When: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2:30p.m. CT
Where: Lincoln, Neb; Memorial Stadium (86,047)
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Radio: Badger Sports Network
Last Meeting: Wisconsin Win, 59-24 (Nov. 15, 2014)
All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 5-4
1 Burning Question: Who Wants It More?
Wisconsin has its back against the wall, but so does Nebraska. One of these teams stays in the Big Ten West race, while the other can only hope for #TeamChaos to take up residence across the West division. Quite simply, this game comes down to which team will want it more.
Desire, heart and passion will play out on the football field on Saturday afternoon, so let’s see who’s got it more from the inside out.
2 Key Stats to Know:
– 0-3: That’s Wisconsin’s record on the road against Nebraska. Talk about an uphill battle,? If the Badgers want to stay in the Big Ten West race, they’ll have to do something they’ve never done — win at Nebraska. To be fair, two of those meetings were during the dark ages of UW football, but that last loss stings. The 2012 meeting was also a stinging moment for quarterback Joel Stave, as he suffered an injury late in a contest the Badgers were competitive in until he went down. Stave is two years more mature, and we’ll see if that makes a difference in this matchup.
– 6: That’s the number of trophy games the Badgers have won on the road in a row. Something will give in this matchup. Either UW’s streak of six-straight wins in trophy games played on the road will end or the Badgers will finally get a win on the road against Nebraska. With the Freedom Trophy on the line, you can bet this one will have added meaning.
3 Staff Predictions:
Andy: Wisconsin 31-17 (4-1 season record)
Nate: Nebraska 21-17 (4-1 season record)
Sawyer: Wisconsin 24-13 (4-1 season record)
4 Key Players to Watch:
Joe Schobert, OLB — Pop quiz, who leads the nation in tackles for loss? Try Wisconsin’s Joe Schobert, with 13.0 tfl’s to his name. How about who leads the nation in sacks? Once again, try Wisconsin’s Joe Schobert. He’s got 9.0 of those bad boys. Simply put, there isn’t a more important or hotter player on the Badgers defense right now. If the Badger are going to win, they’ll need Schobert to get after Tommy Armstrong early and often.
Troy Fumagalli, TE — With Austin Traylor out, the Badgers are going to have to turn to the sophomore to get things done in the passing game. He’ll also need to be a better blocker to help in the run game. Look for Fumagalli, who has dealt with his own injuries, to rebound in a big way and help the Badgers offense keep grinding out drives. He’ll also get in the end zone, as Traylor is tied with Rob Wheelwright for the team lead in touchdowns at three.
Darius Hillary, CB — Tommy Armstrong and the Huskers offense is suddenly pass-happy. Just how much so? Armstrong actually leads the conference in passing yards and passing yards per game. His 182 attempts are second to only Nate Sudfeld in the Big ten. That means the Badgers’s secondary is going to get a major test. It also means a lot of opportunities to show out for UW’s underrated and productive senior cornerback, Darius Hillary. Don’t be surprised to see him come up big more than once.
Joel Stave, QB — Where has the really good Joel Stave gone? The first three weeks of the season, Stave was nearly unstoppable as a passer and decision maker. The last two weeks? Not so much. With an offensive line still working out the kinks and a running game not clicking on all cylinders just yet, Stave has to be on his game for the Badgers to win. If the Stave of the last few weeks comes to Lincoln, Wisconsin is in some serious trouble.
5 Bold Prognostications:
5. Hillary and Shelton Get INT’s: Tommy Armstrong loves to chuck the football in Mike Riley’s system. He also loves to chuck an INT or six…because he’s got six interceptions on the season. With the Badgers corners looking hungry as ever, both will see opportunities for big plays and both Darius Hillary and Sojourn Shelton will pick the Huskers QB off.
4. Wisconsin Will Go Down Early and Rip Off 31 Unanswered Points: I know, pretty specific and all, but let’s take a look at the history of these two teams in Big Ten play. There is plenty of evidence to suggest the Huskers will take an early lead, only to get worked by the Badgers who apparently lull them to sleep and spring the trap in the 2nd quarter. Look for that to repeat itself after what happened last season. So, don’t fret if the Badgers get down early, it is all going according to plan.
3. Taiwan Deal Goes For 100 Yards: After breaking out for his first 100-yard performance against Hawaii, the redshirt freshman went for just 59 yards against a stout Iowa defense. Nebraska is equally as stout, if not more according to the stats. They’ve given up no more than 132 yards in a game to any team, but Deal and the Badgers offensive line are going to finally put it together. Just call it a crazy hunch, but we all know crazy stuff happens in these games between the two Freedom Trophy rivals.
2. UW’s D Pitches a 2nd Half Shutout: Lost in the Debby Downer that was UW’s offense last week was the fact that the Badgers defense gave up one whole touchdown to a pretty productive Iowa offense. This after three straight games without giving up a single touchdown. Chances are pretty good that Nebraska is also going to have struggles to score as the game goes on. Watch for defensive coordinator Dave Aranda turn up the heat in the second half and the D pitches a shutout in the second stanza.
1. Stave Throws 3 Touchdown Passes: It appears I believe the Badgers run game is going to show up, given my previous bold predictions. However, UW’s scoring will mostly come via the arm of Joel Stave. He may not pile up crazy awesome yardage numbers. He’ll get one medium-range TD pass and two more within the 5-yard line range.
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