Wisconsin fans fondly remember the last time the UW and Nebraksa football teams played each other.

With both teams fighting for Big Ten West supremacy in 2014, Melvin Gordon set an NCAA rushing record with 408 yards on the ground, and Wisconsin trounced Nebraska 59-24 as the snow fell from the sky onto Camp Randall Stadium. Since then, both teams have lost elite running backs Gordon and Ameer Abdullah to the NFL.

This season the two teams find themselves in the same scenario — it’s a must-win game for both programs if they have any intention of reaching the Big Ten Championship game — but both teams have significant injuries.

Nebraska has suffered three heartbreaking losses throughout the season’s five weeks and has lost three of their top four defensive linemen.

UW quarterback Joel Stave will be without his favorite red zone target Austin Traylor, who is reported to miss four to eight weeks with a shoulder injury. It could potentially end the fifth-year senior’s career as a Badger.

Brazzoni: Stave, UW offense gets reality check, overshadows dominant defensive performance

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst said before practice Thursday Alex Erickson would practice with the team, but his status for Saturday’s game remains uncertain.

The injuries aren’t an excuse, running back Dare Ogunowale said.

“I feel like all our games are considered must-win, given the new schematics of college football,” Ogunbowale said.”You don’t wanna have a losing streak. That’s kind of the way we see things. Losing two games in a row is not tolerated here.”

To avoid a losing streak, Wisconsin will look to attack Nebraska’s weak secondary. The Cornhuskers rank last in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (353.8).

Despite all of the defensive struggles, the Nebraska passing game is No. 1 in the Big Ten, averaging 280.8 yards per game. But quarterback Tommy Armstrong hasn’t been the most efficient. He’s completed only 54.4 percent of his passes and has thrown six interceptions on 182 attempts.

Chryst said that offense possesses big-play ability, which the Badgers will have to limit.

“You can see it. And they’re capable, I think,” Chryst said. “They’ve got a lot of different weapons.”

Chryst’s connection with Mike Riley

Chryst and Mike Riley already have the fact they’re both first-year Big Ten coaches in common, but in reality, they share more than that.

The two first met in the early 1990s. After Chryst completed his time as a graduate assistant at West Virginia, he worked as Riley’s wide receivers coach in 1991-92 for the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football.

Chryst worked under Riley in 1997-98 at Oregon State and then in 1999-2001 as his tight ends coach when Riley commanded the San Diego Chargers.

Chryst became Riley’s offensive coordinator at Oregon State again from 2003-04 after Riley left San Diego.

Despite coaching agains his old friend, Chryst said the focus will remain, as always, on the players.

“I don’t feel like it’s me against Mike,” Chryst said. “It’s not — I don’t think it will be.”