Wisconsin triumphed over BYU in a 27-17 victory last Saturday, winning the battle for time of possession 36:02 to 23:58.
In order to beat Indiana (2-3 Big Ten, 4-5 overall) in its next match-up this Saturday, the Badgers (4-1, 7-2) will look to keep their offense on the field as much as possible.
That may seem like a no-brainer, but should be emphasized when going up against an explosive offense like head coach Kevin Wilson’s Hoosiers.
Indiana sophomore running back Tevin Coleman was named Big Ten offensive player of the week for his performance against Illinois last Saturday, running for 215 yards on just 15 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown.
Indiana beat the Fighting Illini 52-35, despite having controlled the ball for 10 less minutes than Illinois, proving that winning the battle for time of possession does not always result in winning the war.
The challenge for the Badgers will be diversifying their game in order to keep the Hoosier defense honest. Wisconsin has been and may always be a running team.
Senior running back James White, for the second week in a row, was the only Wisconsin player to rush over 100 yards, running for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
As a team, the Badgers rushed for 229 yards and sophomore quarterback Joel Stave threw for 196.
“We’ve got to come in and run the ball,” head coach Gary Andersen said. “Hopefully get a little bit more of the play action game going back in our direction this week and continue to protect the quarterback in a way to give Joel an opportunity to throw.”
There may be questions as to why Wisconsin has not thrown the ball as much as some of the other top BCS teams. According to Andersen, why fix something that isn’t broken?
White has 951 rushing yards and 255 receiving yards this season. Earlier in the year redshirt sophomore running back Melvin Gordon found his stride and outpaced White, but the dynamic duo’s strength lies in shouldering the rushing game together.
White brings another dimension to the Wisconsin offense, boasting the ability to protect his quarterback and the solid situational awareness that he showed in his 5 yard touchdown reception from Stave in last week’s match-up.
The Badgers are hosting the Hoosiers at Camp Randall at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
Andersen and his “kids” will look to control the clock and keep their offense on the field with long, sustained drives.
Expect more of the same old stuff from Wisconsin.
