The time’s running down on the clock, UW’s third and goal with two yards to go — and a bowl game is on the line.
Figuratively, the Badger football team is in the red zone with only two more games to go in the regular season and no room left for error. If a bowl game is in Wisconsin’s future, the squad must win both of its remaining games, and that quest begins Saturday with No. 11 Michigan.
And don’t think the Wolverines aren’t just as hungry for a win as the Badgers this weekend. While UW must win to qualify for a bowl bid, Michigan must also win its remaining games — only their quest isn’t just for a bowl bid. The Wolverines are looking to winout in order to obtain a berth in the Bowl Championship Series and to clinch the Big Ten title.
In either case, the seasons of these two teams will be determined by Saturday’s matchup, and the determining factors may well lie in who has the most desire, as well as in these five things to watch.
1.Wisconsin must overcome the Michigan mystique:
History has not been kind for the Badgers in matchups against the Michigan Wolverines. In fact, UW is an underdog by a considerable number. In the teams’ all-time series, UW has won only 10 of its 57 games against Michigan, possessing the worst record in the Big Ten against the Wolverines.
Michigan (45-10-1 all-time series), on the other hand, enters Camp Randall not only as one of the best teams in the country, but also as the impenetrable wall the Badgers have yet to bypass.
Certainly the Wolverines are a formidable team in the Big Ten, even in the NCAA, but the scoreboards seem to be the shadow lurking over the UW football team. The Badgers will need some mental toughness to overcome the curse of Michigan football, which in recent years has lost only two of the last 15 matchups against the Badgers and clinched their 800th victory last year when they hosted the Badgers.
Not much has shaken up the Wolverines, who are 18-3-1 at Camp Randall, but the Badgers have 75,000 screaming fans on their side; a bitter rivalry, even if one-sided, firing them up; and a team capable of pulling together to get past what previously was an unbeatable force.
2. Stop Michigan’s top-notch offense
Last weekend was a rough one for Michigan, who had to pull out all the stops in a hard-won game against Minnesota. Wolverine quarterback John Navarre has struggled in the last few games, posting only 12-22 in the competition with Minnesota and throwing an uncharacteristic five interceptions in the last three games.
Though passing power may be down just recently for Navarre and his offensive crew, the Michigan rushing game is picking up the slack.
B.J. Askew and Chris Perry ran for 172 of 300 yards last Saturday in a scoreless passing game. Askew will pose a great threat this weekend against the Badgers, getting the ball in most situations in order to tease the Badger defense up out of the back field, hoping to leave breathing room for a Navarre-Marquise Walker combination.
3. Anthony Davis and Lee Evans must deal with heat
The Michigan defense is the best in the Big Ten against the run, allowing only 75.1 yards per game. While the defense has loosened up in the past weeks, especially in the upset against rivals Michigan State, where they allowed T.J. Duckett 211 yards, they remain strong on holding capable rushing teams to slim numbers.
Add to that the pass defense that possesses a talented cornerback in Todd Howard, who showed the Gophers how difficult a passing game against the Wolverines could be, and the dominating linebacker Larry Foote who stops everyone in sight.
Expect Davis and Evans to be the targets of a rowdy Michigan defense.
4. Badgers’ offense must show up:
While Davis and Evans are going to be under the impressive load of Michigan’s defense, the Badgers will come into this game ready to attack on offense. UW boasts a ground game that is not only highly effective but has a nice give-and-take relationship with its fellow passing game.
Evans and the passing game will show up this weekend to allow Davis and the ground game room to work with, while at the same time delivering yards downfield.
To aid this attack, the rushing game will mix up the offense and eat away at the Michigan defense.
The give-a-little, get-a-little philosophy of the Badger offense should be in action Saturday afternoon in the hopes of breaking up the Wolverine defense.
5. Get away from the seesaw game
There have been first halves of brilliance, second halves of shame, talk of lacking full four-quarter play and evidence of a somewhat rocky season for the Badgers this year.
There is a driving need to wash all the previous turbulence away and play with the full load all game long, especially on defense.
UW ‘s defense has done a sufficient job of stopping the pass this year, (ranked fourth in the Big Ten) allowing 208.6 yards per game and taking down 27 quarterbacks this year. However, the Badgers’ defense will need to post better stats against the Wolverines this Saturday, especially against the rush, if there’s any hope of seeing a bowl game.
With Michigan coming in with two strong rushers in Askew and Perry, Wisconsin will need to take what has been an up-and-down defense and turn it into an effective wall.
Look for the goals of the Wisconsin defense to be a key part of the game — tighten up on the rush while still focused in the backfield for a steady two halves. Do this and Michigan doesn’t look so tough.
