Another Big Ten-Pac-12 battle presents itself for Wisconsin when it faces Arizona State this week in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, all for the opportunity to secure a nine-win season.
To do so, the Badgers (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) will need to thwart a dual-threat quarterback who guides the offense for the Sun Devils (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12), plus kickstart its own run game in hopes of ending the 2021 campaign on a high note.
BadgerBlitz.com presents five burning questions before UW and ASU tussle inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday (9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).
1) How will Wisconsin defend dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels?
Wisconsin dealt with containing Adrian Martinez earlier this year (and two other previous seasons), and the now-former Husker gave Jim Leonhard's defense some fits through the air and on the ground.
Now, UW will need to wrap up Daniels, a former four-star prospect and No. 57 player in the nation for the 2019 class -- the same recruiting cycle that produced Wisconsin's Graham Mertz. This season, the Sun Devils signal caller has completed over 66% of his passes for 2,222 yards with 10 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Rachaad White opted out of the Las Vegas Bowl (more on that below), so Daniels also comes into the contest as the offense's leading rusher among those who are participating (670 yards on 5.6 yards per carry with six rushing touchdowns).
With weapons missing in the ground game, along with Wisconsin not needing to contend with more potent weapons in ASU's aerial attack like a Samori Toure or Austin Allen, I feel the Badgers should be able to contain the Sun Devils' offense enough here.
2) How will Arizona State's rushing attack look without its leading two backs?
White's importance in Arizona State's offense cannot be understated in both the ground and passing attacks that averaged 204.5 and 197.7 yards per contest, respectively. He leads the team with 1,006 rushing yards on 5.5 yards per carry with 15 touchdowns. The Pac-12 back also ranks second in receptions and receiving yards (43 and 456, respectively). That's a major blow to an offense that was quite balanced.
White's backup and former Wisconsin 2020 tailback target, DeaMonte Trayanum, entered the transfer portal and recently committed to Ohio State to play on defense. Devils Digest also noted that starting center Dohnovan West also appears unavailable.
In terms of rushers, that leaves redshirt freshman back Daniyel Ngata. In limited touches this season, he averages nearly 6.5 yards per attempt (45 carries, 296 yards, three touchdowns).
Wisconsin will need to contain Ngata and Daniels, but it also boasts the nation's best rush defense in allowing a mere 65.2 yards per game on 2.1 yards per carry.
3) Who will win on third downs in the battle between Wisconsin's defense and Arizona State's offense?
Wisconsin's offense has converted just 33.1% of its third downs, good for about 114-115th in the nation entering Thursday's matchup. Obviously reverting back to a stretch where it moved the chains well against Rutgers and Northwestern on a combined 12 of 23 opportunities would help secure a win, but let's focus in on UW's defense and ASU's offense.
Arizona State converts on third downs 44.1% of the time, which currently ranks around the Top 30 nationally as of Tuesday morning. Wisconsin sits third in the FBS for third-down conversion defense at 26.6%. The missing pieces from the Sun Devils' offense may hinder their potency in this particular category, but it will be worth watching just how the Badgers rebound from their final two regular season matchups.
Nebraska and Minnesota combined to convert 9-of-20 (45%) third-down opportunities against Wisconsin, a huge increase from its seasonal average.
4) How much will Wisconsin need its passing attack against Arizona State's defense?
Wisconsin mustered just 62 rushing yards on 2.8 yards per attempt against Minnesota, drastically under its seasonal average. It still ranks in the top 15 nationally in accumulating 215.4 yards per contest heading into the Las Vegas Bowl.
However, Arizona State allows only 128.7 rushing yards per game, good for 32nd in the nation as of Tuesday morning. It has held six teams under 100 yards: Southern Utah (78), UNLV (88), Stanford (13), USC (92), Washington (95) and Arizona (50). The Sun Devils also allow under four yards per carry on the season.
There should be an opportunity for UW to gain some yardage, however. Four opponents have accumulated 180 or more rushing yards against Arizona State -- Colorado (183), UCLA (190), Utah (208) and Oregon State (237). The Bruins, Utes and Beavers all rank within the top 20 nationally in rushing offense.
Reporters in Las Vegas noted a couple of key Wisconsin starting linemen having injuries. Will that affect opening holes for true freshman Braelon Allen? If so, can the passing attack regain a complementary nature as seen in the first half again Iowa, then against Rutgers, Northwestern and Nebraska?
Wisconsin progressed on offense during the month of November until the loss at Minnesota. The passing game received a few opportunities to make plays that could have changed the complexion of the contest against the Gophers. That said, will we see a rebound to finish 2021 on a high note?
5) Who will or will not be playing, and how will that affect the team?
As stated in our 3-2-1 column yesterday, BadgerBlitz.com is not in Las Vegas this week. However, reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal and WOZN viewed a portion of practice on Monday afternoon and provided some updates.
Starting right tackle Logan Bruss discussed with BadgerBlitz.com last week his UW career and foot injury that may be a roadblock for him to play in his final collegiate game. Based on reports, he did not participate during Monday's session. Redshirt freshman Tanor Bortolini has started two games already at that position in place of Bruss.
Starting center Joe Tippmann also is reportedly injured, fourth-year junior Cormac Sampson is listed behind the third-year sophomore at that position on UW's depth-chart. Reserve tight end Jack Eschenbach (injury) will reportedly not be available for the Las Vegas Bowl, leaving Mickey Turner's group once again significantly short-handed.
Both defensive end Matt Henningsen and fullback John Chenal were reportedly not in Las Vegas as of Monday, though the plan is for the former to be there on Tuesday according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Both the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that UW would not define the reasons for their absences, and Chenal will not play in the bowl game. Redshirt freshman walk-on Riley Nowakowski, a converted outside linebacker who was going through Minnesota pregame with the running backs, may be the name to watch here.
For the coaching staff, Garrett Groshek -- one year removed from his time in Madison -- has taken over coaching the running backs with Gary Brown not in Vegas for a non-COVID health reason. Brown "did not travel with the team to Las Vegas, and his availability for the game is to be determined," a UW official confirmed to BadgerBlitz.com on Monday.
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45
*Like us on Facebook
