As the college football season winds down and hopes for a bowl bid rest on winning three of their final four games, the Badgers’ erratic defense must be ready to face yet another tough Big Ten offense this weekend when they take on Michigan State.
One of UW?s trademarks over the last decade has been the team?s ability to not let other teams make big plays; the type of plays that can change the entire course of a game.
From allowing Fresno State to comeback from 20-10 deficit at the half letting Indiana score three times in the opening minutes of the game, youth and inexperience has plagued Wisconsin’s defense this season.
“We’ve had trouble with really good quarterbacks and good receivers,” said UW’s head coach Barry Alvarez. “A lot of that has to do with inexperience in the secondary. Good throwing teams have given us major problems.”
These problems were clearly seen last weekend when Illinois QB Kurt Kittner passed for 401 yards and four touchdowns. While the Badgers made a valiant second-half comeback, it was the 22 points allowed in the first half that prevented them from coming home with a win.
Wisconsin?s defense should expect nothing less from the fierce Spartan offense, led by quarterback Jeff Smoker and running back TJ Duckett.
“They’ll be in the same caliber as the receivers we saw last week,” Alvarez said. “Offensively, they are loaded. Duckett is a big physical back. He’s shifty and is hard to bring down.”
Besides the power that Duckett brings to the field, the secondary will have their own share of problems with wide receivers Herb Haygood and Charles Rogers.
“Haygood and Rogers are big wide receivers,” Alvarez said. “They have speed, they can run after making the catch and are capable of making big plays.”
Among those who is going to need to step up and take charge of the secondary is safety Joey Boese, who has started for the Badgers the past three seasons.
“They not only have two very good wide receivers but play with a couple of different quarterbacks,” Boese said. “It’s going to be a challenge for our defense and secondary.”
Aside from inexperience, injuries have also beset the Badger’s defense, sidelining defensive lineman Delante McGrew for the remainder of the season.
“It’s going to be hard for us to go out and play without [McGrew] because he is such a big part of this defense,” Boese said. “Other players are going to have step up to the challenge.
Even in the Badgers’ victory against Ohio State, the first half score was 17-0, Ohio State. Since UW’s offense has been as unpredictable as the defense, this weekend the defense is going to have to hold the Spartans from taking an early lead, giving the offense a chance to warm up.
The keys to winning this football game are preventing MSU from making plays and taking advantage of the rowdy Homecoming crowd that will be on hand for this Saturday’s Big Ten bout.