Avoiding the letdown
For the first time in five years, the No. 6 Badgers (4-0 Big Ten, 7-0 overall) have a chance to smell the sweet smell of roses or even oranges. However, in order for its dreams not to sour, Wisconsin cannot experience a late-season wilting like it has the past few years.
After Wisconsin upset Ohio State last year, the Badgers lost their next three games to Purdue, Northwestern and Minnesota. The Badgers cannot dig themselves into a hole this year by looking past a seemingly inferior Northwestern (2-1, 3-3). Though not ranked, the Wildcats own a respectable record. Two of their losses were by nine points or fewer, and they upset OSU 33-27 in overtime Oct. 2.
Keeping Davis off the sideline
Senior running back Anthony Davis has been the primary offensive weapon for the Badgers this year, crashing through defenders-averaging 131.2 yards per game after playing only four of the seven games this season after an eye injury. While he rushed for only 66 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown against the Boilermakers last week, he spent most of second half on the bench with an injured right quadriceps muscle. Even though sophomore running back Booker Stanley and junior fullback Matt Bernstein have been decent Davis replacements, it is clear the offense is more balanced with Davis in the game. Last year when Davis was out most of the season with an ankle injury, the Badgers were relegated to an aerial game that proved to not be enough.
Defensive dilemma
Against the Boilermakers, Wisconsin sacked Purdue senior quarterback Kyle Orton a total of five times. However, with many injuries on the defensive side, including four key players, that feat will be difficult to duplicate. Senior defensive end Erasmus James, whose seven sacks lead the Big Ten, will not play Saturday because he suffered an ankle injury last week. Senior defensive end Jonathon Welsh hurt his right ankle against Purdue and is questionable for the game. Senior defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne is still nursing an injury, as is starting middle linebacker junior Reggie Cribbs. Cribbs' replacement, freshman Andy Crooks, had five tackles against Purdue; Cribbs' upperclassman leadership and skill are needed for the final four games.
Without James and Welsh, the defense showed some holes, allowing Orton more time to find his receivers. Nonetheless, the defense proved efficient enough to get the job done in the final seconds.
Containing the Wildcat offense
With the defense hurting, it will be an even bigger challenge for the Badgers to contain Northwestern's offensive leaders-senior running back Noah Herron and junior quarterback Brett Basanez. Herron, a Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week against Indiana two weeks ago, ran for a career-high three touchdowns in a 31-24 double-overtime win. He had a total of 238 all-purpose yards last week, and has scored two game-winning touchdowns this year.
Basanez, who was named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Week after the Wildcats' 48-45 loss to Texas Christian University in the opening game of the season, throws for an average of 264.3 yards per game. On the season, he has eight touchdowns and five interceptions. As proven against Purdue, however, the Badger secondary has more hidden weapons than previously thought, and ideally the defense will be up to the challenge of defending the end zone.
Keeping Stocco steady
Sophomore quarterback John Stocco is on the upswing. After enduring much criticism early in the season, Stocco continues to improve, and in doing so, has proven himself to be almost as formidable in the air as Davis is on the ground. He has improved since opening the Big Ten season against Penn State when he had two interceptions and no touchdowns. Last week, Stocco had the best game of his young career, throwing for a career-high 211 yards. However, more importantly, he demonstrated leadership and extreme poise in the final tense moments. Stocco brought the Badgers back from a 17-7 deficit against Purdue to within a field goal. On that drive, he showed composure, completing six of seven passes for 73 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Stanley, showing signs of the QB that impressed many fans at Camp Randall last November when he replaced Jim Sorgi and Matt Schabert against Iowa.
