmon getting the start, but it was Blake Cherry who saw most of the second-half reps. Lucas Simmons-Johansson also got in a little bit at left tackle. The right guard backup battle left a lot to be desired. That was the position that struggled the most on the offensive line, although Wilkins had some tough moments as well. Overall, I thought the offensive line honestly wasn't bad, aside from right guard and a very few select plays (like Colton Joseph's interception when Wilkins was easily beaten). Blake Cherry and Kevin Heywood gave up two pressures each, per PFF, while Stylz Blackmon, Wilkins, and Colin Cubberly each had one pressure. Have more coming later, but I thought Cubberly and Austin Kawecki were the two most impressive of the group on Sunday.