Last season in Camp Randall, the Wisconsin defense chased Michigan quarterback John Navarre all over the field. They sacked him four times and forced a couple of fumbles, recovering one. Navarre was clearly rattled, and he finished the game with just 58 passing yards and one interception.
But unfortunately, in a rivalry that has become all too one-sided, Michigan extended its all-time record over UW to 46-10-1 due to costly Badger turnovers and, untimely, special teams’ mistakes. The 20-17 loss dropped Wisconsin out of bowl contention and was a bitter final home game for a group of seniors that never beat Michigan.
“We went out there with a lot of heart and determination,” said UW defensive end Erasmus James. “It’s too bad we came out with a loss, but we were really happy with the way we played.”
Once again, at 6-5, the Badgers are attempting to secure a bowl bid against Michigan, this time at the Big House. To beat Michigan for the first time in eight years, though, they’ll need the same kind of defensive performance they put up against the Wolverines last season.
The main threat in the 8-2 (5-1 Big Ten) Michigan offense is spectacular sophomore wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who has 790 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on the season. He seems to be the next in a long line of star Michigan receivers that includes Desmond Howard, Tai Streets, Amani Toomer and David Terrell. All are currently in the NFL.
Senior Ronald Bellamy, who has nabbed four touchdowns and gained 396 yards, complements Edwards nicely. This duo of receivers will give the UW secondary matchup problems, specifically Edwards, who stands 6-foot-3. Both Badger cornerbacks, B.J. Tucker and Scott Starks, are under six feet tall, and they have certainly had their troubles against some of the conference’s better receivers.
“He’s a big, strong, physical receiver, really gets after you blocking,” UW defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “He’s had a tremendous year for them. Bellamy’s a heckuva receiver [too].”
What makes the Michigan passing game so dangerous, however, is the players’ ability to throw it to their tight end over the middle and to their fullback out of the backfield.
Senior tight end Benny Joppru, a 6-foot-5, 249-pound mountain, has caught 38 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns. He is reminiscent of Iowa’s Dallas Clark, who torched Wisconsin over the middle of the field. Senior fullback B.J. Askew makes a living out of sneaking out of the backfield and creating mismatches on slower defensive linemen or linebackers. He’s caught 28 passes through the first ten games of the season.
“Their tight end, they flex him out a lot. He’s as good as there is in the league,” said Cosgrove. “They have it all. They have a nice package, [and] they try to keep people off-balance. We have to play smart coverage.”
Michigan can also run the ball behind its experienced offensive line, as junior Chris Perry has carried the ball for 794 yards and nine touchdowns. Askew also gets carries, holding a 5.1-yard average and scoring five touchdowns. They’ll take to the air more often, however, as their 148.8 yards rushing per game is solid but not spectacular for college football.
Ultimately, the laurels of the Badger defense will largely rest on putting pressure on the junior quarterback Navarre, who hails from Cudahy, Wisconsin. He’s a tall, strong statue of a quarterback who will cut up a defense when given time to set his feet. He’s been making strong decisions this season, throwing for 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions, while completing 54.7 percent of his passes.
Navarre’s worst game of the year, however, came when he threw for just 112 yards in a loss to Iowa. He was sacked three times and was heavily pressured in that game, so it’s no secret that Navarre won’t be as effective when he has to scramble, much as he did against the Badgers last year.
“I think we can put pressure on him just by rushing four defensive linemen,” said James. “I think we can put enough pressure on him to get him to cough [the ball] up or throw incomplete [passes].”
However, Cosgrove notes that Navarre is a much-improved quarterback from last year’s game.
“He’s probably playing his best football right now,” Cosgrove said. “He’s making really good decisions. He doesn’t make any mistakes. He’s the same big, strong, physical guy, but they do a nice job of protecting him, too.”
Cosgrove stated that his players have been very focused and determined all week in practice. Indeed, a win over Michigan and bowl eligibility will go a long way in soothing the pain of Wisconsin’s so-far disappointing Big Ten campaign.
“We’ve had a lot of seniors that have never beaten Michigan. It’d do a lot for them, do a lot for us because [Michigan] goes off the schedule the next two seasons, so I won’t be around to play them again,” said James. “It’d be really big for us.”
