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Wisconsin Football: Key matchups to watch vs. Central Michigan

By Christian Borman

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers hands the ball off to Jonathan Taylor #23 against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers hands the ball off to Jonathan Taylor #23 against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Here are three matchups that will decide the outcome when Wisconsin Football hosts the Central Michigan Chippewas.

STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers hands the ball off to Jonathan Taylor #23 against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers hands the ball off to Jonathan Taylor #23 against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

After an impressive 49-0 drubbing of the South Florida Bulls last Friday, Wisconsin football will host Central Michigan in their first home game of the season. Coming off of a disappointing 2018 season, the Badgers have looked to correct themselves and look as though they are contenders in the Big Ten West again.

Jonathan Taylor continued where he left off last season. He rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries. He also didn’t play for most of the second half after the Badgers built a sizeable lead. Now, he added another dimension to his game: catching passes out of the backfield. He caught two passes, scoring on both. He led the Badgers in both rushing and receiving.

The Wisconsin football defense was also very impressive, shutting out the Bulls and holding them to just 26 rushing yards. They also didn’t allow South Florida to cross midfield until their last drive in the fourth quarter. They will look to continue their success against Central Michigan but have a few injuries to key players.

Central Michigan had an uninspiring 2018 season, finishing 1-11. After firing Michael Alford, the Chippewas are under new leadership this season, hiring former Florida Gator head coach Jim McElwain. In their first game under his leadership, Central Michigan won their first game 38-21 against the Albany Great Danes.

In their victory, the Chippewas threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, they rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, they played Albany, a team who finished 3-8 and 12th in the Colonial Conference last season, but they had a statistically good game. They will have a much larger task ahead of them in their next game in Madison this Saturday.

Obviously, Jonathan Taylor will be a huge part of Wisconsin football’s offense. He will always be a big matchup for any game the Badgers play. Here are three matchups to watch out for outside of Jonathan Taylor.