When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 11a.m. CT
Where: Madison, Wis.; Camp Randall Stadium (80,231)
TV: ESPN
Radio: Badger Sports Network
Last Meeting: Wisconsin Win, 26-24 (Nov. 22, 2014)
All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 44-42-2
1 Burning Question: Is Taiwan Deal Ready for Prime Time?
The Wisconsin Badgers redshirt freshman running back showcased an ability to be the Badgers workhorse running back last week against Hawaii. He racked up a career-high 147 yards and scored two touchdowns in goal-to-go situations. Doing it against the Rainbow Warriors was one thing, doing it against a Big Ten defense will be a whole different story. If the Badgers want to win this football game, Deal needs to show that last week wasn’t a flash in the pan. Otherwise it could be a long early afternoon in Madison.
2 Key Stats to Know:
15.0 — That is the number of tackles for loss by Vince Biegel and Joe Schobert. The Badgers linebackers have been menaces in opposing backfields all season long. However, did you know that the 15.0 tackles for loss are the highest total for any linebacker duo in the entire country? You can bet that they’ll be looking to add to that collection this weekend.
24-8 — That is Joel Stave’s record as a starting quarterback. Just how good is that number? He is currently second in win percentage among all active and eligible starting quarterbacks in FBS. Think of that for a second and let that soak in. Joel Stave is nearly the most winningest quarterback in the country. You’ll see why I feel good about this stat being key later.
3 Staff Predictions:
Andy: Wisconsin 27-17 (4-0 season record)
Nate: Wisconsin 24-21 (4-0 season record)
Sawyer: Wisconsin 20-17 (4-0 season record)
4 Key Players to Watch:
Rob Wheelwright, WR — Talk about a disappearing act? After coming on strong in the Week 2 win over Miami (OH), Wheelwright has gone on radio silence for the Badgers. He had two catches for 50 yards against Troy, but went without a single catch last week. His ability to work the boundary and stretch the field is going to be needed this week. Time for him to show up on the stat sheet once again.
Olive Sagapolu, NG — There’s one thing we know about Dave Aranda, he’s not going to leave any stone unturned in turning out one of the most impressive defenses in the Big Ten so far this season. One player who has been working more and more with the group actually playing on Saturday has been true freshman Olive Sagapolu. Given the physical nature of this contest, his big 6-2, 332-pound frame could come in handy. Expect him to see a lot more playing time as the season goes on.
Michael Caputo, S — He was born to play in games like this one. Simple as that, and talking to him after the Hawaii game you could tell he had already flipped the switch and was excited to get on the field for Big Ten play and in particular against Iowa. He had 11 tackles in the contest last year, while also adding 0.5 tackles for loss and had a pass break up as well. Wisconsin hasn’t needed him to be as attack-minded at the line of scrimmage this year, but he’ll be key in containing the run game on Saturday.
Joel Stave, QB — After three really good individual performances, Stave took a step backwards last week. While it may have been a blip on the radar, the reality of the 2015 season dictates he needs to be on top of his game for the Badgers offense to really click. Should the run game not get going, Stave cant be as inaccurate as he was last weekend. He has to provide more than just excellent play when in the two-minute offense.
5 Bold Prognostications:
5. Wisconsin Will Have More Passing Than Rushing Yards: Last week, the Badgers had more rushing yards than passing for the first time on the season. It was like going back in a time machine to the good ol’ days under Barry Alvarez. However, don’t expect that to happen in this contest. Instead, look for UW to take advantage of the improving run game by hitting a ton on play-action passes. A few big bombs and Stave will have himself a heck of a statistical day. It also means UW will have more passing than rushing yards, and that’s not a bad thing.
4. No One Will Get Called For Targeting: This may seem silly, but it isn’t considering three big time defenders have all been flagged for targeting in the past two weeks for the Badgers. Only Tanner McEvoy’s big time (and legal) hit was reversed upon review. While this game is going to be physical, expect it to be much cleaner and therefore a lot easier to not get called for targeting. We’re not going to see a lot of boundary throws or targets in vulnerable positions by the Hawkeyes.
3. Taiwan Deal Goes For 100 Yards: After breaking out for his first 100-yard performance last week, the redshirt freshman had a ton of confidence. You could see it in the way he handled himself with the media after the game. I expect him to translate that confidence in to another 100-yard performance on Saturday. However, he’ll have to slog it out to get there, and that would be perfectly fine according to my other predictions.
2. Chris Orr Will Get a Sack: One area where the true freshman seemed to still need work was on his timing and moves on blitzes up the middle. Given the experience and confidence he is gaining every week, look for him to get in on Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard and record his first career sack. He’ll join just five other Badger players to record a sack this season.
1. Gaglianone Will Hit a 50-plus yard FG: If I have 27 points on the board for the Badgers, that means there will be a missed extra point or the more likely scenario of the Badgers being forced to kick a field goal. Look for that field goal to come earlier in the contest when points are points. Also look for it to come in the form of trusting Gaglianone enough to hit a 50-plus yarder.
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