Who has the edge when No. 10 Indiana visits No. 18 Wisconsin?
COLTEN BARTHOLOMEW
Updated
The University of Wisconsin football team (2-1) hosts Indiana (5-1) in a showdown of ranked teams at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
How will the Badgers contain the Hoosiers' stud wide receivers? Will Graham Mertz and the offense bounce back from a rough showing against Northwestern? Let's examine who has the edge on Saturday.
WHEN THE BADGERS HAVE THE BALL
UW had one of its worst offensive performances of the Paul Chryst era two weeks ago at Northwestern. Seven points won’t get it done against many teams and the UW offense needs to get back on track after turning the ball over five times.
Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle (14) throws during the second half of last Saturday's 27-11 win over Maryland.
Associated Press
Indiana has one of the best offenses in college football with redshirt sophomore Michael Penix Jr. under center. However, after suffering a torn ACL in the third quarter of last week’s game against Maryland, Penix Jr. is out for the season.
Penix Jr. and the passing game have been Indiana’s bread-and-butter, so redshirt sophomore Jack Tuttle will need to run the show and continue fueling a high-powered offense. Tuttle went 5-for-5 for 31 yards against the Terrapins.
Punter Andy Vujnovich has been a big improvement at the position for the Badgers. His average kick of 42.9 yards ranks third in the conference and he’s had seven punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He did well pinning the Wildcats in tough field position, but the offense never capitalized on those flips of the field.
Charles Campbell has gone 8-for-9 on field goals for Indiana, including a long of 52 yards, and Haydon Whitehead is just behind Vujnovich with a 42.8-yard average on punts.
Wisconsin linebacker Noah Burks recovers a fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Penix Jr. injury removes one of the most exciting players in the conference in this game, but both teams have plenty on the line.
UW still has an outside shot of winning the Big Ten West, even if it won’t be eligible for the conference title game because it didn’t play enough games. The Hoosiers may represent the East in the conference championship game if Ohio State can’t play this weekend after a COVID-19 outbreak.
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, file photo, Indiana head coach Tom Allen is seen on the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, in Bloomington, Ind. The Big Ten will start playing football at what normally would be midseason. The coronavirus pandemic limited or eliminated most spring practices. Positive COVID-19 tests and precautions, along with uncertainty about whether there would even be a season, caused disruptions in summer workouts and preseason practices. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler, File)
Doug McSchooler
Paul Chryst and Badgers need to regroup after a tough showing. Chryst’s decisions to punt inside the Northwestern 40 on a fourth-and-3 in the first half and to forgo a field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter down seven didn’t work out.
The injury situation may alter what offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph is able to do this week, but UW should have the advantage in the run game to rely on.
A week of practices without a game should help the Badgers get healthy and reset for the stretch of the season, while Indiana is dealing with an injury to its star quarterback. If Mertz and the offense can avoid turnovers, the running game and defense should be able to control the pace of the game and keep UW ahead. Tuttle is talented, but it’s hard to expect him to run the offense as well as Penix Jr. did.
State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jim Polzin get together on Zoom and break down the Badgers' football game against Indiana this weekend.
Jack Tuttle, who was a four-star recruit, received scholarship offers from Alabama, LSU, Southern Cal and Wisconsin, among others, chose Utah, then transferred to Indiana after one semester with the Utes.
“It was definitely an odd week, but the guys handled it great, had a couple guys get back healthy and get their legs back under them," redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz said of the Badgers' unexpected bye week.
“I like this group to go out there and make a statement versus a very good group,” junior cornerback Faion Hicks said. “Like I said, we look forward to the challenge, it’s going to be fun.”
