Wisconsin is looking to finally get a win at Northwestern Saturday, something they have not done since 1999.
In what has seemed like an eternity since they last won there, the Wisconsin Badgers travel to Evanston, IL to take on the Northwestern Wildcats and look to keep their chances of winning the Big Ten West division crown alive. Wisconsin is also looking to stay alive and keep any hopes of making the College Football Playoff still burning.
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There’s a log jam at second place in the Big Ten West, with the Nebraska Cornhuskers sitting one game atop of four teams right now. Joining Wisconsin behind the ‘Huskers are the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Saturday’s opponent Northwestern. The Badgers took a big step towards reaching the Big Ten championship game last week when they knocked off Nebraska. They can take another big step if they can go into Evanston and knock off Northwestern.
No doubt about it, the Badgers are where they are thanks to their dominating defense. Third in the country in scoring defense, Wisconsin is allowing a measly 14.6 points per game. They also rank ninth in the nation in total defense allowing just 301.1 yards per game on the season thus far. And they’ve done this while the linebacker corps has been littered with injuries as of late. Vince Biegel missed two games due to foot surgery. The Monday following the victory at Iowa it was found that inside linebacker Jack Cichy would miss the remainder of the season because of a torn pectoral muscle. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt is banged up as well, suffering a left shoulder injury in the victory over Nebraska. But reserves Ryan Connelly, Leon Jacobs, Garrett Dooley, and Zack Baun have stepped up nicely as the defense has not missed a beat with them on the field.
The offense is a different story as they have struggled at times to move the ball and finish drives in the end zone. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook has just six touchdowns to seven interceptions over the course of the year. After losing his starting job to the redshirt freshman, Bart Houston has come into the last two games and played average at best. The running game has struggled to gain traction throughout the season, although the past three games it has seemed to get back on track. Corey Clement has averaged 126.7 yards per game the last three games and Dare Ogunbowale ran for 120 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown last week in the overtime win over Nebraska.
Everybody knows that Wisconsin’s bread and butter is running the football offense, especially since there is no real threat in the passing game to speak of. It will be tough sledding running the football against Northwestern, however, as the Wildcats are 39th against the run allowing 141.5 yards on the ground. Offensively, they have the ability to put up points and move the ball well. Wisconsin’s corners will be tested as Wildcats wide receiver Austin Carr is a big time playmaker that has recorded over 100 yards receiving in five games this season, including the last three. Carr comes into the game averaging 109.8 yards per game and has a total of nine touchdowns on the year.
Next: 1999: Last Time Wisconsin Won at Northwestern
So, does Wisconsin finally break the curse and get a win in Evanston, IL for the first time since 1999? Or does Northwestern keep their division hopes alive and spoil any chance the Badgers had at making a run for the College Football Playoff?
Location: Evanston, IL
Stadium: Ryan Field
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Commentators: Bob Wischusen and Brock Huard
Radio: Badgers Sports Network or iHeartRadio Stream
Live Stats: UWBadgers.com
Odds: WISC -6; O/U 40