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Wisconsin Football: Get To Know The Rutgers Scarlet Knights

By Jim Oxley

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The Wisconsin football team will look to extend its streak of Big Ten wins to four straight games when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to town Saturday for a Halloween matchup.

READ ALSO: Big Ten Standings: Still Three Undefeated

The Wisconsin Badgers are fresh off of a win over the Illinois Fighting Illini on the road in a game that was costly in the injury column. Wisconsin lost Joel Stave for the game, Robert Wheelwright until bowl season, and Dan Voltz for the year.

The injury situation is even worse when you consider the Badgers have been without Corey Clement, Taiwan Deal and Austin Traylor for some time.

Still, sitting at 6-2, the Badgers have a little less to complain about than the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Let’s get to know the Wisconsin Badgers week 10 opponent.

Record: 3-4, 1-3 Big Ten

Season so far: Rutgers opened the season with a 63-13 win over Norfolk State, but dropped its next two contests 37-34 to Washington State and 28-3 in the Big Ten opener against Penn State.

Rutgers rebounded for a 27-14 win over Kansas in a matchup of “Power 5 Dumpster Fire Team of the Year” candidates. The Scarlet Knights then had a strong showing against Michigan State, hanging around in a 34-27 loss.

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

Rutgers followed with a 55-52 shootout win over Indiana before getting trounced 49-7 by Ohio State a week ago.

Top players: Sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano has completed 67.2 percent of his passes this season, totaling 1,505 yards over 125 completions on 186 attempts. Laviano has 12 touchdowns against 7 interceptions on the year.

Eight Rutgers players have at least 10 receptions on the season, led by senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo‘s 24 grabs for 527 yards and nine touchdowns. Junior receiver Andre Patton has 23 grabs for 307 yards and a score, and junior wideout Janarion Grant has 19 catches for 170 yards.

Junior wide receiver Carlton Agudosi is a big-play threat, with 14 catches for 256 yards and a score on the season. Sophomore tight end Matt Flanagan, junior running back Justin Goodwin, sophomore tight end Charles Scarff, and junior tight end Nick Arcidiacono each have double-digit receptions on the year.

Sophomore running back Robert Martin leads the Scarlet Knights on the ground with 480 yards and four touchdowns on 77 carries, while sophomore running back Josh Hicks has 439 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries. Senior running back Paul James adds 341 yards and a touchdown on 58 attempts.

Junior linebacker Steve Longa leads the Rutgers defense with 85 total tackles. Senior linebacker Quentin Gause has 56 total tackles, leading the team with 7 tackles for a loss. Junior defensive back Anthony Cioffi leads Rutgers with three interceptions.

Outlook: Rutgers defense has given up a ton of yardage and points this season, which bodes well for a Badgers offense dealing with several key injuries. The Wisconsin offensive line is banged up and inexperienced, and there’s no guarantees several starters will take the field.

Still, the Badgers certainly have the firepower to put enough points on the board, especially considering the Badgers defense continues to put up stellar numbers. Rutgers will probably not be able to do much against the Wisconsin defense, so it looks likely the Badgers will be able to continue the winning ways of late.

Next: QB Controversy in Madison?

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