After a come-from-behind victory last weekend at West Virginia, the Badgers return to Madison with confidence and a 1-0 record and a No. 17 national ranking.
However, no matter how much confidence UW has, it will enter its game against Akron without ever having seen the Zips’ playing style first hand. The game will mark the first meeting between the two schools, and although the Zips lost 41-38 to Kent State last weekend, quarterback Charlie Frye’s record-setting 407 passing yards have the Zips thinking they can compete against anyone. These are the five keys to victory in this weekend’s home opener against Akron:
Hang Frye out to dry
Containing Charlie Frye will be the Badgers’ biggest task. The 6-foot-4, 213 pound junior threw for 407 yards while completing 78.2 percent of his passes last weekend. With a shotgun offense installed, pass rushing will be very difficult for a Badger defensive line that will be short two players at the start of the game. Akron’s no-huddle offense will also pose a problem for UW when trying to get the right personnel on the field, so the Badgers need another big game from cornerback Brett Bell and the rest of the secondary if they hope to shut Frye down.
The kicking game
If Mike Allen is forced to sit out again due to his hip injury, the pressure will be on Scott Campbell to perform better than last weekend’s 1-3 effort. After missing attempts from 44 and 42 yards, Campbell did connect on his final field goal attempt from 29 yards in the 3rd quarter. Coach Alvarez expects that kick will give Campbell the confidence he needs to play up to his abilities this weekend. Punter R.J. Morse seems to have found a rhythm as he averaged 40.2 yards per punt and pinned the Mountaineers inside their own 20-yard line twice. UW will need Morse to continue his solid punting this weekend to take command field position once again.
Score early, score often
Akron is looking for a reason to keep the excitement level up after the game begins. A turnover, big special-teams play or huge hit could just do that. The Badgers need to get on the scoreboard quickly to squash Akron’s hopes of winning the game. Last weekend the Badgers didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. The longer the Badgers allow the Zips to hang around, the more thoughts of an upset will arise on both sidelines. Wisconsin can’t let those ideas take shape, but must keep focused and not commit a costly turnover early in the game. If the Badgers play within their means and don’t try to force anything the points should come in bundles.
Finishing on offense
Although quarterback Jim Sorgi is playing with a lot of confidence — especially after his first win — he admits that the UW offense needs to work on finishing its drives. The Badgers converted just 4-of-14 plays on third down a week ago and went 0-for-1 on fourth-down tries. Conversions were a problem for the Badgers a year ago as they successfully completed only 35.3 percent of their attempts. If the UW offense hopes to put up big numbers against Akron, third-down conversions will make or break their game plan.
Make turf adjustments
The game Saturday will be the first played on the Badgers new FieldTurf — installed over the summer as part of the Camp Randall renovation project. Although UW has been practicing on the surface, any inclement weather could change the playing conditions to those the Badgers haven’t seen before. Cleat adjustments will need to be made throughout the game so that UW can maintain any advantage. Although players such as Jim Sorgi have said they love the new surface, it may take time to fully become comfortable with all of its aspects. Because it is a little softer than the old turf, players may feel a difference when making their game day cuts, and adjusting to the field will be vital.
