Wisconsin Football vs. New Mexico Lobos: Tale of the tape
The Defense
Wisconsin
The Badgers have had a top-10 defense in each of the past five seasons. Even though they lost a good amount of starters from last season, they are built to sustain. They are still stacked at linebacker, led by All-American T.J. Edwards. Ryan Conelly, Zack Baun, and Andrew van Ginkel round out the starters. The linebacking unit could be one of the tops in the country.
The secondary and defensive line is a bit of a different story. Olive Sogapolu anchors the defensive line. Freshman Kayden Lyles converted from offense earlier in camp. In his game against Western Kentucky, he held his own on the run but struggled to create a pass rush. The return of Isaiah Loudermilk this week should help in that aspect.
In the secondary, veteran D’Cota Dixon is the lone returning starter. Freshman safety Scott Nelson is joined by freshman Faion Hicks and sophomore Cesar Williams as newcomers in the secondary. Last week, Scott Nelson showed flashes of that ball-hawking reputation he has. Although it was just Western Kentucky, the pair of new corners showed they can hold their own. Hicks recorded his first career interception on a trick play gone wrong in the red zone.
New Mexico
The Lobos have eight seniors on their starting defense. Last week, the Lobos gave up a ton of yards. They allowed 244 yards on the ground and 322 through the air, all while giving up 30 points. They also tallied three sacks in the game.
Sophomore linebacker Rhashaun Epting led the Lobos with five tackles and a sack. Senior cornerback Jalin Burrell had an interception as well last week.
Wisconsin’s offense is a completely different animal than Incarnate Word. Jonathan Taylor could have a huge game if the Lobos can’t contain the run again this week.