The way Montee Ball celebrated his last of three touchdowns in Saturday’s 59-7 demolition of Indiana with barely any emotion at all, it seemed as though the Wisconsin offense was just waiting for a legitimate test.
The Badgers surely must have expected one two weeks earlier when Nebraska came to town, but that ended in a resounding 48-17 Wisconsin victory. Since then, the Badgers have enjoyed their bye week and then what essentially amounted to a light walkthrough against the Hoosiers.
But this weekend, Wisconsin travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face the nation’s second-ranked defense in Michigan State. The Spartans allow only 186.2 yards per game, and they have been the nation’s top passing defense (119.2 per game) as well.
“I thought Nebraska was a good defense, but I think in many ways [Michigan State’s defense is better than any we’ve played so far],” offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. “It looks to me on film the most physical defense we’ve played.”
With Wisconsin’s offense arguably the country’s most prolific – it is the highest scoring, averaging 50.2 points per game – the obvious strength-versus-strength matchup is enticing enough to warrant the nationally televised, primetime status with ESPN’s “College GameDay” traveling to East Lansing to see the Badgers for the second time this season.
Yet, perhaps feeling as if there weren’t enough eyes already on this matchup, the Spartans have stoked the fire with some early boasting that didn’t take long to reach Madison. According to ESPN.com, MSU safety Isaiah Lewis brought the first inkling of gamesmanship following Michigan State’s 28-14 win over Michigan.
“Wisconsin should know we’re coming,” Lewis said. “They have a good offense and that quarterback [Russell Wilson]. But they should just know our defense is coming. And just like any other team, if they’re throwing the ball up, our DBs are going to go get it, our linebackers are going to go get it and our linemen are getting after the quarterback. And they’re going to hurt him.”
The Spartans have also caught some flak after defensive lineman William Gholston was caught on camera twisting Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson’s head around as he lay on the bottom of a pile and also punching another Michigan player in the head. The latter earned him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, and a suspension is a legitimate possibility before Saturday’s game.
Following the game, MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi neglected to shy away from the penalty, telling reporters, “That’s what we try to do: Sixty minutes of unnecessary roughness.”
After Tuesday night’s practice, Chryst held back any opinions on Narduzzi.
“I have no comment about him or what he said,” Chryst said.
Wisconsin is also battling the memories of its only regular season loss last year, which came in East Lansing in the Big Ten conference opener. In arguably its worst offensive performance of the season, the Badgers appeared sluggish and sloppy in falling to the Spartans 34-24. UW failed to take advantage of three MSU turnovers, instead managing only 292 total yards. In the immediate aftermath, the loss seemed to cripple any shot Wisconsin would have at reaching its first BCS bowl since the 1999 Rose Bowl.
“We just said it’s a new year,” sophomore runningback James White, who had the best game of any UW offensive player with 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, said. “Last year’s in the past. They beat us, but you can keep that in the back of your mind if it gives you a little edge. It’s a new year and new teams. We’re going out there to make a statement.”
Of course, UW rebounded to earn a return trip to Pasadena – interestingly enough, by way of its higher BCS ranking that broke a three-way tie with Michigan State and Ohio State.
Now, as White said, the stakes are different and both teams have changed significantly. The Badgers, of course, have imported Wilson to wildly positive results, while the Spartans have thrived defensively despite losing last year’s leading tackler in Greg Jones to the NFL.
Now, Michigan State’s defense is led by 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. Second on the Spartan defense with 2.5 sacks this season, Worthy once again anchors MSU’s front line.
“Worthy is more a strength guy, more of a guy who’s a little heavier, who comes up the field more just attacking and trying to out-muscle,” center Peter Konz said. “I think this Michigan State defense … I’ve been going against their D-tackles ever since I’ve been starting. … It’s always a battle when we go against these guys.”
Consequently, the Badgers can expect a grueling contest likely to involve more than just a fight to move the ball downfield.
“I know they’re a physical defense,” White said. “They’re going to come out and play real physical. They talk stuff, but we’ve just got to come out there as an offense and do what we do, just keep our mouths closed and play Wisconsin football. We can go out there and execute and do the same things we’ve been doing each and every week.”
