Wisconsin is done with bye weeks (thank God) and it hits the ground running against one of the two newcomers to the Big Ten out of its second bye week. Most expected the next two weeks against the new guys in town to be a cakewalk, but so far this season Maryland and Rutgers have proven to be anything but pushovers.
Given the upcoming slate of games in November for the Badgers, getting off to a winning start against the Terps is of vital importance to its hopes of a Big Ten West division title.
So, what do the Terps have to bring to the table? Well, let’s dig in with a little opposition research — starting with the Maryland defense.
Starters:
OLB: Matt Robinson – Sr.(6-3, 245) – 17 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 5 brup’s
END: Keith Bowers – Sr. (6-1, 285) – 26 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks
NOSE: Darius Kilgo – Sr. (6-3, 310) – 26 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries
END: Andre Monroe – Sr. (5-11, 282) – 42 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
OLB: Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil – Sr. (6-2, 250) – 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 brup’s
ILB: Cole Farrand – Sr. (6-3, 245) – 63 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 brup’s, 1 fumble recovery
ILB: L.A. Goree – Sr. (6-2, 245) – 60 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
CB: William Likely – So. (5-7, 175) – 46 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions (2 TDs), 5 brup’s, 1 forced fumble
S: Sean Davis – Jr. (6-1, 200) – 58 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 brup’s
S: Anthony Nixon – Jr. (6-1, 200) – 28 tackles, 1 interception, 1 brup, 1 fumble recovery
CB: Jeremiah Johnson – Sr. (5-11, 193) – 19 tackles, 1 interception, 3 brup’s
Team Rankings: (Stats/B1G Rank/National Rank)
Scoring Defense: 26ppg/10th/64th
Total Defense: 448.6ypg/12th/101st
Rushing Defense: 198.3ypg/13th/104th
Passing Defense: 250.3ypg/11th/90th
3 Keys to Badgers Success:
1. Establish the run game quickly: It’s pretty clear that Maryland struggles against the run game, ranking 104th nationally and next-to-last in the Big Ten. With Melvin Gordon ranking second in the country in rushing you can bet UW is salivating at the opportunity in front of it. You can also bet that the Terps are going to try to stop the run at any costs. If the Badgers want to establish dominance in this game they simply need to get Gordon and Clement going early and often. It’s what Iowa couldn’t do against the Terps last week, and what the Badgers must do to win.
2. Make the 2 QB system work: Wisconsin clearly will go with a full two-quarterback system, and according to reports it has been fully implemented with the extra week of practice during the bye week. There’s little doubt that Badger nation is getting impatient with offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, but he can quiet some of that chatter by making a gameplan that works for both quarterbacks. He can’t simply put McEvoy in to run the football and Stave in to throw the deep pass (which he hasn’t completed yet this season mind you). That’s too obvious, so it’s on Ludwig to invent a gamplan that is unique and utilizes the skill sets these two have to the fullest against an aggressive defense.
3. Play in space: It may sound funny to say the Badgers need to spread the ball out, but it’s true in this case. Giving the Terps a varied look that they aren’t expecting would be a huge help. UW has faked the jet sweep about 99 percent of the time this season, but a look over the last two games suggests teams are just crashing down on the inside run. Time to hit them on the jet sweep and time to continue working the edge with the wide receiver screen. Watching Maryland, there’s little doubt they can be hit for big plays on the edge, but it has to come close to the line of scrimmage and not deep down field.
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