Paul Chryst is sticking with Jack Dunn as Wisconsin's No. 1 punt-returner

MADISON – Unless Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst has the ultimate poker face, he plans to stick with Jack Dunn as the Badgers’ No. 1 punt-returner.

Dunn and fellow wide receivers Aron Cruickshank and Danny Davis worked on punt returns in camp and have continued to do so during the season.

“Right now, Dunner gives us our best chance,” Chryst said after practice on Thursday.

Dunn entered the Northwestern game averaging a respectable 11.7 yards on 13 returns. He struggled against Northwestern’s Daniel Kubiuk, a rugby-style punter.

Dunn fielded three of 10 punts, averaged just 1.0 yards per return and muffed a punt with UW holding a 24-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Northwestern recovered the muff at the UW 32 and drove for a touchdown.

“With the rugby style, you didn’t know what kind of kick you were going to get,” Chryst said. “Very different than the week before when you had an idea and the punts were returnable.

“Certainly the No. 1 thing for that position is to possess the ball. Some of it might have been where he is trying to do too much: ‘I can give this team more.’

“It come from the right spot. But I think that, especially in a game like that and the way those kicks were coming, possessing is doing your part. A lot of these things come from guys trying to impact it but you also have to stay within who you are.”

UW hosts Kent State at 11 a.m. and the Golden Flashes have a very good punter in Derek Adams, a redshirt junior who is left-footed.

Adams was a second-team pick in the Mid-American Conference in 2017 when he averaged 43.6 yards per punt, the No. 2 mark in program history. He played in only four games last season to preserve a year of eligibility and this season is averaging 43.9 yards per punt.

Adams, who uses a traditional style, has punted 21 times in four games. He has eight punts of at least 50 yards and has forced a fair catch 10 times.

“He is a really good punter,” Chryst said. “He can be accurate with directional kicking. Very different than what we saw last week. It will be challenging.”

Will UW's special teams be up to the challenge this week? Through four games, the units have been inconsistent. 

"Our special teams have had moments that are really good," Chryst said.

And some others that were less than stellar.

"I think last week is a good example," Chryst said. "The negatives are in essence the three turnovers."

The first occurred Northwestern's second possession. 

After three fruitless plays, Northwestern lined up to punt from its 4. UW appeared to have excellent field position at the Wildcats' 45 after the punt but a face-mask penalty on cornerback Rachad Wildgoose gave the Wildcats a first down at their 19 instead.  

"He's playing aggressive, doing what we coach him to do, and his hand slipped and it gets high," defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said.

The Wildcats capitalized on that mistake to drive for a 29-yard field goal to cut UW's lead to 7-3 with 1 minute 37 seconds left in the first quarter.   

"You’ve got the punt return that we fumbled," Chryst said, referring to Dunn's mistake. "And then the missed onside (kick). That is three turnovers."

Reserve defensive back Cristian Volpentesta was unable to field an onside kick after the Wildcats pulled within 24-9 with 8:45 remaining in the game. 

Northwestern took over at its 38 but had the ball for only three plays because linebacker Chris Orr forced a fumble and linebacker Mike Maskalunas recovered at the Wildcats' 42.

"Anytime you do that it makes it hard, especially against a good team," Chryst said of the miscues. "I think there are some things that they are doing well and you can build on. But there are obviously areas where we’ve got to grow and get better at."