Wisconsin/Northwestern review

This is the worst I have seen the Badgers look since the 2014 Big Ten Championship. Yes, some people will say the Michigan game two weeks ago, but the Wolverines are one of the best teams in the nation, while Northwestern is average. Jack Coan, starting for Alex Hornibrook, was not good, and the Badgers fell 31-17. The defense played well, but the offense and special teams put them in tough spots time after time. This is the first lost against a Big Ten West team since Northwestern on Senior Day in 2015 and this is the first road loss against a Big Ten West team since against Northwestern as well in the Big Ten opener in 2014. Just an ugly performance.

Wisconsin’s defense played pretty well overall, but especially the pass defense. Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson came in 18th in the country in passing yards per game. The Wildcats have a good number of weapons at his disposal. The patched-up Wisconsin secondary held its own against Thorson, allowing just 167 yards passing and one touchdown, while picking him off three times. In the last three games, the Badgers have allowed just one touchdown pass and have intercepted six passes. A major positive is that of the three games, two have come against some of the best in the conference, Thorson and Michigan’s Shea Patterson. It shows what the pass defense is capable of, and it will be needed when the Badgers travel to Penn State and Purdue for showdowns with Trace McSorley and David Blough. Thorson’s 56.7 percent completion percentage and his quarterback rating of 94.4 were both the second lowest of the season. His three interceptions were the most he has thrown in a game in his entire college career. Even with the rush defense struggling mightily, the pass defense has turned it up a notch, even without most of the starting defensive backfield.

There were a number of negatives, unfortunately. Firstly, the run defense allowed 182 yards to Northwestern, which was one of the worst rushing offenses in the country. The Wildcats gained 32 yards on the ground against a bad Nebraska team and had eight against Michigan State. Yes, eight! And before that, the Windy City Kitties rushed for just 28 yards against Michigan. This is not acceptable. Isaiah Bowser rushed for his second consecutive 100-yard game, gaining 117 yards on 34 carries. Northwestern actually only gained 3.7 yards per carry, but was able to run when needed.

I realize it was his first start, but do people still think Jack Coan is better than Alex Hornibrook? I mean, there was a play in the second half where he fumbled twice, giving Northwestern the lead by three touchdowns. He didn’t show accuracy beyond seven yards. Hornibrook is just the better option. Hopefully he is back for Rutgers this week.

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. In addition to Coan’s fumble, Jonathan Taylor lost two fumbles. This has been a theme for him. He has fumbled 10 times in his career. All three turnovers happened in Wisconsin territory, and two were inside its own 20. The defense played well, all things considered. It was just a bad game all around Taylor. He had run for at least 100 yards in every single game this season, but he was held to 46 yards on 11 carries. This was the second fewest number of yards he has gained in a game, only ahead of his 41-yard performance in last year’s Big Ten Championship game. I don’t know why he only carried the ball 11 times, but I would guess it was due to his fumbling issues. Taylor has been held to below 100 yards five times in his Wisconsin career, and two of them have come against Northwestern. In the two games against the Wildcats, Taylor has run for 126 yards on 30 carries (4.2 ypc). He will need to be back to himself, carrying the load on Saturday, especially if Coan has to start once again.

Wisconsin will try to pick itself up off the mat as the Badgers return home to face a Rutgers team that is the only Big Ten team yet to have a conference win, but Chris Ash and company are coming off a bye. The game is at 11 a.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Wisconsin should win, but it can’t be caught looking ahead to the Nov. 10 game against Penn State.

Mid-Season Packers Mock Draft

We are seven weeks into the season and the Packers sit at 3-2-1 and are heading into a gauntlet where they play four of five away from Lambeau Field. Those four road games are at Los Angeles (Rams), New England, Seattle and Minnesota. Green Bay is slated to pick 23rd in the 2019 draft, and I have decided to write my first Packers mock draft of the season...

1a. Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky

The Packers have waited far too long to draft an edge rusher high, and they need to take one with one of their two first round picks. The ‘other’ Josh Allen has been a terror this season. His 1.8 tackles for loss per game ranks ninth in the FBS, while his 1.14 sacks per game ranks seventh. Allen is coming off a game in which he had two sacks against Vanderbilt. Earlier this year, he had three sacks against South Carolina. He is a monster, and he can play either on the inside or as an outside linebacker. Green Bay is sixth in the league in percentage of dropbacks where the defense applies pressure to the opposing quarterback. Mike Pettine is doing wonders with the defense already. Now, just think what he can do with some weapons at rushing the passer. Clay Matthews has actually been solid this year, but his days are gone as an elite pass rusher and he is a free agent following this season. Matthews would actually be better off moving to inside linebacker if retained. Nick Perry has actually played all six games so far, but he has not been heard from much. Other than his game-sealing sack and forced fumble against Chicago week one, he has been missing in action. Brian Gutekunst needs to rebuild the linebacking core, and this is a good start.

1b. Taylor Rapp, SS, Washington

Kentrell Brice has struggled mightily at the strong safety position and it has cost the Packers dearly. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a free agent and doesn’t seem to think he’ll be back in Green Bay next season. Clinton-Dix has had a nice bounce back season so far, with three interceptions and earning an 87.7 grade on Pro Football Focus so far, which is third among all safeties. Even if the Packers retain Clinton-Dix, strong safety is a major concern after Josh Jones has not panned out the way they wanted him to. Rapp has been a three-year starter for the Huskies, earning first team All-Pac 12 honors for the Huskies last season. He is both a good run defender and has had success covering man-to-man in the slot. Both are huge pluses. Not only has he had success covering slot wide receivers, but he is tremendous at blitzing. Pettine could use him many different ways. Rapp leads the Washington defense in both sacks and tackles for loss......as a safety. He has four sacks and five tackles for loss in his eight games so far. Should the junior come out, he would be a great pick toward the end of the first round for the Packers.

2. Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech

Yes, I currently attend Northwestern State and Jaylon’s brother is a star wide receiver for us, so it would be cool to see him put on the Green & Gold. I think it would be better to use Matthews (if retained) as an inside linebacker like I mentioned above and you can never count on Perry playing a full 16 games, so it might be wise to use a few high draft picks on edge rushers. Adding Ferguson and Allen to Perry, Reggie Gilbert and possibly Matthews, you finally may have something. These two could produce big time numbers under Pettine. The Green Bay defensive coordinator is generating a pass rush from not much talent at linebacker. Bringing in major talent would do wonders for the Packers defense. They have drafted defensive backs early recently, and may have finally found some players. Pair them with a vaunted pass rusher, and there could be gold. Ferguson is having a monster season so far for the Bulldogs, leading the country with 9.5 sacks. I will say that he has had 7.5 of his 9.5 sacks in two games, though. He had 3.5 in his last game, a win over winless UTEP. Ferguson did have four against a good North Texas team that is 6-2 and slaughtered Arkansas 44-17 in Fayetteville.

3. Isaiah Prince, OT, Ohio State

Bryan Bulaga will be 30 by the time the next season rolls around, and has only played a full season once since his rookie year and has missed at least four games four times. He has played all six games so far, but is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered nearly a calendar year ago. The Iowa product is good when on the field, but he has not been on the field enough. Bulaga could be a prime cap casualty, as his contract expires at the end of next season and there won’t be much of a penalty if he is cut this offseason. Jason Spriggs has been a major bust, so they will need to look to the draft once again to try to find Bulaga’s replacement. He is a three-year starter at right tackle for the Buckeyes, and might slide right into that position as the day one starter.

4. Jon’Vea Johnson, WR, Toledo

Randall Cobb is a free agent, so Green Bay could use a slot receiver to replace him. Although, wide receiver could be further down the draft if they are big believers in Marques Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, and Geronimo Allison is having a real nice so far. Cobb has not played a full 16 games since 2015, and he’ll be paid handsomely in the open market, and I can’t see the Packers getting into a bidding war to retain his services. The speedy Johnson has 351 yards receiving so far, and an impressive 20.6 yards per catch for the Rockets.

5. Corbin Kaufusi, DE, BYU

One of the bigger signings in free agency for the Packers was defensive Muhammad Wilkerson, but he had a season-ending ankle injury in the week three loss to Washington. His status is in limbo, but I would not be surprised to see him brought back on a one-year “prove it” deal once again. Still, the Packers need depth along the defensive line. Dean Lowry is a solid backup, but he is not a starting caliber player. Kaufusi has been strong so far this season, including dominating his matchup against probable first round pick David Edwards of Wisconsin. Kaufusi has six sacks on the year and has at least one in five of the seven BYU games. He is a gigantic man at 6-9 and could disrupt and deflect many passes just due to his height.

6a. Karan Higdon, RB, Michigan

Ty Montgomery is a free agent, and with him falling to the No. 3 running back spot, I see him leaving for a place where he could get more playing time. Higdon has played in six of Michigan’s seven games and has rushed for at least 100 games in all but one of the games he has played in. The 5-10 running back could be a late round steal, but his small stature could be worrisome.

6b. Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford

Green Bay could put this position higher on the list, to be honest. The last three years, the Packers have gone out in free agency and signed arguably the best tight end on the market. It is about time the team has went out and drafted one. The last time they have drafted a tight end and he panned out was Jermichael Finley in 2009. Stanford has had a number of tight ends who have been productive in the NFL in recent years from Zach Ertz to Colby Fleener to Austin Hooper. He is only a junior, so he very easily could go back to school. Smith is raw, but the size and athleticism are there for him to be an impact tight end at the next level.

7. Calvin Throckmorton, OT/OG, Oregon

Green Bay has struggled with its depth along the offensive line in recent years and drafting a guy in the seventh round is always a dart throw anyway. He is a junior as well, so he could go back to Oregon for his senior season. Throckmorton is a tackle at Oregon, but will likely move inside to guard in the NFL.

No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 3-1) @ Northwestern Wildcats (4-3, 4-1)

Wisconsin bounced back with a convincing win over Illinois, but will now head to the road for three of the next four. The first matchup for the Badgers will be the Northwestern Wildcats, which are the current leaders in the Big Ten West at 4-1 in conference play and 4-3 overall. Northwestern seems to always struggle out of the gate, and it was no different this year, as the Windy City Kitties began the season 1-2, including a home loss to Akron, which currently sits at 3-3 from the MAC. But Northwestern has rebounded to win three straight, including a win in East Lansing over Michigan State. Interestingly, the Cats have been road warriors at 3-0, but only 1-3 at home. That home win was against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in overtime in a game where Northwestern needed a 99-yard drive in less than two minutes to send it into overtime. Nebraska also had a 10-point lead with less than four to play. They blew a 17-0 lead to Michigan at Ryan Field, and also lost to Duke and, as I mentioned, Akron. The Wildcats are coming off a come-from-behind 18-15 win over lowly Rutgers on the road this past Saturday. Perhaps they were looking down the road at the next three weeks, when they have home games against Wisconsin and Notre Dame, followed by a trip to Iowa City. Wisconsin will be shooting for its 17th consecutive win against Big Ten West opponents and the Badgers have not lost on the road to a team in their division since dropping the Big Ten opener to Northwestern in 2014.

When Wisconsin runs...

The Badgers are a juggernaut when it comes to running the football. Sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor comes into the game second in the country in rushing yards (1,109), but tops in the country in rush yards per game (158.4). As a team, Wisconsin ranks fifth in the country in rushing yards (1,975) and fourth in rushing yards per game (282.1). Taylor has rushed for at least 100 yards in all seven of Wisconsin’s games this year, but failed to reach the century mark in last year’s meeting, as he was held to 80 yards on 19 carries in the 33-24 Bucky victory. With his 17th 100-yard rushing game against Illinois, Taylor is tied with Heisman Trophy winner Alan Ameche and Billy Marek for 9th place on Wisconsin’s all-time 100-yard games list. He is also 13th on the all-time school rushing list, and is 327 yards behind John Clay for 10th place in school history. Defensively, Northwestern is 49th in rush yards allowed per game (143.3) and its 4.2 yards per carry allowed in 75th. However, the Wildcats did hold Michigan’s Karan Higdon to 115 yards on 30 carries for just a 3.8-yard average. In its last home game, the Windy City Kitties allowed 231 yards to Nebraska, including 159 yards on 22 totes to Devine Ozigbo. Taylor will carry the rock early and often and I expect Wisconsin to reach 200 yards on the ground once again. Every time the Badgers have rushed for 205 yards this year, they have won. And any time they have rushed for fewer than that mark, they have lost.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Wisconsin passes...

Junior quarterback Alex Hornibrook had a bounce back game against Illinois after having one of his worst games in Ann Arbor the week before. He made a few poor passes against Illinois, especially his interception that gave Illinois a chance for points at the end of the first half. Hornibrook was solid overall, though, going 13-for-22 for 188 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He made the throws that were terrific, but then throws that made you scratch your head. But that’s Alex Hornibrook for you. Hornibrook is sixth on the all-time school passing list with 5,157 yards. He is 114 behind Scott Tolzien for fifth on the passing list. Hornibrook now has 45 career touchdown passes, which is just two behind John Stocco for third in school history and is three behind Joel Stave for second in school history in touchdown passes. Northwestern checks in at No. 76 in pass yards allowed per game (229.7). The Wildcats have allowed eight touchdowns and picked off six passes, which helps their opponents passer rating to be 51st. They also have struggled to bring down quarterbacks, as they’re tied with Wisconsin and a few other teams with 11 sacks, which is 107th in the country. JR Price leads the Wildcats with three interceptions, including two in the overtime win over Nebraska. Even though the Windy City Kitties don’t have a ton of sacks, defensive lineman Joe Gaziano is a name to watch. He is far and away the team leader in both sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (7.5) and he has seven hurries as well. The offensive line will have its hands full against Gaziano. Wisconsin will need to throw to keep Northwestern honest, and I think they’ll be able to do that. It is a good matchup.

Edge: Push

When Northwestern runs…

Northwestern has been inconsistent running the ball this year. Jeremy Larkin had to quit football last month for health reasons, but he is still the Wildcats leading rusher. Isaiah Bowser took the running back job last week it seems with a 108-yard performance on 24 carries. It is hard to tell anything against a Rutgers team that has only won only one game all season and has given up 224 yards on the ground per game at a 5.5-yard per carry clip. On the flip side, though, the Badgers rush defense has been horrendous. They did allow Illinois to run for “just” 210 yards, which was the Illini’s second lowest rushing output of the season. Outside of the 80-yard run by Reggie Corbin where it was played well, but he bounced back to the opposite side of the field, the vaunted Illinois rushing attack managed just 130 yards on 35 carries (3.71 ypc). But still, Wisconsin ranks 79th in rush defense, allowing 168.7 yards on the ground per game. Their 5.1 yards per carry allowed is 111th. Yikes. The last two games, the Badgers defense has allowed a run of at least 80 yards. They will need to limit big runs, especially against a ground game that is struggling. Defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk is still out for Wisconsin, which is a big loss.

Edge: Push

When Northwestern passes…

Clayton Thorsen leads a real good Wildcats passing attack. Thorsen, who is on track to become the all-time leading passer in school history, has passed for nearly 2000 yards so far this year, and 18th in the country in passing yards per game (272.1). With his first touchdown pass this year, he passed Len Williams and Brett Basanez for most passing touchdowns in school history. He has a great weapon at wide receiver in senior Flynn Nagel. He has 693 yards receiving on a whopping 56 catches. His 99 yards receiving is third in the conference. Bennett Skowronek is another solid receiving threat, catching 29 passes for 337 yards. The Badgers have improved at pass defense recently, allowing a 55 percent completion percentage with a combined 214 yards and three interceptions in the last two games. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Badgers pass defense improved as soon as they put pressure on the quarterback. The last two weeks, Wisconsin sacked opposing quarterbacks six times. Andrew Van Ginkel is becoming healthier by the week, and that is a very good thing for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 29th in pass yards allowed (187.4), but are 47th in opposing quarterback pass rating, which is a more accurate depiction of pass defense. After coming into the game with just three interceptions, the defense picked off Illinois three times. Wisconsin’s pass defense has improved, but Thorsen is the best quarterback the Badgers have seen so far this year.

Edge: Northwestern

Special Teams

Rafael Gaglianone, normally sure-footed, missed a chip-shot against Illinois, so he remains tied with Todd Gregoire for most field goals made all-time at UW. It was in the snow, so I am willing to give him a bit of a pass. He did boot seven extra points, which puts him at 198, just nine behind Philip Welch for the most in school history. He is currently 5-for-7 on the year, but I expect the senior kicker to bounce back in his next opportunity. Charlie Kuhbander was the starting kicker for Northwestern and went 14-for-14 in extra points, but only 2-of-5 in field goals. He will be out this week. Drew Luckenbaugh is 3-of-4 so far, but his long is only 37 and missed his only attempt from at least 40 yards. The punters are both not very good, as they are tied for the worst punting average in the Big Ten and are two of the worst three in net punting. They are similar in both kick and punt returning.

Edge: Wisconsin

Overview

This will be a tight one that will be one of the battles to decide the Big Ten West. Last time Wisconsin visited Evanston, it broke a losing streak at Ryan Field that dated back to 1999. I think the Badgers will be able to run the ball and force a few turnovers from Thorsen to win a tight one on the road.

Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 20

Illinois Fighting Illini/Wisconsin Badgers review

In a weather day that went from a snowstorm to sunny in a span of about a half an hour, Wisconsin jumped out to a 14-0 lead and coasted to a 49-20 rout of Illinois Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The Fighting Illini cut it to seven in the second quarter, but an interception by nose tackle Olive Sagapolu turned the tide and the Badgers went into the locker room ahead 28-10. Illinois once again was able to cut into it in the third, but a Taiwan Deal 39-yard touchdown run closed the door on the Illini. Wisconsin ran for 357 yards in this game, while they “held" Illinois to 210 yards on the ground, its second fewest this season. For the first time in conference play, I thought the Badgers defense played really well. It helps that Wisconsin forced five first-half turnovers, but the defense only allowed one big play, which has been the Achilles heel of this defense. It was the ninth consecutive win for the Badgers against the Illini, with all nine coming by double digits and the average margin of victory being 22.2 in the home games. This win was Wisconsin’s 16th consecutive win over Big Ten West competition. With the loss, Illinois dropped to 3-4 and 1-3 in conference play. Lovie Smith has to be on the hot seat. If they don’t make a bowl, he could be gone. Bottom line is that the Badgers needed a dominant win and they got it today Saturday.

There were a number of defenders who played pretty well, so I will put the entire unit here as positive No. 1. They gave up a big play, which has been a big problem for the Badgers this year, as Reggie Corbin reversed field for an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Other than that play, Illinois ran 56 plays and gained 220 yards (3.9 yards per play). That touchdown allowed was the only touchdown the defense allowed that was not off a short field. The five forced turnovers are the most since 2015 when they did that against Minnesota. Wisconsin’s defense was able to get five tackles for loss and three sacks. After lacking sacks in the first five games, the Badgers have registered three sacks each in back-to-back games. A number of Badgers played well on this side of the ball, led by fifth-year senior safety Evan Bondoc. In his first start, Bondoc had five tackles, including 1.5 for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. Not a bad start in place of Scott Nelson and D’Cota Dixon. Andrew Van Ginkel, Matt Henningsen and Zack Baun had the sacks for the Badgers. Henningsen, a redshirt freshman walk-on, was also in on an interception as well with a hit of the Illinois quarterback to force an errant throw. T.J. Edwards had a pick on Illinois’ first possession to set the tone. That pick tied him with seven players, including former teammate Sojourn Shelton, for eighth in school history with nine interceptions. The last two games, Wisconsin has allowed 23-of-42 passing (55 percent) for 214 yards, has not allowed a touchdown pass and has picked off three passes. The undermanned pass defense has played much better recently.

Next, I will say the rushing attack was fantastic once again. Illinois’ run defense is not very good, as they came in allowing nearly 200 yards on the ground per game, which was 106th in the country. But the Badgers gashed them for 357 yards and 6.6 yards per carry. Jonathan Taylor, of course, led the way with 159 yards on 27 carries. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in all seven of Wisconsin’s games this year. It was not just him, though, as senior Taiwan Deal rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time since early in the 2015 season against Hawaii when he gained 147 yards. Deal’s career has been hampered by injuries, so it was nice to see him hit the century mark. The Badgers were able to break Aron Cruickshank in with a touchdown run on a jet sweep and Garrett Groshek had 33 yards on four carries. With his 17th 100-yard rushing game, Taylor is now tied with Heisman Trophy winner Alan Ameche and Billy Marek for 9th place on Wisconsin’s all-time 100-yard games list. Taylor is now 13th on the all-time school rushing list, and he is now 327 yards behind John Clay for 10th place in school history. They will need the rushing attack to play well again next week when it has a big test against Northwestern in Evanston.

There are a couple of other things in the positive category. First, I mentioned it above, whenever the Badgers needed a big drive or big play, they got it. When Illinois scored on an 80-yard run to cut it to 14-7, Sagapolu picked off an M.J. Rivers pass following a Wisconsin three-and-out. The first play following the interception? A Hornibrook dime to freshman tight end Jake Ferguson for a 27-yard touchdown to put the Badgers up two scores once again. Then, following a Hornibrook interception and Illinois touchdown, the score was down to 28-17 in the third quarter. Wisconsin’s response? A six-play drive that resulted in a 39-yard Deal touchdown to give the Badgers a 35-17 lead and Illinois would never get that close again. Hornibrook made a few boneheaded plays (see: interception at the end of the first half, giving Illinois points before halftime), but he made some nice plays. He bounced back from some missed throws when it was snowing in the second quarter to throw a perfect pass to Ferguson for the touchdown to put the Badgers up 21-7. Hornibrook also completed a key third down pass to Danny Davis for a first down, which was the play preceeding Deal’s long touchdown run. The junior quarterback also became the seventh player in school history to eclipse 5,000 yards passing. In the process, he passed Mike Samuel and Randy Wright on the all-time school passing list with 5,157 yards. He is 114 behind current Indianapolis Colts quarterback Scott Tolzien for fifth on the passing list. Hornibrook now has 45 career touchdown passes, which is just two behind John Stocco for third in school history and is three behind Joel Stave for second in school history in touchdown passes. Jake Ferguson caught his third touchdown of the season and third in four games. I expect him to be the main red zone target moving forward.

The Badgers played one of their best games of the season, so there is not much to complain about. However, there are a few things the Badgers will need to work on. Firstly, the defense played well, but they can’t give up big plays. This is the second consecutive game in which it has allowed a run of at least 80 yards after Shea Patterson’s 81-yard run last week. Other than that run, Reggie Corbin just had 20 yards on eight carries. They still had 210 yards on the ground, though, overall, and 5.8 yards per carry. Secondly, Hornibrook missed some throws today. Two incompletions which were open were missed, but I’ll chalk those up to the weather. However, the interception right at the end of the first half was inexcusable. There was no one available and he threw it right to Illinois’ Stanley Green, which was returned into Wisconsin territory and Chase McLaughlin knocked through a 52-yard field goal as time expired. Instead of maybe a 31-7 lead heading into the half, it was 28-10.

Next week, Wisconsin has a tough one in Evanston against Northwestern. The Wildcats are 4-1 in Big Ten play and this game could go a long way in deciding which team will represent the Big Ten West in Indianapolis.

Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3, 1-2) @ No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers (4-2, 2-1)

After the thumping that Wisconsin suffered at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines, the Wisconsin Badgers return home to face the Illinois Fighting Illini. Wisconsin is not the only team coming off a blowout loss in this matchup, as Illinois was crushed 46-7 by Purdue in Champagne. Last season at Illinois, Wisconsin was sluggish, but the Badgers left Champagne with a 24-10 victory to improve to 8-0 on the season. The Badgers have not had three regular-season losses in a season since 2015. Wisconsin has won eight consecutive games between the schools to take a 41-37 all-time series lead. The last time Illinois won was 2007 when the No. 5 Badgers had a 14-game win streak snapped as the Fighting Illini jumped out to a 17-0 lead and held on for the 31-26 win. Illinois’ last win at Camp Randall was 2002, 37-20, on the strength of 319 yards passing by Jon Beutjer, 213 total yards from Antoineo Harris and 114 yards receiving and a touchdown by Walter Young. Despite five turnovers, Illinois outgained Wisconsin 504-297 to win by 17. The Badgers have won 14 consecutive games against Big Ten West opponents.

When Wisconsin runs...

Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line are still performing as well as expected. Even in the 38-13 loss, the sensational sophomore had 101 yards on 17 carries against a defense that was giving up fewer than 100 rushing yards total per game. With 16 100-yard games, Taylor is 11th all-time at Wisconsin in 100-yard games. His 2,927 yards rushing is 486 behind John Clay for 10th place on the all-time Wisconsin rushing list. Taylor is second in rushing yards in the country and in rush yards per game. As a team, the Badgers rush for an average of 269.7 yards per game, which is sixth in the country. Defensively, Illinois gives up an average of 199.5 yards on the ground per game, which is 106th in the country. Incredibly, they are also worse than Wisconsin in opponents yards per carry (5.1), ranking 113th out the 130 in the FBS. This could be a game in which Taylor hits the 200-yard mark for the third time this season.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Wisconsin passes...

Alex Hornibrook was awful against Michigan. There is no way around that. Fortunately, Illinois’ pass defense is not even close to the caliber of Michigan’s. After his poor showing in Ann Arbor, Hornibrook is 83rd in pass yards per game (177.2) and has fallen down nearly 20 spots to No. 56 in pass efficiency. He can either look great or look horrible, which is quite frustrating. I can’t see him being a complete disaster two games in a row, though. Hornibrook is fourth in school history with 42 touchdown passes. He needs to five to tie John Stocco for third and six to tie Joel Stave for second. The junior will not be able to catch the top guy, Darrell Bevell, this year, as he has 59. At 4,969 career passing yards, he ranks eighth in school history. He is 20 yards behind Mike Samuel for seventh and 34 behind Randy Wright for sixth in school history. Illinois has, uhhh, not been good at defending the pass. The Fighting Illini have given up an average of 305.2 pass yards per game. Despite 11 interceptions, Illinois has allowed opposing quarterbacks to have a 142.9 passer rating, which ranks 97th. Of those 11 picks, seven of those came in the three wins: Western Illinois, Kent State and Rutgers, an FCS team and two teams with a combined 2-12 record. Their 10 sacks rank 94th in the country. Even though the passing attack was inept against Michigan, Hornibrook has three solid wide receivers and a real solid tight end at his disposal. A.J. Taylor only had one catch against Michigan for three yards, but he is still the leading receiver for the Badgers. His touchdown in Ann Arbor tied him for 21st all-time in school history in receiving touchdowns with eight. Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor are solid targets at wide receiver as well. Tight end Jake Ferguson has become a real weapon for the Badgers, especially on third down. He was the leading receiver for the Badgers against Michigan and he has had at least 46 yards receiving in the last four games. Defensive end Bobby Roundtree is someone to watch for the Illini, leading the team with three sacks and is second with five tackles for loss. Del’Shawn Phillips and Jartavius Martin are tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Illinois runs...

Illinois went into the game against Purdue 13th in the country in rushing, averaging 260 rushing yards per game, but was held to just 69 yards in the blowout defeat. Even with the low rushing output against the Boilermakers, the Illini are still 22nd in rush yards per game with 228.8. In the three wins, Illinois has rushed for an average of 282 yards per game. In the three losses, they have rushed for 175 per game. But the Purdue game was the only game in which Illinois rushed for fewer than 200 yards. Four players have at least 130 yards rushing, and three with at least 280. Reggie Corbin leads the team with 484 yards and five scores, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Mike Epstein has 397 yards and averages 6.8 yards per carry. A.J. Bush is a running quarterback, and will kill you with his legs. Bush has two 100-yard games this year and 282 rush yards overall. The Wisconsin front seven will need to put its big boy pants on to try to stop this vaunted Illinois ground game. Wisconsin is coming off a game in which it allowed 320 yards on the ground, its most since 2005 against Laurence Maroney and Minnesota. Wisconsin is 69th in rush yards allowed per game at 161.8. It is even worse when it is yards per carry. In that category, the Badgers are 109th at five yards per tote. Not good. The key will be to slow down Illinois’ ground attack. Make them try to beat you through the air.

Edge: Illinois

When Illinois passes...

The Illini are also a run-first team, and have even fewer passing yards per game than Wisconsin. Illinois averages 155.3 passing yards per game, which is 117th. When they do throw, they aren’t very effective, beyond just passing yards allowed. Their overall quarterback rating is 113.9 with five touchdowns and three picks and completion percentage (57.3 percent) is 94th. Wisconsin will need to make Illinois beat them through the air. Sean Mays is their leading receiver in both yards and receptions, with 16 catches for 176 yards. Ricky Smalling has 12 catches on the year, but three of them have gone for touchdowns. M.J. Rivers is a better passer than Bush, but he has not played in the last two to lead some to think head coach Lovie Smith might be thinking about redshirting him. In terms of yards per game, Wisconsin is 40th in the country after allowing 124 against Shea Patterson and Michigan. However, they are 65th in opponents quarterback rating. Two troubling stats for the Badgers: Wisconsin has only picked off four passes this year (tied for 84th), and just one in the past four games, and has just eight sacks (tied for 113th).

Edge: Push

Special Teams

Like I always do, I’ll start like I always do with Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone. He didn’t have an attempt at Michigan, so he remains tied with Todd Gregoire for most field goals in school history with 65. His one extra point leaves him 16 behind Philip Welsh for most career extra points. Illinois kicker Chase McLaughlin started out the season really well, making seven of his first eight field goals, including making all three of his attempts from at least 50 yards. But in his last three games, he has made just two of his six attempts. Illinois has the edge at punter, as Blake Hayes’ 45.1-yard average is second in the Big Ten and his net average of 39.8 is ranked sixth. Of his 36 punts, he has also placed 16 inside the opponents 20. Anthony Lotti’s 40-yard average is 12th in the conference, and 34.5-yard net is 13th. Aron Cruickshank is middle of the Big Ten in qualified kick returners, while Illinois’ Carlos Sandy is last.

Edge: Wisconsin

Overview

This could be a shootout. Both teams have trouble stopping anyone and both have terrific rushing attacks. Isaiahh Loudermilk is out again this week, so it would be nice if the secondary is back to full strength. I think Taylor will wear this Illinois front down and Hornibrook bounces back with a big day to lead the Badgers to the victory. Wisconsin will need to jump out early and force the Illini to throw the ball. Whichever quarterback makes the most plays through the air will win the game. My money is on Hornibrook.

Prediction: Wisconsin 41, Illinois 20

Wisconsin/Michigan review

As a Wisconsin fan, I have been fortunate to not have to witness these types of games often, as the Badgers fell 38-13 to the Michigan Wolverines Saturday night at ‘The Big House.’ It was the worst loss since the 59-0 debacle in the 2014 Big Ten Championship game and the worst regular season loss since a 48-7 loss to Penn State in 2008. The game ended the Badgers 17-game conference winning streak, as well as the 10-game road winning streak. Sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor had a strong performance in defeat, rushing for 101 yards on just 17 carries. But Wisconsin’s keys to the game were to stop the run, control the time of possession and be at least plus-2 in the turnover differential. And Alex Hornibrook needed to be basically flawless. Well, the Badgers held the ball for 22 minutes compared to Michigan’s 38, Michigan ran for 320 yards and nearly seven yards per carry and Bucky was minus-2 in the turnover differential. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Hornibrook had one of his worst games as a Badger, going 7-for-20 for 100 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. They were obliterated in all four of my keys to the game. Incredibly, the young secondary did not play all that poor. Every category outside of rushing yards was terrible for Wisconsin. There were not many positives from this one.

I'd say Taylor and the offensive line were positives, though. Taylor ran for 100 yards once again, and has done so each game so far. The sophomore only ran the ball 17 times for an average of nearly six yards per carry. This is his 16th 100-yard game, which is 11th all-time, tying him with current Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement. He now has 2,927 yards rushing in his career, and now is 486 behind John Clay for 10th place. In total, the Badgers ran the ball for 183 yards and 6.3 yards per carry, which is nearly double what the Wolverines averaged giving up this season (96.5). They also had some success on jet sweeps, getting big gains from Kendric Pryor (33 yards) and Danny Davis (37). The running game was having success, so it is a wonder why the Badgers didn’t do it more.

T.J. Edwards was a monster, registering three tackles for loss, his most tackles for loss since 2.5 in 2017 against both Minnesota and Michigan. He was all over the place for the Badgers. Wisconsin, as a whole, had eight tackles for loss, its most since having nine at Illinois last season. The young secondary actually did not play too poorly. Michigan’s quarterback Shea Patterson was 14-of-21 for 124 yards and had only 5.9 yards per attempt. For all the worries we had going in about this secondary, they were the least of Wisconsin’s concerns. Eric Burrell had 11 tackles, Rachad Wildgoose had five tackles and a pass break-up and Reggie Pearson five tackles, a tackle for loss and forced fumble.

There were plenty of negatives in this one, but Hornibrook will get the top spot for obvious reasons. He completed 7-of-20 passes for just 100 yards with a garbage-time touchdown and two interceptions. Up until the last drive of the game for Wisconsin, the junior quarterback was 3-of-15 for 25 yards and two interceptions. So, yes, he almost threw as many passes to Michigan than Wisconsin until late in the game. Amazingly, he actually started out 3-of-3, but then misfired on his next 12. Somehow, he didn’t complete a pass for nearly three whole quarters. It doesn’t matter if you are playing the No. 1 defense in the country. That is unacceptable. With his 26 career picks, he moved into a tie for 11th all-time in interceptions thrown. In his two games at Michigan Stadium, Wisconsin’s signal caller is 16-of-45 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. They have been his two worst games as a Badger. Fortunately for him and the Badgers, he won’t face any defenses like the one he faced Saturday. They can’t afford to have him play this poorly again. I predict he’ll have a bounce-back performance against Illinois next Saturday.

The run defense was supposed to be the strength. Everybody knew there would be an adjustment period in the secondary, having to replace three starters. But the defense returned nose tackle Olive Sagapolu, inside linebackers T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly and safety D’Cota Dixon, so you’d think the run defense would be a strength. Guess again. Michigan ran for 320 yards, the most rushing yards the Wisconsin defense has allowed since 2005 at Minnesota when it allowed 411. Edwards had a real nice game, but most everybody else in the front seven....not so much. Wisconsin actually did pretty well stopping the run in the first half, outside of Patterson’s 81-yard run early in the second quarter. But then, the undermanned Wisconsin defense wore down in the second half. After that performance, the Badgers dropped down to 69th in rush yards allowed per game (not nice) and 109th in yards per carry (5.0). The run defense has another major test against Illinois next week at Camp Randall.

This is a tough one to swallow, but Wisconsin will hopefully get a few key players back for the meeting with Illinois next Saturday. The kickoff will be at 11 CST and be televised by FS1.

No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) @ No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (5-1)

Coming off a convincing 41-24 victory over Nebraska last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, the competition gets more difficult for the Wisconsin Badgers as they travel to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines at ‘The Big House.’ Like when Michigan visited Madison last season, College Gameday will be there for the big game. ABC’s crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call for the top 15 showdown. Michigan's only loss was a 24-17 road defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, which currently is 6-0 and No. 5 in the nation.

Last season in Madison, the Badgers rallied from a 10-7 third quarter deficit to score touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to give Bucky a 21-10 lead and the eventual 24-10 victory. That win improved Wisconsin’s record to 11-0 en route to the 13-1 season. In the series, the Wolverines have a 50-15 edge, but the Badgers have won five of the last eight meetings. Under head coach Paul Chryst, Wisconsin has been road warriors, winning 15 of 16 true road games (since the start of 2015) with the only loss coming to Michigan 14-7 two years ago. The Badgers have won 17 straight Big Ten regular season games, with the last loss being a 30-23 overtime loss to Ohio State in 2016.

When Wisconsin runs…

Wisconsin does what it does. It runs the football, led by sophomore Jonathan Taylor and one of the best offensive lines in the nation. The running back leads the nation in rushing yards per game, by 14 yards over Memphis’ Darrell Henderson. Taylor has gained more than 100 yards on the ground in every game so far this season, and has reached the 200-yard mark twice, including last week against Nebraska. Despite having played just 19 career games, he is already 14th in school history in rushing yards. Taylor is just 587 yards behind John Clay for 10th place, so will crash into the top 10 this year, barring injury. As a team, the Badgers are fourth in the country in rushing yards per game with 287, trailing only three triple option teams: Georgia Tech, Navy and Army. But Michigan is a different animal. The Wolverines come in allowing just 96.5 yards on the ground per game, which is sixth best in the nation. It improves to fifth best in yards allowed per carry with 2.6. Despite ranking ahead of them in the stats, Iowa’s run defense is inferior to Michigan’s. The Wolverines have good players everywhere, led by Rashan Gary. The future first round draft pick did not play in Michigan’s 41-21 victory over Maryland, and may or may not play this week. It would hurt Michigan’s defense a bit, but the Wolverines have a really good defense overall. Senior defensive end Chase Winovich is a star for the Maize & Blue. Not only does he have three sacks on the year, but he leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss per game with 1.8. Like Gary, he too could be a first round pick in April’s NFL Draft. Linebacker Devin Bush is a monster, as well, leading the team in tackles and is second in tackles for loss. Bush also had an interception in last year’s meeting. Taylor was bottled up in the first half last year, but found a bit of daylight in the second half, ending with 132 yards on 19 carries in the Bucky victory. He’ll find the sledding tougher at Michigan Stadium.

Edge: Push

When Wisconsin passes...

Even though Danny Kannell simply just looked at stats at thought Wisconsin’s passing offense was bad, Alex Hornibrook and the passing offense has been decent this year. Yes, Wisconsin ranks 107th in passing, averaging 193.2 yards passing per game. However, Hornibrook is 36th in the country in passing efficiency among qualified players and 32nd in yards per attempt. While Wisconsin isn’t an amazing passing offense, Hornibrook has not been terrible. A.J. Taylor has become a reliable target, catching 18 passes for a team-high 354 yards and two scores. He has had at least 60 yards receiving in three of the five games so far. One player who is emerging as one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the conference and maybe the nation is Jake Ferguson. The freshman has at least 40 yards receiving in four of the five games, and has scored a touchdown in each of his last two. He will need to do work in order for Wisconsin to move the ball through the air. Despite playing with the lead quite a bit and forcing opponents to throw, Michigan is No. 1 in the country in pass yards allowed per game (134) and top 10 in opponents quarterback efficiency (98.6). Michigan has 18 sacks this season, led by Winovich’s three. Six players have at least two sacks.

Edge: Michigan

When Michigan runs…

Michigan has three running backs with at least 170 yards rushing, led by Karan Higdon’s 582 yards. The top five running backs for the Wolverines average more than five yards per carry. As a team, Michigan averages 5.1 yards per carry on just under 200 yards per game. Wisconsin, still trying to figure things out defensively, has allowed 130 rushing yards per game, which is 42nd in the country after ranking near the top the past few years. The 42nd ranking doesn’t seem too bad…..until you find the yards per carry average against them is 4.4, which ranks 83rd. To make matters worse for the Badgers is their best defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk is out this week. Olive Sagapolu, T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly will need to have monster games to slow down the Michigan rushing attack to make the Wolverines one-dimensional. That is really the only chance Wisconsin has.

Edge: Michigan

When Michigan passes...

Michigan has a new quarterback, Shea Patterson, a transfer from Ole Miss. Patterson has thrown for 1,187 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. In his past five games, he has thrown all 10 touchdowns and has thrown three touchdowns in three different games. At his disposal, Patterson has two terrific wide receivers as well as one of the best tight ends in the conference, Zach Gentry. All three have at least 200 yards receiving, with Gentry leading the way with 306 yards on 20 catches. Donovan Peoples-Jones has 18 catches on the season, but five of them have gone for touchdowns. Wisconsin outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel will have to be able to get to Patterson because the Badgers secondary is a MASH unit. Wisconsin cornerbacks Caesar Williams and Deron Harrell are questionable and starting safety Scott Nelson will be out for the first half due to a targeting penalty he had in the second half of the win over Nebraska. Williams missed last week’s victory. The Badgers are 56th in passing yards allowed per game, but is even worse at opponents quarterback efficiency, ranking 74th. The Badgers also rank 121st in the country with just five sacks. It will be an uphill battle for the Wisconsin pass defense,

Edge: Michigan

Special Teams

As I start out out every special teams preview, I will start out with Wisconsin’s kicker Rafael Gaglianone. With two field goals against Nebraska, Gaglianone tied Todd Gregoire for most field goals in Wisconsin history with 65. He also kicked five extra points in the win over the Cornhuskers, so he is now just 17 made extra points behind Philip Welch for the school record in that category. For Michigan, Quinn Nordin is equally as good for the Wolverines. Sleeping over at Nordin’s house in the recruiting process has worked out well for Jim Harbaugh. He is eighth in most field goals in Michigan history and is currently the second most accurate kicker in the illustrious history of Wolverines football. The punter comparison is not as kind to Wisconsin. After losing the job to Brad Robbins last year, Michigan’s Will Hart has a punting average of 51.7 yards per punt, which is fourth in the country, and his net punting ranks 12th in America. Wisconsin’s Anthony Lotti ranks 11th and 12th, respectively, in those categories....in the Big Ten. Michigan kick returner Ambry Thomas is second in kick return average in the conference, and has taken one back to the house. Wisconsin’s kick returner Aron Cruickshank is fifth in the conference among qualified players, but has been close to breaking one on a few occasions. Zach Hintze is tops in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation in touchback percentage, so that would be a neutralizer. Among qualified returners, Peoples-Jones is third in punt return average, running back punts at an 8.5 per return clip. Like pretty much everything else on the team, Michigan is incredibly good on special teams.

Edge: Michigan

Overview

This will be a tough one, perhaps the toughest of the year. The Badgers will need to play a perfect game to come out on top at the Big House, and I have yet to see that from this year’s Wisconsin. In order to win, the Badgers will need to control the clock with Taylor and keep the Michigan offense off the field. Wisconsin is capable of that, ranking fifth in the country and tops in the conference in time of possession. Michigan’s defense is a salty unit that will try to take away the Badgers run game. I wouldn’t have much confidence if the Badgers were completely healthy, but I have no confidence in a banged up team winning in Ann Arbor.

Prediction: Michigan 41, Wisconsin 20

Nebraska/Wisconsin review

It was not even close to a Picasso-type performance, but the Badgers knocked off the Nebraska Cornhuskers 41-24 at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday evening. The teams combined for 1,051 yards of offense, so the Badgers did what they needed to do against Nebraska, but Wisconsin still has a long ways to go, especially on defense. Sensational sophomore Jonathan Taylor ran for 221 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns. In his two games against the Cornhuskers, Taylor has run for 470 yards and five touchdowns. In the last six games against Nebraska, Wisconsin has rushed for an average of 368.8 yards per game and have rushed for than 500 twice and only below 350 twice. Wisconsin improved to 4-1 and maintained a one-game lead in the Big Ten West. With the loss, Nebraska dropped to 0-5 on the season, its worst start to a season in its 129-year history. This was also the ninth consecutive loss for the Cornhuskers, which extends a program record. The win for the Badgers marked the 17th consecutive regular season Big Ten win, and the 14th straight victory over Big Ten West competition. The last time Wisconsin lost to a Big Ten West foe was the regular season finale in 2015 against Northwestern, in a game that is simply referred to as #JazzCaughtIt. This was the 10th straight win in a trophy game for the Badgers.

The first positive has to be the offensive line, and Taylor. I will lump them into one here. Not only did the offensive line pave the way for Taylor to gain 221 yards, but that line only gave up one sack. Great job by the offensive line. I mentioned the sophomore gained 221 yards for his second consecutive game 200+-yard performance against Nebraska. It was also his fifth game of at least 200 yards on the ground for him. His five are the third most in school history, only trailing Ron Dayne and Melvin Gordon. With his strong performance, he moved into 14th place on Wisconsin’s all-time rushing list. His 88-yard touchdown run was the longest run by a Badger since Melvin Gordon had an 88-yard run at Iowa in 2014. Taylor remains No. 1 in the country in rushing yards (169.8). Not to be outdone, backup running backs Taiwan Deal and Garrett Groshek also had big days, combining for 147 yards on 19 carries. As a team, the Badgers ran for 370 yards. Nebraska is certainly not a brick wall when stopping the run, but it certainly is nice to see the offensive line take control and dominate. The unit looked like the best group in the country. They’ll need them to play great next weekend as well against a salty Michigan front seven.

Wisconsin was able to generate a bit of pressure against Nebraska freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez, as the Badgers recorded two sacks and seven quarterback hurries, both are the most they have had in a game this season. All-American linebacker T.J. Edwards had both the sacks, which ties his sack total from all of last season. After not having one quarterback hurry of Nate Stanley against Iowa, the Badgers were able to pressure Martinez a bit. A healthy Andrew Van Ginkel is a real weapon for the Badgers. The senior linebacker did not have a tackle in limited snaps, but he did record two quarterback hurries. If he can consistently get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, Wisconsin’s defense could be a pretty good one. Both him and Zack Baun had two quarterback hurries. Starting in place of Van Ginkel, Tyler Johnson added two 2.5 tackles for loss. Wisconsin’s defense has a long way to go, but this is promising.

Finally, it’s nice to see senior kicker Rafael Gaglianone get back on track. His last attempt was the miss at the end of the game against BYU that would have sent that one into overtime. He did not have an attempt at Iowa, so it was great seeing him with the bounce back with two early field goals against Nebraska. It was his first made field goal since New Mexico in week two. Also, with his two field goals, he tied Todd Gregoire for most field goals in school history. With his five extra points, it makes 190 extra points for Gaglianone in his career, which is 17 behind Philip Welch for the school record. The two successful field goals have made him 5-of-6 on the year, and it appears his mini-funk (or bad miss against BYU) is behind him.

The pass defense is still horrible. It did not help that one starter Caesar Williams did not play, and the other, Faion Hicks, was playing at less than 100 percent. Sophomore Madison Cone played quite a bit, and looked.....inexperienced. True freshman Rachad Wildgoose also received a significant amount of playing time. Redshirt freshman Deron Harrell left the game with a head injury, so the Badgers had a depleted secondary. Martinez for Nebraska threw for 384 yards against a banged up and inexperienced secondary. The Nebraska freshman’s 384 passing yards is the most one player has thrown for against Wisconsin since Trace McSorley also threw for 384 in the 2016 Big Ten Championship game. Sophomore Andrew Bunch came in and threw for 23 yards of his own. The 518 yards allowed by the defense is the most they’ve allowed since Michigan State gained 564 yards in 2007. Amazingly, that was also in a win. The defense needs to get healthy and grow up fast because the Badgers have a huge test next Saturday in Michigan.

Overall, it was a meh performance. And to be honest, it is how I thought the game would go. To say both defenses are not very good would be an understatement. And with both offenses being two of the best in the league, a shootout should not have surprised anyone. Wisconsin will need to perform much better, as it goes to Ann Arbor for a date with Michigan for its third straight night game. The Michigan defense will not be a pushover like Nebraska’s.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-4) @ No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers (3-1)

After a bye week, the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers take the field at 6:30 on Saturday to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their first Big Ten game this season at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin comes in at 3-1, while Nebraska enters at 0-4, its worst start to a season since 1945 when it started 0-5. Dating back to last season, the Cornhuskers have dropped eight consecutive games, which is the longest streak in the history of the program. The Badgers look to continue their dominance over their Big Ten West rival, as they have won five consecutive games and are 6-1 against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. In last year’s meeting, Wisconsin won at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln 38-17 behind Jonathan Taylor’s 249 yards and two touchdowns. Wisconsin’s Chris Orr had a pick six on Nebraska’s opening possession and the Badgers jumped to an early lead. It was 17-10 Wisconsin when Nebraska’s Aaron Williams had a pick six of his own and the game was tied. But the Badgers would dominate from there, scoring touchdowns on their final three possessions of the game and holding the Huskers to 56 yards the rest of the night for the win.

Following the loss to BYU, the Badgers went to Iowa City and won a huge game against Iowa two weeks ago 28-17. The score is a bit deceiving, as Wisconsin scored with 57 seconds left to take a 21-17 lead, and would score once more after a T.J. Edwards interception. Nebraska played last week and was beaten soundly by Purdue in Lincoln 42-28. The Cornhuskers scored first on a Devine Ozigbo 18-yard touchdown run, but the Boilermakers would score the next 27 en route to the 14-point win. The Cornhuskers do have a really good offense, gaining nearly 600 yards against Purdue, but their defense is.....ehh.....not so good, allowing at least 33 points in every game except for the game against Troy. Wisconsin has an 8-4 edge in this series, and like I mentioned earlier, a 6-1 record since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. If you include the 1974 thriller, the Badgers have won seven of their last eight against them.

When Wisconsin runs...

The offensive line needed to make a statement after an underwhelming performance against BYU, and the unit did just that in Iowa City, helping the Badgers run for 210 yards against one of the best run defenses in the country going into the game. Sophomore Jonathan Taylor slipped to fifth in the country in rushing after the bye week, but he leads the country in rushing yards per game with 157. As a team, Wisconsin has rushed for 266.3 yards per game, which leads the Big Ten and is eighth in the country, just ahead of Penn State and Maryland, which are ninth and 10th respectively. Nebraska did well stopping the run against Colorado, but have struggled mightily in the last three. In those three games, the Huskers have allowed 205 yards on the ground per game, and it gets even uglier in Big Ten play. In its two conference games, the Blackshirts have allowed 473 yards and 5.8 yards per carry. Not pretty. Wisconsin has a better offensive line and running back than both Michigan and Purdue. This could be a game in which the Badgers rush for more than 300 yards.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Wisconsin passes...

Junior quarterback Alex Hornibrook can make you pull your hair out with inconsistency. He looked poor against BYU, throwing for just 190 yards on 28 attempts with an interception. But then, a week later in a hostile Kinnick Stadium, he threw for 205 yards and almost had as many touchdowns (3) as he had incompletions (5). He also orchestrated a drive that may have righted the Badgers season, leading a 10-play, 88-yard drive to give the Badgers the lead with less than a minute left against Iowa. Last year, Hornibrook only had one conference game in which he did not throw an interception, and that was the regular season finale. In one conference game in 2018, he has already equaled that mark. Through four weeks this year, he is on pace to have a better touchdown-to-interception ratio than last year. Hornibrook is in eighth place in Wisconsin history for career passing yards with 4,706. Next up on the list is Mike Samuel at 4,989. His 40 touchdown passes are fourth in school history. John Stocco is third on the list with 47, and Joel Stave is second with 48, so he has a legitimate shot at reaching No. 2 by season’s end. He has a number of weapons at his disposal, starting with his wide receivers, juniors A.J. Taylor and Kendric Pryor and sophomore Danny Davis. His tight end has become an emerging weapon, freshman Jake Ferguson. In three of the four games, he has caught at least three passes and has had at least 40 yards receiving. In his last two, he has had seven for 119 and a touchdown. He will only become more of a threat as the season moves along. Nebraska allows nearly 250 passing yards per game, which is 97th in the country, and their opposing quarterback rating is 75th. The Huskers have 12 sacks on the year, which is tied for 40th, but only have two interceptions on the season, which is tied for 100th.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Nebraska runs...

The Cornhuskers come in 42nd in the country in rushing yards per game, but have rushed for at least 187 yards in three of the four games so far, including 259 yards on 39 totes last week against Purdue. Senior running back Devine Ozigbo did not play week one against Colorado and struggled in his first three games back, but he ran well against the Boilermakers last week, rushing for 170 yards on just 17 carries. Four Cornhuskers have at least 125 yards rushing, led by Ozigbo's 260. Three running backs--Ozigbo, Greg Bell and Maurice Washington--have at least 25 carries and all have a yards per carry average of at least 4.9. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez is also a threat on the ground, having gained 196 rushing yards, which is second on the team. Ozigbo had a nice performance last year against the Badgers, rushing for 112 yards on 23 carries, one of the best performances on the ground against them last year. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is not what it has been in the past at stopping the run. They were one of the top teams last year at stopping the run, but it has been a different story this year. Wisconsin comes in allowing 135 yards on the ground per game, which is 51st in the country. It has been especially poor the last two outings, allowing 169.5 rush yards per game on 5.8 yards per carry. Not acceptable.The Badgers will have their hands full against the Cornhuskers offense. Olive Sagapolu, T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Co. will need to play well in order to slow down the rushing attack. With the middle of the defense back, I did not expect the run defense to struggle as much as it has.

Edge: Nebraska

When Nebraska passes...

As poor as the run defense has been for Wisconsin this year, the pass defense has been even worse. The Badgers came into the year with an inexperienced secondary. What helps a secondary? A pass rush. Too bad for Wisconsin that pass rush has been non-existent through four games. In those four games, the Badgers have just three sacks after having 39 sacks in 2017. Martinez had a strong performance against Purdue, throwing for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Martinez does have a great pair of wide receivers to throw the ball to, Stanley Morgan, Jr. and J.D. Spielman. Morgan has not had a huge game yet this season, but he has had 17 receptions for 269 yards. After a slow start to the season, Spielman broke out against Purdue with 10 receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Those are the only two Cornhuskers with at least 65 yards receiving. It will be a challenge for the Badgers young secondary. Andrew Van Ginkel will need to bring the heat on Martinez and force him to make poor decisions.

Edge: Nebraska

Special Teams

Wisconsin’s kicker Rafael Gaglianone is one of the best in the business, despite missing his last field goal against BYU. He is 3-for-4 on the season. With his 63 field goals made, he is two behind Todd Gregoire for the school record in field goals made. He is 22 extra points made behind Philip Welch for the most extra points in school history. At kicker, the Badgers have the edge over virtually everybody they play. Wisconsin still has a weak spot at punter and has since Brad Nortman left. Anthony Lotti is 13th in the Big Ten in punting average and 10th in net punting. Nebraska punter Caleb Lightbourn is fifth in the conference in punting average, but is dead last in net punting due to the Cornhuskers having allowed 165 punt return yards on 10 returns so far this year. Barret Pickering is having some problems at kicker for Nebraska, having gone 3-for-6 with a long of 35. He is 3-of-4 from 35 and in, but 0-2 on attempts beyond 35 yards. Nebraska has struggled on special teams, and Wisconsin has a golden chance to try to exploit it.

Edge: Wisconsin

Overview

Expect this to be a high-scoring affair. This has not been the Wisconsin defense of usual and Nebraska is really good offensively. I expect it to be close the first half before the Badgers put a little distance between them and the Huskers in the second half to win and improve Wisconsin to 4-1 on the season heading into a trip to Ann Arbor for a night game at the Big House. Like looking ahead to BYU with Iowa looming, the Badgers can’t afford to look past the Cornhuskers. They have a potent offense and the Badgers are still struggling on defense. It will be interesting to see how much this young Badgers team has improved over the bye week.

Prediction: Wisconsin 48, Nebraska 31