All-Out Blitz Week 2: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Washington State

BadgerBlitz.com' brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent. We take a look at Wisconsin's first Power Five opponent, Washington State, which comes to town for a Saturday afternoon showdown (2:30 p.m. CT, FOX).

Head Coach: Jake Dickert (4-2 at Washington State)

Illinois State All-Time Record: 488-536-38 (.459 winning percentage)

2021 Record: 7-6

Rankings: N/A

Series vs. Wisconsin: 0-2

In Madison: 0-2

The Cougars offense is led by quarterback Cameron Ward, formerly of Incarnate Word. He dominated at the FCS level, throwing for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns last season. He's a pro-style quarterback, but he does have a little mobility to his game, mainly the kind that helps him extend plays and find open receivers. He's the key to this offense and its success.

Ward has a bevy of talented eligibles at his disposal. Wide outs De'Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie each caught seven passes last week. With the air-raid-style offense that Washington State runs, lots of pass-catches get involved. Running back Jaylen Jenkins caught a touchdown, and a total of eight players caught passes in the Cougars Week 1 victory.

Washington State will be looking to add a more explosive element to their offense, however. Nakia Watson's rumbling 24-yard carry was their only play of 20-plus yards. That's problematic, especially against Idaho. It's not that the offense had a terrible day, by any standards, but you don't run the air raid in an attempt to bleed teams to death. Look for Ward to try to rectify this by throwing some deep balls if he gets a one-on-one matchup on the outside.

Make no mistake, Wisconsin's secondary will be tested on Saturday. Last week, the Cougars threw the ball almost twice as much as they ran it. They're pass-happy and unashamed. Badgers cornerbacks will have to win their one-on-one matchups more often than not.

What will Graham Mertz do as an encore following a near-perfect Week 1 performance? Wisconsin will still look to control the clock and run the ball as they always do, but Mertz will likely throw more than the 16 passes he threw in the opener. He'll have to get it out quick though — Washington State isn't lacking in the pass-rusher department.

Edge rushers Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson are a problem. They each registered a sack in Week 1, and appear poised for monster seasons. The defense as a whole piled up seven sacks, with corners and linebackers getting in on the fun. They'll undoubtably be trying to replicate that production in Madison.

Chau Smith-Wade, the sophomore corner from Denver, is someone to watch in the Cougars secondary. He might be their best pure coverage guy, and he's already in the interception column a week into the season. Some interceptions are pure luck, and really don't say much about a defender. His wasn't. Smith-Wade read the quarterback's eyes as the play broke down, and absolutely baited Gevani McCoy for the lurking interception.

Overall, Wazzu's defensive strength is their front seven. The pass-rushers are tenacious, and they're strong against the run as well. It will be a physical matchup in the trenches on Saturday.

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