This week, DI football reporter Charlie Green talked to Badger Herald Sports Editor Chris Bumbaca about Wisconsin as it gets ready to face off with the Hawkeyes on Saturday in Madison.

DI: A lot of people wonder who the next standout Badger running back will be. Is Taiwan Deal that guy?

Bumbaca: It’s still a little to early to tell. He’s played in only four games at the college level, and aside from Alabama, it’s been against ghastly competition.

At the same time, though, he’s gone from relatively unknown during spring ball to the Badgers’ primary back. Still, I’m not comfortable anointing him the “next standout Badger running back,” because that’s some pretty hefty company.

DI: Joel Stave’s past mental struggles have been well-documented. Where is he now?

Bumbaca: For the first time in his career, Stave exudes confidence. I think that was evident right off the bat in the season-opener against Alabama. He’s looked poised in the pocket and hasn’t made too many poor decisions thus far, despite the level of competition.

Chryst named Stave his starter the first day of spring ball this year. I think that was huge for Joel, because for the first time in his career, he got through a training camp without having to compete for his job. That allowed him to not worry about making certain passes and really establish chemistry with receivers.

So, compared with where he was at a little more than a year ago, I’d say he’s done a complete 180.

DI: The offensive line is always a strength at Wisconsin but graduated a few guys last year. How’s it holding up?

Bumbaca: For the first time in a long time, the offensive line has been a bit of a question mark. The unit graduated three guys: Dallas Lewallen, Kyle Costigan, and Rob Havenstein (now with the Rams). Redshirt freshman Michael Deiter stepped right in for Lewallen at left guard, but the departures of Costigan and Havenstein left the entire right side open.

There was a slew of injuries during training camp, every day it seemed as if someone else was going down. It became a three-man battle between Micah Kapoi, Walker Williams, and Hayden Biegel for three spots. The Badgers started the season with Williams at right guard and Biegel at right tackle, but Kapoi has started the last two games at guard. Also, Jacob Maxwell has seen some time at tackle.

The O-line has gotten better every week, and veterans such as left-tackle Tyler Marz and center Dan Voltz have anchored the unit, but there’s still work to be done, and the coaching staff knows that.

DI: Defensively, what makes this unit strong?

Bumbaca: A lot of things, really.

Safety Michael Caputo is the quarterback of the defense, and he’s an exceptional all-around player. The Badgers really missed him in the Alabama game because of a concussion.

The outside linebackers, Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel, are the defense’s playmakers. They lead the nation in tackles for loss by a pair of linebackers (15), and Schobert ranks fourth in the country in sacks (6). They both get after the quarterback hard, and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda loves to let them loose.

On the inside, true freshman Chris Orr has emerged as a stud. He earned a starting job last week, playing alongside another freshman, T.J. Edwards.

The Badgers haven’t allowed a touchdown in their last 188:02 minutes of play and have scattered 3 points over their last three games.

Since Aranda took over three seasons ago, the Badgers lead the nation in both scoring defense (10.8 points per game) and total defense (239.1 yards per game).

DI: It’s a little too soon to tell for Gordon, but we’ve seen guys like J.J. Watt and Russell Wilson become superstars at the next level. Is there anyone on the 2015 squad with that potential?

Other than Corey Clement, who hasn’t proven himself as the go-to guy and will have to wait for a while (sports-hernia surgery), I don’t see it.

But who knows. J.J. Watt wasn’t too heralded outside of Wisconsin until his workouts before the draft, and Wisconsin is a feeder to the league for solid, consistent talent.

Currently, there are 25 former Badgers currently listed on NFL rosters.

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