1: Having a Ball
Due to the injuries and the amount of success he had last week at Purdue, sophomore tailback Monte Ball is being hailed as the projected starter Saturday against Indiana. Due to the emergence of freshman running back James White, Montee Ball has been held relatively quiet this season. Until last week, Ball's biggest splash was in the season opener when he had a 16 carry, 79 yard output at UNLV and scored two touchdowns. In the past two weeks alone, Ball has scored three TDs and carried the load offensively, literally and hypothetically, against the Boilermakers.
Last year, Ball had one of his biggest games at Indiana. He put up 115 yards on the ground in that game.
With the increased carries and confidence from the past couple of weeks, look for a big game from Ball against a Hoosier defense that's giving up over 165 yards a game rushing.
2: Secondary success
Wisconsin's secondary has looked stout in the games following the big win against then-No. 1 Ohio State. On the season the Badgers defense has allowed just over 195 passing yards per game and has five interceptions in the past three games alone. This week's matchups against the Indiana wide-outs will be interesting as quarterback Ben Chapell has passed for just under 300 yards per game this season, a statistic that ranks at the top of the conference this season.
The Badgers' secondary will have their hands-full this week as the Hoosier's boast five wide-outs who average at least 10 yards a catch and have a total of 16 receiving touchdowns this season. Indiana is led by 6'5"" junior Damarlo Belcher who currently sits second in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 706.
Despite Belcher's mediocre game last week against Iowa, which was capped by a last-minute touchdown drop, look for the Badgers' secondary to come out aggressive Saturday after having had success defending the pass in the last couple of games.
3: Returning Playmakers
The Badgers' depth has already been thoroughly tested this season after having lost senior tight-end Lance Kendricks and freshman tailback James White in their battle with the Hawkeyes two weeks ago. UW has also had to make up for the absences of wide-outs Nick Toon and David Gilreath earlier in the season. Wisconsin's depth will again be tested this week against the Hooisers when senior Bill Nagy will fill-in at center for Peter Konz who is recovering from a sprained ankle.
Nagy relieved Konz last week and did a superb job according to head coach Bret Bielema who seems confident in the senior. The question remains as to whether this plethora of depth will help or hurt the Badgers in the long run, as some of their starters have not had the same opportunities and reps in practice or live-game the past couple weeks. Kendricks and White in particular will be an interesting pair to watch and to see how well they can assimilate back into their roles as the dominant playmakers the offense so steadily relied on in weeks past.
4: Drinking their own juice?
Despite having a below-average non-conference schedule and a couple of lapses earlier in the season, the Badgers sit in the top ten of all major polls including the BCS rankings. Many believed the sub-par schedule would come back to bite Wisconsin later in the season against the tougher Big Ten foes, but thus far UW has been able to maintain its consistency throughout and pull out victories regardless of the level of competition.
Although their mediocre schedule is what's seems to be holding them back from a top-5 ranking in the BCS polls, they are still projected to compete for a Rose Bowl berth, which would be the Badger's first Rose Bowl appearance since their victory in 2000. It remains to be seen whether the Badgers are beginning to ""drink their own juice"" so to speak, as they have not had this much publicity and success since their 12-1 mark back in ‘06. This week's game will be an indication of just how focused and determined UW is to prove doubters wrong and face the challenge of representing their conference in the Rose Bowl.
5: History Lesson
If the season were to end today the Big Ten team with the highest BCS ranking would be eligible to play in the Rose Bowl. This season the Badgers happen to be that team, and their reputation for winning big games is surely approving of that ranking.
Despite the numerous bowl projections and potential flight plans to Pasadena, there is one thing people are overlooking-there are still three games to be played. In the past three seasons, the Badgers have ended each year with a 3-1 mark in their final four games and a trip to a Florida-based, non-BCS bowl game.
UW has the opportunity to control their own destiny this season by sweeping their next three opponents and clinching a well-deserved trip to the Rose Bowl. Before all of this may come to fruition, they must first defeat Indiana this weekend, visit the Big House and overcome a scrappy Northwestern squad in their final game of the 2010 season. Will this be the week UW repeats history by falling to a Big Ten foe in its final three games or will they stay consistent and remain in the hunt for their first Rose Bowl berth in 11 years?
