Georgia State Panthers
1. Stop the run
In their previous matchup last week against Air Force, the Panthers gave up 464—yes, you read that right—464 rushing yards on 83 rushing attempts by the Falcons. Astoundingly, this offensive rushing explosion by their opponent is not an isolated incident.
In week one, when Ball State visited the Georgia Dome, the Cardinals rushed for a mere 325 yards (which is a healthy amount on the ground, even if it seems slim in comparison to Air Force’s recent trouncing of the Panthers’ defensive line). After the first two weeks of the season, Georgia State is dead last in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 394.5 yards per game on the ground.
Wisconsin is coming off of a strong game running the ball, in which the Badgers rushed for 294 yards total, 111 coming from Corey Clement, the UW star who is seeing his game finally start to climb toward his higher potential. If the Panthers’ defense cannot contain Clement and the rest of the UW backfield, they stand no chance on Saturday.
2. Get off the field on D
Another major part of Georgia State’s dismal start to the season has been its lack of time of possession. After its first two games of the year, Georgia State only possesses the ball for 19:25 of the game, and gives their opponents 40:35 with the ball (ranking them at No. 83 in the nation).
If the Panthers’ defense is on the field for that long, they will simply get exhausted, and there will be no way for them to control the Badgers’ quick running backs and wide receivers. In order to increase their time of possession, Georgia State has to run the ball effectively from the start of the game—something that the team has not done well to start the season, as it only has 52 rush yards per game after the first two weeks.
Still, if they do indeed find a way to run for a couple of first downs early, and they can keep their defense off the field, the Panthers may have a slightly better chance at slowing down the potent Badgers’ offense when they get the ball back on offense.
3. Hold on to the ball
If the Panthers give up the ball off turnovers in their own half, they will have no chance on Saturday at Camp Randall. Due to the Panthers’ lack of efficient run defense, the Badgers will find a way to move the ball down the field. But if UW has a long field to march down, there is a chance that the Panther defense can force a turnover or get a TFL that leads to a turnover on downs.
Conversely, if the Panthers turn the ball over in their own end, and the Badgers have a short field to work with, they will no doubt put up huge points on Saturday. One of the few bright spots in the Panthers’ season to this point is that they have indeed limited their turnovers.
In their first two games, the Panthers have thrown only one interception and have only fumbled the ball once as well. Come Saturday, even against a significantly better Badger defense, the Panthers will definitely have to continue this trend and limit their turnovers to stay in the game.
Wisconsin Badgers
1. Don't lose focus
In week one, the Badgers had a huge test, under a national spotlight, facing LSU (then No. 5 in the nation) on College Gameday at Lambeau Field. In week two, the Badgers returned home to battle with Akron in their home opener.
With those two games came a lot of natural excitement and eagerness to get on the field and perform the best that the team possibly could. Now, with a much weaker team coming into Camp Randall, a No. 9 national ranking and the prospect of playing No. 4 Michigan, No. 12 Michigan State and No. 3 Ohio State in the coming weeks, the Badgers cannot fall into the trap of looking too far ahead and not properly preparing for the game at hand.
If the Badgers buckle down and focus on week three, they should exploit the holes in the Panthers’ lineup.
2. Avoid the injury bug
The only real negative that has persisted through the first two weeks of the season is the injuries that the Badgers have incurred on both sides of the ball. Corey Clement, after an injury-ridden 2015, was shaken up again against Akron in the second quarter and did not return to the game in the second half.
On defense, Chris Orr was injured in week one, and was originally slotted as the middle linebacker backup to T.J. Edwards, who is also injured and has barely played at all at this point of the season.
Although these injuries have not come to bite the Badgers yet as players like Orr’s backup, sophomore Ryan Connelly, have stepped up and played well, if UW continues to lose players due to injury they will eventually struggle to put an elite lineup on the field.
3. Develop young talent
Although this is not necessarily a key to this game, if the Badgers are going to continue to improve and compete with the elite-level teams in the nation, they will have to use this game to help develop their younger, less experienced players.
In week two, young players like freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook and freshman running back Bradrick Shaw got a chance to enter the game, and they immediately made an impact on the outcome. Hornibrook went 5-for-5 with a touchdown, and Shaw averaged 5.2 yards per rush, adding a touchdown of his own.
If the Badgers use this game as an opportunity to further develop players like Hornibrook and Shaw, along with players like freshman and junior wide receivers A.J. Taylor and George Rushing, they will definitely take a big step toward solidifying themselves as a top-tier team.
