After a bye week, the Wisconsin Badgers return home to Camp Randall to take on just the second FBS team of the season and get above .500 for the first time this season.
Bowling Green comes in to Camp Randall on the heels of a 45-42 win over Indiana in Week 3 of the college football season. That win came at home, but this is also a team that won the MAC championship over Northern Illinois so underestimating Bowling Green may not be the best decision.
Defensively, this team has eight starters that have stayed starters from the start of the season through the Indiana game. Let’s take a look at the numbers, the players and the strengths and weaknesses of the Falcons’ defense.
Starters: (2014 season stats/honors)
DE: Bryan Thomas – Sr. (6-2, 248) – 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass break up
NG: Taylor Royster – Jr. (5-10, 255) – 8 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss
DT: Zach Colvin – Sr. (6-3, 287) – 1 game played, 1 quarterback hurry
DE: Charlie Walker – Sr. (6-3, 247) – 8 tackles, 2 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble
OLB: D.J. Lynch – Sr. (6-0, 252) – 6 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss
MLB: Nate Locke R-Fr. • 5-11, 227) – 13 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
OLB: Gabe Martin – Sr. (6-2, 236) – 26 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 PBU, 1 QB hurry
– Preseason 1st team All-MAC (Phil Steele), 2nd team All-MAC (Athlon)
CB: Jude Adjei-Barimah – Sr. (5-11 • 200) – 21 tackles
SS: Brian Sutton – Sr. (5-11, 199) – 29 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
FS: Ryland Ward – Sr. (5-10, 195) – 15 tackles, 1 interception
CB: Darrell Hunter – Jr.(5-0, 178) – 10 tackles, 1 pass break up
Team Rankings: (Stat/MAC/National) *according to CFBstats.com
Total Defense: 569.3ypg/13th/125th
Scoring Defense: 36ppg/9th/107th
Passing Defense: 412.3ypg/13th/128th
Rushing Defense: 157ypg/6th/70th
– Clearly the Bowling Green defense has been tested in the pass game. However, don’t let it fool you too much because they’ve faced two teams who love to chuck the ball around in Western Kentucky and Indiana. Wisconsin will be looking to get a balanced attack going on Saturday with the lack of a run game in the first few weeks and the need for Tanner McEvoy’s continued improvement.
3 Keys to Success:
1. Get Ground Game Going Early: The Badgers have struggled to get their run game going at any point this season. Part of it has been injury to Melvin Gordon, part has been teams stacking the box against the Badgers and the final part has been a lack of push up front from the offensive line. Wisconsin’s offensive line has a massive size advantage (321lbs. vs. 259lbs.) and it’s about time they star using it to open holes in the run game.
2. Take Advantage of Size on Outside: What’s the biggest difference between MAC players and Big Ten players? Often times it isn’t heart, want to or even skill — most of the time it’s size that makes a difference. Wisconsin’s offensive line has a big size advantage, but so do the wide receivers and Wisconsin needs to be able to take advantage of that. Two weeks ago we saw the short pass game really open things up for the Badgers, and this week could be more of the same thanks to the advantage against the Falcons’ secondary. Also look for the Badgers to use that advantage with some more intermediate and deep routes for tight end Sam Arneson and the freshman wide receivers.
3. Get McEvoy Time: One of the most important things to getting the Badgers offense going against Western Illinois was allowing Tanner McEvoy time and rhythm behind center. He became a more confident passer and played with a lot more instinct. When McEvoy isn’t allowed time behind center things tend to go badly. With the proclivity of BGSU to blitzing, it will be vital for the offensive line to play more like it did in the second half of the Western Illinois game than it did in the first game and a half. If not, it could be a long day for the Badgers offense.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
