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After a hard-fought road victory and a bye week to get healthy, the Wisconsin football team is set to open Big Ten play on the road against Michigan. The team will travel to Ann Arbor this Saturday to take on MichiganBut as they get set to face a Wolverines, a squad looking to get on the right track after a disappointing 1-2 start to the season. , they’ll have to avoid something that nearly cost them the game against Fresno State: giving up big plays.

The Wolverines present another tough road test for the Badgers, as UW’s last win in Ann Arbor came in 1994.

This is a different Wisconsin team — one that has just beaten a formidable opponent in Fresno

State.

The Badger defense had a strong showing against the Bulldogs, holding them to a mere 10 points. But Fresno State nearly stole the game by taking advantage of big plays. In fact, 165 of Fresno State’s 343 yards of total offense came on just three plays.

“Those three plays were all missed tackles,” said UW defensive coordinator Dave Doeren said. “We have got to just keep working on it.”

Doeren’s defense held Fresno State in check until Devon Wylie brought his team back to within striking distance following a 47-yard touchdown reception. Running back Ryan Mathews would have given his team the lead with a long reception if not for a game-saving tackle by senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas.

The Badger defense realizes those big plays could have easily cost them the game, and Doeren said his unit needs to tackle better in space to eliminate the big play threat.

“Teams are going to make plays,” Doeren said. “It’s college football, but you have got to limit them.”

Using the experience gained in a hostile environment at Fresno, the Badgers will now focus their attention on Michigan, who is capable of producing big plays of their own.

First on the team in rushing and second in receiving, freshman running back Sam McGuffie headlines the Wolverine offensive attack. McGuffie is a quick and shifty running back, capable of picking up huge chunks of yardage when given space.

The Badgers secondary is well aware of the talent Michigan possesses on the offensive side of the ball, and they realize that the game can be won and lost on big plays.

Free safety Shane Carter, who led the team in interceptions last year with seven, understands the importance of stopping big plays and what his role is to his team’s success. Carter’s free safety position requires him to be the last line of defense, a role that suits him just fine.

“I’m the last man back there,” Carter said. “You’re counted on to bring them down, and I relish that opportunity.”

Carter also knows that some mistakes were made that led to big plays against Fresno State, and that they must be corrected.

“You can’t get frustrated,” Carter said. “You have got to learn from it, and go out there and fix it.”

Long plays nearly cost UW the game in Fresno, and the secondary will be relied upon once again to keep those plays in front of them in Michigan.

Senior cornerback Allen Langford, the most experienced member of the Wisconsin secondary, will have the challenge of going up against Michigan’s talented wide receivers. Langford knows what it takes to keep an offense like the Wolverines’ from making plays.

“We have got to be disciplined,” Langford said. “We need to be fundamentally sound, and make good tackles out there.”

But perhaps the most important thing that Langford has learned throughout his time as a cornerback is

what it takes mentally. Cornerbacks are so often isolated and forced make open- field tackles, and Langford has come to learn that the position demands more than just the physical skills.

“You have got to play with that swagger, play with that confidence, to know that no matter what, you’re going to line up and dominate your opponent,” Langford said.

Wisconsin’s young secondary must embrace the challenges that lie ahead, and play with the confidence it takes to make plays in the open field. The Badgers will again be tested on the road, this time by a familiar foe. For UW to be successful, it is clear that big plays must be contained, especially on the road where the momentum can shift in an instant.

Doeren and his defense are ready for the challenge and know that playing well away from Camp Randall is vital for the team’s success.

“If you want to be a championship team, you have got to win on the road,” Doeren said. “The guys are excited to go to their stadium and play.”