Camp Randall at night? Yes please. There simply isn’t a better atmosphere in college football today than what takes place when the Badgers play under the lights at home.

That’s especially true when Ohio State comes to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.

Add in this being an alleged matchup of two top 10 teams and you get ESPN College GameDay making an appearance on the UW campus for the first time since the 2011 season when the Badgers welcomed Nebraska in to the Big Ten.

Needless to say the stakes are high, but the question everyone seems to wonder is how does UW’s offense stack up against the Buckeyes defense. Let’s take a look at exactly that question here.

Starters:

DE: Sam Hubbard – So. (6-5, 266) — 12 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, 1.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 2 QB Hurries

DT: Dre’Mont Jones – Fr. (6-3, 280) —15 tackles

DT: Michael Hill – Jr. (6-3, 305) — 10 tackles, 0.5 TFL

DE: Tyquan Lewis – Jr. (6-4, 266) — 13 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s, 3.0 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 QB Hurry

WLB: Dante Booker – Jr. (6-3, 236) — 2 tackles (1 game played)

MLB: Raekwon McMillian – Jr. (6-2, 243) — 33 tackles, 2.5 TFL’s, 1 PBU, 1 QB Hurry, 1 FF

SLB: Chris Worley – Jr. (6-2, 228) — 23 tackles, 1.5 TFL’s, 1 PBU’s, 1 QB Hurry

CB: Gaeron Conley – Jr. (6-0, 195) — 8 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PBU’s

FS: Malik Hooker – So. (6-2, 205) — 23 tackles, 1.5 TFL’s, 0.5 sack, 4 INT’s, 2 PBU’s

SS: Damon Webb – Jr. (5-10, 195) —18 tackles, 2 PBU’s

CB: Marshon Lattimore – So. (6-0, 192) — 15 tackles, 3 INT’s, 6 PBU’s 

Stats and Rankings:

Ohio State Defense

(2016 Stat/B1G/National) *according to CFBstats.com

Scoring Defense: 10.8 ppg — 2nd — 2nd
Passing Defense: 148.6 ypg — 2nd — 5th
Rushing Defense: 96.0 ypg — 2nd — 9th
Total Defense: 244.6 ypg — 2nd — 4th

Wisconsin Offense

Scoring Offense: 26.0 ppg — 10th — 87th
Passing Offense: 198.6 ypg — 11th — 97th
Rushing Offense: 161.60 ypg — 8th — 78th
Total Offense: 360.2 ypg — 11th — 106th

Advanced Stats:

Badgers Offense:

S&P+ offensive rating: 24.2 (100th)
F/+ ranking: 30.4% (17th)
Points Per Scoring Opp.: 3.64
Offensive Success Rate: 38%

Ohio State Defense:

S&P+ Defensive Rating: 13.9 (7th)
Def. Points Per Scoring Opp: 1.88
Opp. Success Rate: 29.8%

What Do the Stats Tell Us:

If the stats tell us anything it is that Wisconsin’s offense has underperformed to a level most Badgers fans probably aren’t aware of. Seeing this team rank in the 100’s of any stat category is alarming, but it is also interesting given the competition level played. At some point things will even themselves out right?

That hasn’t happened so far though, and with an offense still trying to figure out its identity, it is a scary proposition this weekend at Camp Randall.

3 Keys For Wisconsin’s Offense

Third Down Conversions: Wisconsin has converted on 41.5 percent of their third down chances this season, ranking 6th in the Big Ten and will be going up against the third best third down defense in the conference. Reason for optimism exists because of UW’s play on third downs against Michigan. Let’s remember the Wolverines came in giving up less than 12 percent on third down, and the Badgers converted on 4 of 15 opportunities to become the first team to convert over 20 percent against that defense. Look for Wisconsin to find success there again and it may be the difference maker in this game.

Corey Clement’s Play: One thing may have really helped the Badgers two weekends ago — a healthy Corey Clement. Just before he went out injured, it appeared the offensive line and Clement were on the same page for the first time this season. If that group can get holes for Clement against Ohio State, there remains some hope that the Buckeye defense isn’t going to be able to pin its ears back and attack redshirt freshman QB Alex Hornibrook. Simply put, Clement must be a star in this game or Wisconsin is in some serious trouble.

O-Line Play: Wisconsin’s offensive line shuffled around a lot heading in to the Michigan State game, and it showed in a major way. Holes were few and far between for running backs and Alex Hornibrook had to stand in time and again against some vicious hits. A lot of that had to do with Brett Connors having to play center and the move of Michael Dieter to left guard. Micah Kapoi is going to be back and healthy this weekend, so look for him to make a major difference in UW’s ability to hold up in the run game and against the pass rush. It will also be interesting to watch Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis go up against Ryan Ramczyk and Beau Benschawel at the tackle positions. If they can play better than they did against Michigan, then it could be an interesting chess match between Hornibrook and OSU’s secondary.