Badger Rebound
Playing at Camp Randall is one of Wisconsin's fortes: The Badgers have won 11 straight games at home, all under coach Bielema.
The Badgers were flat-out embarrassed last weekend against Penn State and will be anxious to redeem themselves this weekend. That being said, the team should be pumped up to play in front of the home crowd after being on the road for two weekends and losing both games. Wisconsin hadn't lost two consecutive games since dropping two in a row to Penn State and Iowa in 2005.
Losing two in a row is completely against Coach Bielema's 1-0"" mentality, so look for the Badgers to rebound from two tough road losses.
Tyler Donovan
The Badger quarterback has had some issues throwing the ball the last two games. His numbers against Penn State were uncharacteristically poor: 16 of 29 for 220 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. While these are not terrible numbers, and the first interception was not at all Donovan's fault, Badger fans have become anxious, especially with junior quarterback Allan Evridge waiting on the bench.
Evridge got a chance last weekend once the game was out of hand, but Donovan may be on a short leash. If Donovan even starts to struggle, Bielema may give Evridge a chance to get in there and win a game.
The Lance Smith Factor
Against Penn State, the Badgers were completely unable to establish a running game. The type of running game Wisconsin would have was evident after the first carry, as sophomore running back P.J. Hill immediately fumbled the ball. Hill only ran for 75 yards on 19 carries, far below his season average of over 110 yards a game.
The key to the Badgers' game is establishing the running game. The presence of sophomore running back Lance Smith, banned from all road games, will help this facet of the Wisconsin offense immensely this weekend. Smith is good enough to make big plays, as he has already this season, and will lighten the load considerably for Hill. If the Badgers are to win this weekend, look for them to get the running game going with the duo of Smith and Hill.
Young Receivers
After Luke Swan went down for the season during the Illinois game, the Badgers desperately needed young receivers to step up. With wideout Paul Hubbard already sidelined with an injury, the receiving corps was already devoid of senior talent. Against Penn State, fearless freshman wide receiver Kyle Jefferson stepped up and had a big game, leading the team with six catches for 124 yards. For the Badgers to win this weekend, the team will again rely on young receivers, needing big contributions from Jefferson and fellow freshman wideout David Gilreath. These newcomers will need to step up and relieve some of the pressure on junior tight end Travis Beckum. The Badgers can't afford mistakes on offense, so look for these two freshmen to be a key to victory.
Defensive shake-ups
The Badgers' defense has been less than stellar the whole season and didn't live up to the task against Penn State. One of the biggest shake-ups came when junior cornerback Allen Langford was replaced early in the third quarter by freshman Aaron Henry.
Although Wisconsin gave up 38 points, the defense was often given a short field to defend after the Badgers turned it over on offense. Minimizing those offensive mistakes will definitely help the defense, but ultimately it is up to the defense to make stops. The key will be at the linebacker position, where they will have to step up and shut down the Northern Illinois running game, a major weakness in the Badger defense.
