Amid a whirlwind week that was home to speculation and controversy, football head coach Barry Alvarez hopes to have kept his team concentrated on football and not the players’ extracurricular activities.
A single win would vault UW to bowl eligibility and with the performances of the Big Ten’s football teams, it could mean a respectable bowl that was once thought to be lost earlier in the conference year.
“Our focus is to get bowl eligible,” said Alvarez. “[This weekend was] not easy. We try to address things immediately and get them out of the way so our players can concentrate on what they need to concentrate on and be focused for the football game. That’s our job as coaches.”
The Badgers (1-4 Big Ten, 6-4 overall) take to the field against an Illinois team that is currently starring in a roller coaster season.
The Fighting Illini’s (2-3, 3-6) hallmark this year has been a soft defense. Granting an average 26.7 points per contest, the U of I defense has created an atmosphere in which the offense has needed to put up gaudy numbers just to remain close. In the three victories, the Illinois offense has registered an average of 47.3 points and is currently ranked 11th in total offense nationally (445 yard average). After finishing the non-conference year with a lone victory over Arkansas State, U of I has patched their scheme back together winning two of their last three games.
Wisconsin’s defensive coordination will converge on the Illini receiving corps that features Biletnikoff semi-finalist Brandon Lloyd. Averaging 106 combined yards a game, Lloyd has been an integral part of the offense and figures to receive the majority of the attention from the UW secondary, which at times appeared benign against Iowa.
The Badger defensive unit prides itself on giving the offense a chance to win, apparent in the losses to Ohio State and Penn State, by creating turnovers and getting the ball back into the hands of the offense.
Leading the Big Ten is Wisconsin with an amazing 22 takeaways, led by the interception duo of Jim Leonhard (with six) and B.J. Tucker (with four), who rank one and two in conference. In the past 34 contests where UW has held the turnover margin, the cardinal and white has netted 32 victories, thrusting the matter to importance.
“If we shut them out, we win the game,” said defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who will be without the services of Jeff Mack for at least another week. “That’s our attitude, and that’s the way we need to go about it.”
Wisconsin has seen its own roller coaster on the offensive side of the ball. With senior quarterback Brooks Bollinger sidelined at some point nearly every game due to concussion, the UW offense has struggled getting into a rhythm. Anthony Davis’ weekend fracas has made his status questionable and most likely will not see action, meaning that freshman tailback Dwayne Smith, who has been more than reliable filling in for Davis throughout the year, will see the bulk of the playing time.
The final result will rely heavily upon the Badgers ability to put sustainable points up on the board against a questionable defense that yielded 408 passing yards to a lowly San Jose State team. Freshman Brandon Williams has been a solid contributor in the slot opposite Jonathan Orr. Orr, who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the year making sensational catches and hauling in key touchdown grabs, will need to exploit the giving secondary of U of I to provide UW with the edge.
Wisconsin’s record doesn’t accurately depict their season. Having dropped three games by a total of 11 points and holding a potent Iowa offense to 20 points last week, UW looks to secure their post-season fate and guarantee themselves a bowl game, something that has eluded them by the slimmest of margins so far. Alvarez hopes that the recently experienced whirlwind will change directions, instead opting to encompass a lighter subject about traveling after Thanksgiving.
