How Wisconsin Badgers unlocked dominant late-season pass rushing from Darryl Peterson

He had one sack all of 2024. It took some time to see the payoff from his new role, but he has felt himself building toward this success all season long.

His teammate Mason Reiger received most of the praise along the way, leading the team in sacks and pressures for the majority of the season.

As a result, more attention from opposing offensive line goes Reiger's way, leaving Peterson more one-on-one matchups to take advantage of.

"This is one of the first years that I’ve been here where all of our D-Line and edge players have done a great job working together," Peterson said. "We know he’s going to win his one-on-one, I’ve got to win my one-on-one, and we’re just going to work together to get to the quarterback.”

The added pass rushing talent up front has given the coaching staff confidence in the players to give them more freedom at the line of scrimmage.

In years past, the Badgers have had to blitz and run stunts more often to free up pass rushers to get through the offensive line.

This season, Peterson and company have had the green light to pin their ears back and go after the quarterback.

"We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of just four-man rushes. We don’t really have to do a lot of stunts," Peterson said. "We don’t really have to do a lot to get pressure on the quarterback, and that makes it easier for a guy like myself and everybody else in there because we don’t have to [set a] pick for a guy to free."

That's allowed them to think less and play more fast and loose.

Peterson has been able to apply that up-and-down the line of scrimmage, lining up everywhere from outside the tight end to inside across from an offensive guard.

It has produced the best version of the senior linebacker, and it's why Fickell sees a potential NFL future for Peterson.