Shannon Ryan has covered Northwestern, Illinois and college football and basketball for the Chicago Tribune since 2007. She gives her thoughts on how the No. 10 Badgers match up with No. 19 Northwestern this weekend.
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WHEN THE BADGERS HAVE THE BALL
UW found its rushing attack last week at Michigan despite being down two key running backs. True freshman tailback Jalen Berger (above) made his first contributions, gaining 87 yards and scoring a touchdown on 15 carries and the Badgers racked up 341 yards on the ground. Five players had at least 30 yards rushing and UW consistently found ways to attack the perimeter of Michigan’s defense. Receiver Danny Davis was crucial to the effort as well, gaining 65 yards on seven jet sweep carries.
WHEN THE WILDCATS HAVE THE BALL
The Badgers’ defense has proven to be as good as advertised through two games, allowing opponents just 18 points and 18 first downs thus far. UW’s passing defense efficiency of 83.45 is second-best in the FBS and ranks first among teams who have played multiple games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
UW punter Andy Vujnovich has been a bright spot on special teams through two games. The Division III transfer has an average punt of 44.3 yards and four of his seven attempts have pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten in punting average, which is significant improvement for the Badgers’ punting unit which has ranked near the bottom in the conference in recent seasons.
COACHING
In their two games this season, the Badgers coaching staff has dismantled opponents. In the opener against Illinois, UW attacked down the field and exploited the Illini’s Cover-2 defense. Against Michigan, the Badgers took advantage of an injury-riddled defensive line and gashed the Wolverines’ on the ground.
INTANGIBLES
Ryan Field hasn’t been kind to the Badgers in the 21st century. UW is 1-5 at Northwestern since 2003. This game was originally slated to be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, but COVID-19 nixed those plans in the summer.
This will be the first meeting with both programs ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1995, a 35-0 Northwestern win. However, the last time the teams were both ranked in the top 20 of the poll, in 1962, No. 8 UW ran through No. 1 Northwestern 37-6.
STATE JOURNAL PICK
The Badgers adjusted well with a number of contributors out due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. UW may be able to get some of those players back this weekend, but they’ll need to pass physical tests. Either way, UW has more offensive firepower than anyone Northwestern’s faced and the defense looks just as good as a season ago.
