Breaking Down The Badgers: Kicking Game

The first area to examine for Wisconsin is the kicking game. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin ranks the following in kicking stats:

Stats are for 11 teams in the conference:

Field goals- Ranked #4 in field goals.

Kickoffs- Ranked #9 in kickoffs.

Punting- Ranked #8 in punting.

The placekicker for the Badgers is 6-3,190 pound freshman Philip Welch. The redshirt freshman is 18-of-22 (.818) overall this season. That field goal percentage is eighth-best in the country among kickers with at least 20 FGs attempted and would be the fourth-best single-season mark in UW history. Welch leads all freshman kickers in the country in field goals made and field goal percentage.

Welch made a career-long 52-yard FG against Michigan that is tied for the fourth longest kick in school history. He is 8-of-10 on field goals of at least 40 yards. He is averaging 1.64 field goals per game, is third in the Big Ten and tied for 12th in the country.

Welch leads the Badgers with 88 points this season and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 8.0 points per game. He did miss one extra point on the season. At home, he had a better field goal percentage than on the road. Welch also does the kickoffs for the Badgers and averaged 62.56 yards per kick. He had 5 touchbacks which is among the lowest in the Big Ten and 1 kicked out of bounds.

The punter for Wisconsin is 6-3, 215 pound freshman Brad Nortman. Nortman averaged 41.58 yards per punt which placed him #5 in the Big 10 for punters.