Five Things to Watch For Against South Carolina

Hope everyone has had a pleasant holiday as we are now only days away from seeing the Badgers face South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl. It should be a great match-up, and I’ve got five things for you to watch for during the game.

1. How will the Badgers start after the long layoff? This obviously can be said about any team heading into a bowl game, but Wisconsin’s offense is built well for the situation. Look for the Badgers to start with the run game early and try to take advantage of the South Carolina secondary with a play-action pass. The timing with Stave and the receivers will take some time, so that could be their best bet to get back in rhythm.
2. Can the Badgers secondary fix the problems from the Penn State game? It’s hard to believe the last time we were able to watch the Badger football team was against Penn State. In that game, Christian Hackenberg was able to torch the secondary to the tune of 339 yards and four touchdowns. He exposed some flaws in the defense that have hopefully been patched over as well as possible. Connor Shaw isn’t as prolific of a quarterback, but he’s no slouch either. A weak pass defense could spell trouble for the Badgers.
3. Does Jared Abbrederis have an encore in him? The recent Burlsworth Trophy winner has one game left in a Badger uniform and what a career it has been. He’s been the receiver that opposing fans cannot believe hasn’t graduated yet. Look for him to have one last big game not only because it’s his last, but because Stave is going to rely on him quite a bit, especially after the long layoff.
4. What Jadeveon Clowney will show up? While all the talk on Clowney this week has been because of his second speeding ticket in three weeks, what’s more important is that he has declared himself healthy for the Capital One Bowl. Clowney, a beast of a defensive end, has been slowed for most of the year with multiple nagging injuries. With an NFL roster spot awaiting, the junior is going to try to leave a mark in what is likely his final game.
5. Who will have the crowd advantage? With the Badgers missing out on a BCS bowl that looked likely the last couple weeks of the regular season, tickets sales have been down. Along with the fact that three straight Rose Bowls have put a serious dent in the disposable income of Wisconsin fans and I can say that those numbers don’t surprise me too much. It’s the bad that comes with becoming a consistent winner in college football. The Capital One Bowl would have been a huge bowl for Badgers fans just a few years ago and now it seems like a consolation prize to many.

Keep checking MadTown Badgers for more coverage on the Capital One Bowl.