Rested legs, relaxed minds and a laid-back weekend. These are all characteristics of a football bye week. And now that the Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 3-2 overall) have put their bye week behind them, the task ahead is focusing on an incoming No. 19 Northwestern team (0-1, 4-1).
The Wildcats use a two-quarterback system, something defensive coordinator Dave Aranda admits he hasn’t seen often in his career.
“They get you concerned when they’re both out on the field at the same time,” Aranda said. “It’s in terms of not only being a potential receiver, but a passer too.”
Despite a close loss on the road to Ohio State (2-0, 6-0) that saw the Badgers battling the entire game, senior nose guard Beau Allen emphasizes drawing on the positives, something that the coaches and team also emphasize.
“You learn things from every single game you play,” Allen said. “Even if it’s a big win like we’ve had or a tough loss like Ohio State, we definitely learn a lot. One thing we learn is that we’re a team that’s going to fight down to the last seconds.”
In regard to the Northwestern offense, Allen said Wisconsin has used the bye week to prepare for a trickier offense than they have seen this year.
“They’re extremely efficient and they’ve got two really good QBs,” Allen said. “It’s just about being disciplined and not getting distracted or fooled by certain gimmicky stuff that they’ll do.”
Redshirt senior defensive end Ethan Hemer called Northwestern’s offense “very talented and very deep.”
After reviewing the game against Ohio State, redshirt senior safety Dezmen Southward noted a few key areas the Badgers did well and others things they could improve upon.
“No matter what the score was we went out and really played a tough round of football,” Southward said. “At the same time, we really want to go into this week with the emphasis on limiting the big plays. We have to do our part as the defense on the secondary, and obviously our offense will do their part.”
And Southward’s take on containing Northwestern’s offense? He says it comes down to consistency and focus.
“They do so many things that can take your eyes off the person that you should be on,” he said. “So we really want to be focused and consistent with where our eyes are, and we’ll be fine if we do that.”
Southward also said that it’s important to take away the positives from every game.
“Any week that you go in and play a tough Big Ten opponent like [Ohio State] you’re going to have some good and you’re going to have some bad,” Southward said. “The important thing is how well can you get rid of the bad and well you can focus on continuing to add on to the good. Now we’re just waiting on the good to turn into some wins.”
Kickoff against Northwestern is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
