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Wisconsin Football: 3 bold predictions for the Northwestern game

By Christian Borman

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen (0) burst free during the third quarter of their game Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin beat Iowa 27-7.Uwgrid31 22
Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen (0) burst free during the third quarter of their game Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin beat Iowa 27-7.Uwgrid31 22 /
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Braelon Allen; Wisconsin football
Nov 6, 2021; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) shields away Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi (3) during a run during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

The red-hot Wisconsin football team heads into Week 11 with a 6-3 record and looking for their sixth-straight win. They will play host to Northwestern, who are just 3-6 on the season and 1-5 in conference games.

Right now, the Badgers are big favorites over the Wildcats. This is a game the Wisconsin football team should and needs to win. Right now, the Badgers have the inside track for the Big Ten West title. They and Minnesota control their own destinies with a date with the Gophers looming in just a couple of weeks.

Despite Northwestern’s record, I doubt the Wisconsin coaches or players are overlooking or taking the Wildcats lightly. Games between Northwestern and Wisconsin football teams are almost always ugly, low-scoring games. With that in mind, I’m guessing the Badgers are going to bring everything they have into this game.

If the Badgers continue to play the way they have on both offense and defense, I could see this game breaking the mold of a typical Wisconsin-Northwestern game. If that happens, I think there would be a few big performances.

With that in mind, here are three bold predictions for the upcoming Wisconsin-Northwestern game.

1. Braelon Allen runs for 175+ yards with two touchdowns

Braelon Allen has burst onto the scene as a true freshman. He has continued to improve his play each week as well. He has 100+ yards in each of the last five games. He is just one game short of tying former Wisconsin running back, Anthony Davis, who is cheering for Allen to do so.

I’d say Allen has more than a decent chance at getting to six this weekend. Not only has Allen become one of the feature backs on this offense, but he may also be the guy this weekend. With Chez Mellusi missing the rest of the year after suffering a leg injury against Rutgers, Allen should get a lion’s share of the carries against the Wildcats and beyond. The only thing really holding him back is that he has been banged up a bit. He looked a little slower and like he was hurting against Rutgers last week, but gutted it out because Mellusi was out and the team needed him to do it.

Hopefully, he will have some days to rest up before the Northwestern game. But without Mellusi in the backfield, I could see Allen having a huge game. 175 yards might even be a little conservative, but for now, I think he’ll land around there and find the end zone twice on Saturday.