The Wisconsin Badgers (1-5 Big Ten, 6-5 overall) have reached the point of do or die for postseason eligibility and now must attempt one of the toughest of tasks in the Big Ten. A win is the only thing on the minds of the Wisconsin football squad going into this weekend's trip to Ann Arbor, Mich.
\We just have to win,"" sophomore defensive back Jim Leonhard said. ""Plain and simple, we have to put everything on the field, do whatever it takes and just win.""
Easier said than done, as the Badgers travel on the road to take on the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines (5-1, 8-2). Road wins are hard to come by in the bruising Big Ten and this one will be especially hard for the Badgers in Michigan Stadium, not only one of the biggest stages in the conference, but the nation as well. If the Badgers are going to shine in the limelight, however, they must first start with the fundamentals.
""Going into this week of practices, we were still working at the fundamentals,"" Leonhard said. ""Here we are this late in the season, and we are nailing down the little things because we know going into this weekend that that is what it is going to take.""
Executing the fundamentals is huge and necessary, but Leonhard and his defensive mates need to continue to force the turnovers on defense for the Badgers to have a chance. Leonhard gathered his conference and nation-leading seventh and eighth interceptions last weekend, forced a fumble and also watched junior linebacker Alex Lewis force a fumble as UW created four turnovers against Illinois.
However, forcing mistakes by the Michigan offense will be difficult as they are headed by junior quarterback John Navarre. Navarre has thrown for more than 2,200 yards and 19 touchdowns, but more impressive is that he has only four interceptions this season and maintains a very consistent and disciplined Lloyd Carr offense.
""[Navarre] looks to be able to move around a little bit better [than last season],"" UW Head Coach Barry Alvarez said. ""When he has time to throw, it appears as though he's much more accurate than I remember him.""
Combined with the pass game, the Badgers must look to contain the team's two-headed running attack of junior Chris Perry and senior B.J Askew. The two running backs are capable of busting out huge runs at any time must be held in check for UW to surprise the Wolverines.
However, the aspect of the Badgers' game that cannot be held in check is that of the offense. Injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the team as senior quarterback Brooks Bollinger's status for the game is uncertain. However, sophomore running back Anthony Davis should be back in the lineup as the Badgers try and work out kinks in still potentially potent offense.
""We still have confidence,"" freshman wide receiver Jonathon Orr said. ""We are still working hard and we know what we can do. We are not finishing our plays and it is just a matter of all of us as a team going out there and finishing strong on every play.""
Orr and his fellow offensive teammates will need to finish all their plays. The dropped balls and missed blocks have been coming at the most inopportune times and costing the team key first downs and even important scores.
""We know it's going to be a physical game,"" Orr said. ""We have to be ready and I know we will be. Every single person on this team thinks we can win this game.""
If UW wants to win this weekend, it will need to play a nearly perfect game. It will take a team unlike any UW fan has seen this season to knock off one of the nation's best.
