Wisconsin’s offense became tough to watch down the stretch last season, with major struggles in the passing game.

But the Badgers played without their top two wide receivers for most of 2020. Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor took advantage of the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility rule this offseason, so they will get another shot at closing with strong senior seasons, and it starts Saturday against Penn State.

Davis is in his 5th year at Wisconsin, while Pryor was given a 6th year of eligibility, making them one of the most experienced wide receiver duos in college football. Davis suffered a concussion in the second game last fall and never returned to the field, while Pryor was diagnosed with the same injury in the same game and appeared in one more before aggravating the injury.

So Davis and Pryor should be hungry for success, and to get more acclimated with young QB Graham Mertz. In the one full game the three were all together, the offense was fantastic as Mertz connected on 20 of 21 pass attempts with 5 touchdowns against Illinois.

If Davis and Pryor can stay healthy, the sky seems to be the limit. Davis is the clear No. 1 wide receiver option and should lead the team in yards, though his single-season statistics do not jump off the page. His best 2 seasons came in his first 2 years with the program, when he tallied 418 yards in each of them. Pryor is a speedster who can make a difference in the running game on jet sweeps. In his career, he has carried the ball 32 times for 368 yards — 11.5 yards per carry! —  with 5 TDs.

We can make all the excuses for Mertz’s lack of production in 2020 and while a lot of them are valid, this is the year he needs to show what he can do. Throwing to a young and inexperienced wide receiver corps, Mertz’s confidence seemed to fade over the course of last season as the Badgers went through a stretch of scoring 7 points or less in 3 straight games.

If there is a small blessing in disguise from last season, it’s how much unexpected playing time some of the reserve receivers saw. Chimere Dike was the biggest beneficiary, as he played a ton as a true freshman and has a real chance at being the team’s second most productive wide receiver by the end of this season. Jack Dunn is another senior who took advantage of an extra year of eligibility to round out the two-deep. Behind them is a group of question marks, but hopefully the Badgers won’t need to play a No. 5 wide receiver all that much.

With the top 4 wide receivers along with a future NFL tight end in Jake Ferguson, all of a sudden Mertz has a solid group of pass-catchers in what is a crucial season for him. There is a ton of pressure on Mertz to perform close to the expectations that come with a player who had his choice of just about any school in the country.

The biggest reason for concern with the passing game is health. Davis missed some time during fall camp with a head injury, which is certainly not good news considering that’s what kept him out for almost all of last season. Paul Chryst said Davis is expected to play in the season opener, and it will be important to see him having success early.

After a highly-anticipated season opener at home against the Nittany Lions, Wisconsin will play Notre Dame and Michigan in 2 of its next 3 games, so the passing game doesn’t have much time to get into a groove.

In a limited sample size, the passing game operated at a much different level with Davis and Pryor on the field at the same time in 2020. It’s impossible to truly know what this offense would’ve looked like down the stretch with a healthy wide receiver duo, but it would’ve been fun to watch, and they’ll get another chance starting Saturday.