When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 11a.m. CT
Where: Madison, WI; Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)
TV: BTN
Radio: Badger Sports Network
Last Meeting: Wisconsin Win, 37-0 (Nov. 1, 2014 )
All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads, 1-0
1 Burning Question: Can Wisconsin Stop the Injury Bug?
Rutgers is the opponent on the field this Saturday, and while taking them lightly would be a mistake it is hard not to wonder if UW is really playing against the injury bug as much as the team across the field. Wisconsin has seen two of its top three running backs battle major injury issues, lost a starting inside linebacker early in the season, lost its start center and a starting wide receiver just this past week.
Oh, and don’t forget about nagging injuries to defensive lineman Arthur Goldberg and injuries too numerous to count along the offensive line in general.
Last week things got downright ridiculous, with five projected starters at the beginning of the season gone for all or most of the game against Illinois. QB Joel Stave, RB Corey Clement, TE Austin Traylor, WR Robert Wheelwright and C Dan Voltz all were either missing from the start or hurt during the game and forced out of action.
How many more blows can this team, who is very young across the board, really take before it bites them? Will it happen on Saturday against Rutgers? That certainly would be a very mean trick on Halloween in Madison.
2 Key Stats:
— 3-3: That is the Badgers’ record in home games on Halloween in the modern era: There’s little doubt that Halloween in Madison is one of the craziest experiences anyone can have. It’s also been a mixed bag of results for Wisconsin on the football field since the start of the modern era of college football in 1946. UW doesn’t get to play at home on Halloween all that often, making it about once every decade or so since that 1946 timeline.
— 23: That is the number of plays run by opponents in UW territory during the second half of B1G games: As the saying goes, defense wins championships, and statistically speaking the Badgers have one of the best defenses in the country, let alone the Big Ten. Allowing just 23 TOTAL plays over the course of four Big Ten games is certain way to put your offense in a position to be successful, as that comes up to 5.8 plays per game across the 50-yard line for UW opponents.
3 Staff Predictions:
Andy: 38-3 Wisconsin (7-1 season record)
Nate: 21-10 Wisconsin (5-3 season record)
Sawyer: 17-7 Wisconsin (7-1 season record)
4 Players to Watch:
Michael Deiter, Badgers C: No more wondering if Dan Voltz is a go or not, he simply isn’t going to be around thanks a nasty leg injury suffered in the win against Illinois. Losing Voltz is a huge loss for an offensive line that really needs to pull it all together down the stretch if the Badgers want to stay within striking distance of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Deiter has been good so far this season, but he’ll now take on a much bigger role as the vocal leader of the offensive line for the rest of the year. Can the redshirt freshman step his game up enough to get that job done permanently?
Darius Hillary, Badgers CB: Guess who will be covering Leonte Carroo (because I’m not buying that he isn’t playing)? You bet it will be senior cornerback Darius Hillary. The two seniors better get aquatinted with each other quickly, because Hillary is likely to be his shadow for most of the game. Even if Carroo doesn’t go, look for Hillary to then be the personal shadow of an equally dangerous Andre Patton. No matter how you slice it, Hillary is going to have a major role in whether or not the Badgers defense can keep Rutgers out of the end zone in this one.
Janarion Grant, Rutgers WR/R: Leonte Carroo may not be a go in this one, but even if he does play, his presence only helps get a guy like Janarion Grant more open. The fallacy of thought around Rutgers’ offense is that it is all about Carroo, and that simply isn’t true. No doubt he’s a massive talent, but a guy like Grant can more than hold his own on his own. He has 19 receptions for 170 yards so far this season, but is also much more dangerous in the return game. In fact, if it weren’t for Will Likely at Maryland, Grant may be the easy choice for best return man in the Big Ten this season. Wisconsin will need to tread lightly with this guy on Saturday.
Quentin Gause, Rutgers LB: With a whole host of presumed starters off the Badgers offensive line, it could be a field day for a guy like Rutgers’ senior linebacker Quentiin Gause. That’s because he leads the team in the one category that Wisconsin has struggled with preventing, namely, tackles for loss. Gause has racked up 7.0 tfl’s on the season to go with a second-best 56 tackles and 1.0 sacks this season. With Kemoko Turay seeing less and less impact off the edge, a guy like Gause could really do some damage if the Badgers offensive line can’t hold up. That wouldn’t be good news for a guy like Stave or for Bart Houston either should it come to that.
5 Bold Prognostications (That May Or May Not Come True):
— Joel Stave Won’t Finish the Game: Anyone questioning the Badgers’ medical staff needs to chill. Sometimes concussion symptoms don’t even show up for days or weeks after a big hit. Credit head coach Paul Chryst for realizing Stave was having issues understanding simple play calls and getting him out last week. However, this week it could be because the Badgers are on cruise control in the second half and his services simply won’t be needed. It was good to get some extended experience for Bart Houston last week, but this could be the game where Wisconsin finally has a game in the bag and they get a chance to put Houston in for extended garbage time.
— Darius Hillary gets a pick-six: With Hillary likely the one-on-one matchup against Rutgers’ top receiver, you can bet he’s going to see a lot of action come his way. Hillary is also very underrated for his mental game on that island on the outside. Look for him to bait Rutgers’ Chris Laviano in to at least one terrible throw, and for it to come deep in Rutgers’ own territory. Hello to an easy pick-six anyone?
— Rutgers Won’t Score Until 4th Quarter: For those who skipped the staff predictions, clearly I don’t see the Scarlet Knights doing much damage against what is one of the best defenses in the country. However, the shutout bid will be put to an end as Wisconsin allows Rutgers in to the red zone, but not the end zone early in the fourth quarter. Rutgers has to kick the field goal and the shutout goes bye-bye, but the defense makes it one touchdown or less given up in seven of nine games played this season.
— Drew Meyer Shows His Value in Kicking Away from Grant: Janarion Grant of Rutgers has three returns for touchdowns this season, including two kick returns and one punt return. Wisconsin clearly knows the dangers of kicking to him, luckily it also has the reigning Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, punter Drew Meyer, to help with that job. It isn’t always as simple as just kick it out of bounds. In fact, the Badgers have done a great job of skying punts and catching them inside the 10-yard line all season long. More of that is a great way to take Grant out of the game. Let’s see if that happens again on Saturday.
— Alec Ingold Takes Team Lead in Rushing Touchdowns: As it currently stands, it is a three-way tie between Dare Ogunbowale, Taiwan Deal and true freshman Alec Ingold for the most rushing touchdowns on the Wisconsin roster — all four of them. If the Badgers are going to put up 38 points that likely means they are punching the ball in to the end zone more than a few times, and it means they’ll likely call on short-yardage specialist, Alec Ingold around the goal line a few times. Look for him to bogart two more touchdowns to take the team lead away from both Deal and Ogunbowale.
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