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Now come the big boys.
Sayville’s Jack Coan passed his first two tests as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback with flying colors. While leading the Badgers to two blowout wins over South Florida and Central Michigan, Coan completed 76 percent of his passes and threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions.
On Saturday, the 2017 Sayville High School graduate faces his biggest challenge yet in No. 11 Michigan, which in spite of nearly being upset by Army two weeks ago boasts one of the country’s top defenses. FOX will air the Big Ten matchup, which kicks off at noon.
“They have a great defense. It’s full of athletes, especially the d-backs,” Coan, a junior, told Wisconsin State Journal, later adding, “We feel confident in ourselves. We feel we are a good team.”
No. 13 Wisconsin opened the season with a 49-0 win over South Florida, and then whitewashed Central Michigan, 61-0, in Week Two. Coan, who ranks 10th in the nation in passing efficiency, has helped the Badgers achieve something that hasn’t happened in nearly 40 years.
[getty src="1168970197" width="594" height="396" tld="com"]In outscoring its first two opponents 110-0, Wisconsin became the first NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team since South Carolina in 1980 to score at least 100 points and allow zero points in the first two games of the season.
Michigan meanwhile opened the season with a 40-21 victory over Middle Tennessee, and then needed double overtime to edge Army, 24-21.
Last season, Coan started five games in place of injured first-stringer Alex Hornibrook. Coan’s 2018 starts did not include Wisconsin’s 38-13 loss on the road to Michigan, during which the Wolverines defense limited Wisconsin to 100 yards in the air (Hornibrook was 7 for 20 with two interceptions).
Coan’s starts last fall and winter did include the Badgers’ Pinstripe Bowl 35-3 victory over Miami at Yankee Stadium.
Coan said this week he is growing more and more comfortable in his role.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely felt in a rhythm,” he said. “It’s good to just come out and get some completions right away. I feel that helps me a little bit.”
