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MADISON - The No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers will host Florida Atlantic at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday morning, with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m. The game will air on the Big Ten Network, and BadgerBlitz.com will be there to take in all of the action. Our three things to watch for in the game are included below.
First Read: How much work does Bradrick Shaw get against FAU?
The Badgers listed sophomore running back Bradrick Shaw as 'questionable' for their game against FAU with a leg injury, but head coach Paul Chryst said on Thursday that Shaw was able to get some work in every day this week. If Shaw made progress between Thursday morning and Saturday then they'll probably keep him up on top of their running back depth chart. But with two co-starters behind Shaw in Chris James and Jonathan Taylor the Badgers don't need Shaw to shoulder a heavy load this weekend - especially if FAU's run defense doesn't take a step forward after Navy gashed them for 416 yards last week.
Second Read: What does the rotation look like at defensive end without Chikwe Obasih?
Senior defensive end Chikwe Obasih injured his leg during practice on Wednesday, and Chryst said that they don't have a timeline for his return. The good news for Obasih and UW is that they don't think it's a season-ending injury, but they will have to shuffle their defensive line rotation while he recovers. That means that Alec James will probably shoulder more of the load at the other defensive end spot opposite Conor Sheehy, but it will also probably mean more reps for redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk. Loudermilk already got his first career sack last week against Utah State, and Obasih's injury could open the door for him to have a breakout season for the Badgers.
Third Read: Can the Badgers start the game hot out of the gate?
It took Wisconsin's offense about 25 minutes or so to really settle in last week in their season opener against Utah State but once they found their footing they didn't look back, scoring 59 unanswered points to coast to an easy win. This week the Badgers will be looking to get off to a fast start against the Owls and show that their first half against Utah State was a blip and not a trend. Keep an eye on the offensive line in particular - if they can lock down their communication and avoid pre-snap penalties then Wisconsin's offense should look closer to what we saw in the second half of last week's game.
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BADGERBLITZ.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS
John Veldhuis: Wisconsin 45, Florida Atlantic 14
(1-0 Straight Up, 1-0 Against the Spread)
The Badgers get off to a quick start against the Owls, who manage just one touchdown against Wisconsin's first team defense. UW's running game is the difference maker here - I don't see the Owls slowing down UW on the ground.
Jon McNamara: Wisconsin 55, Florida Atlantic 10
(1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)
The Badgers are crisp from start to finish in a blowout win over Florida Atlantic.
Jonathan Mills: Wisconsin 43, Florida Atlantic 7
(1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)
I have since changed my original score prediction to a larger score in favor of Wisconsin. Florida Atlantic is outmatched in every aspect of the game and the Badgers pick up right where they left off last week offensively.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin Badgers for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
