3. The defense records 5 sacks and forces two more turnovers
The defense is the crown jewel of the Wisconsin football team. They have been so good up to this point that any bold prediction may not seem that bold.
The only thing they struggled with this season was creating turnovers, but since the Purdue game, the Badgers have been one of the top teams in the country in that department.
Wisconsin has forced 12 turnovers in the last three games. The #Badgers turnover margin has gone from -11 to -2 in that stretch.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) November 6, 2021
So without that knock on them, what is there to question?
So for my bold prediction for them this week, I think the Badgers are going to continue to harass opposing quarterbacks. They have 17 sacks (as many as Northwestern has all year) in the last three games alone. Whether it’s Nick Herbig, Leo Chenal, Jack Sanborn, or Keeanu Benton, the front eight of the Wisconsin defense has been relentless lately.
I don’t think Northwestern will be able to protect their quarterback either, so I think the pass rush could have another big day on Saturday, tallying at least five more sacks against the Wildcats.
Another bonus part of my bold prediction includes creating turnovers. I think the pass rush and turnovers go hand-in-hand. We saw an example of this last week, when Benton was barreling down on Rutgers’ quarterback when he threw it, leading to a Caesar Williams pick-six, the first one for the Badgers since Noah Burks did it in 2019 against Northwestern.
I predict the Badgers will force at least two turnovers, with at least one of them being an interception.