BadgerBlitz.com's weekly feature, "The 3Cs," returns for the 2020 season. The staff takes a look at one thing we're curious, confident and concerned about heading into Wisconsin's cross-divisional showdown against No. 10 Indiana.

Senior writers Benjamin Worgull and Jake Kocorowski, along with staff writer Raul Vazquez each give their thoughts on the aforementioned topics for this week's contest.

Worgull: It’s a shame we won’t see the matchup of Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. against Wisconsin’s secondary. Penix leads the conference with 1,645 passing yards (400 more than Penn State’s Sean Clifford), 124 completions and 14 touchdowns, but a torn ACL has ended his season prematurely. The offense is unlikely to change, considering Indiana is 12th in the conference in rushing, so how will No.2 quarterback Jack Tuttle attack Wisconsin?

Tuttle -- a former top recruiting target by UW in the 2018 class -- saw his first snaps of the season last weekend and went 5-for-5 for 31 yards.

“We’re excited for Jack,” offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan told reporters. “Obviously not the circumstances you want, but we have a lot of confidence in Jack. He works really hard, he prepares his tail off. He has a lot of talent.”

Sheridan said IU will cater the offense and play calling to Tuttle’s strengths, but added that there’s a lot of carryover between Penix and Tuttle. How smooth the transition goes will have a huge determination on Saturday’s outcome.

Vasquez: It won’t be quite the same passing attack with Penix Jr. out, but how will the Wisconsin secondary fare against the talented receivers Indiana has out there, specifically Ty Fryfogle? He has amassed 652 yards and seven touchdowns on the season at a clip of over 19 yards per catch. UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has been known to rotate his corners, so you may not see Faion Hicks or Caesar Williams following him. But we'll see how Leonhard attacks a talented receiver like Fryfogle, as the target could be a safety net for a quarterback making his first start.

As a secondary curiosity, how does the team’s energy look? With their Big Ten title hopes squashed and not even an Axe game to look forward to, how do they maintain their fire? Indiana is a top-10 team but they won’t even be playing at their full strength with Tuttle under center in place of Penix Jr.

Kocorowski: I do wonder how Wisconsin's offensive line will take on an Indiana defense that has a Big Ten-leading 20 total sacks in six contests. In three games, UW has allowed six. We saw how Northwestern made quarterback Graham Mertz uncomfortable, and this week won't be easier with Tom Allen's program playing some of its best football.

I also ponder how the rushing attack will look against a Hoosiers defense that is allowing 135 yards on the ground per contest on four yards per carry through a half dozen contest. Will the emergence of Jalen Berger, who was seven yards shy of UW's first 100-yard rusher of the 2020 campaign, increase his production even further on Saturday with the help of the offensive line?

Worgull: Berger has overtaken Nakia Watson as Wisconsin’s main tailback for the foreseeable future. Watson is a good tailback and has proven so over the last two seasons, but the redshirt sophomore has shown more of being a bruiser than one who can break a big run (only three of his 38 runs have gone for at least 10 yards). Against the second-best rush defense in the conference two weeks ago, Berger had four such runs and plays with a burst that is noticeable.

Obviously, there’s more to earning playing time than how a player plays in the game. A player has to practice well, have a clear understanding of the playbook and game plan and how that player recovers after a game to get himself ready to do the whole routine over again is vital. Head coach Paul Chryst said it’s been fun watching Berger work through those things and it’s at the point now where the coaching staff is asking him to do a little bit more every week. That’s a signal to me that Berger is only getting started.

Vasquez: I mentioned earlier that I am curious how Leonhard has the defense stack up against Fryfogle and the passing attack, but I am also confident they can limit the explosive aerial assault. The secondary will be down Rachad Wildgoose, who has opted to declare for the NFL Draft, but they have depth at the position with Donte Burton, Semar Melvin and Dean Engram next in line behind Hicks and Williams.

Wisconsin has allowed just 166.0 yards per game through the air. Leonhard won’t have much film on the sophomore quarterback, but you could expect UW will make it a tough time for his first start.

Kocorowski: I’m sticking with Wisconsin’s defense here, particularly its abilities against the run. Though gaining 234 rushing yards on nearly five yards per carry against Maryland last weekend, Indiana averages just 102.3 yards per game in that category.

UW only allows 67.3 yards per contest and three yards per carry through three games. As always, expect Leonhard’s defense to make an opposing offense one-dimensional and halting reigning Big Ten offensive player of the week Stevie Scott. The strength of Indiana’s offense comes from the passing game, but I am confident the front seven will contain the Hoosiers on the ground.

Worgull: Wisconsin’s offense looked stressed at Northwestern two weekends ago and, simply put, Graham Mertz did not play well in a winnable game. Going against the toughest defense he has faced in his short career, Mertz’s timing was out of sync, a lot of his throws weren’t off target and his footwork was messy. As a result, he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Part of that had to do with UW not having its top two receivers and the receivers they did have didn’t do a good enough job creating open spaces for Mertz to throw. The offensive line also struggled against Northwestern’s solid pass rush, giving up three sacks and seven quarterback hits. All of these things are going to come into play Saturday but presumably at a higher level.

Indiana’s defense is full of ball hawkers. And as good as Northwestern is at creating turnovers, the Hoosiers are significantly better and lead the FBS with 16 interceptions. The secondary is responsible for 12 of those. The linebackers are solid and active, especially middle linebacker Micah McFadden, and the defensive line aides the top pressure unit in the conference that has delivered 20 sacks.

Bottom line, unless corrections aren’t made and the execution isn’t better, Wisconsin is in for a long afternoon.

Vasquez: The young receivers and the future of the position are a concern. Maybe the biggest issue down the stretch was the receivers' inability to create separation. With the game still a one-possession contest against Northwestern, Mertz was forced to rely upon the likes of Adam Krumholz, Jack Dunn, Chimere Dike and Stephen Bracey. Dike has been very good and looks to have a bright future. But what other young wideouts can step up after him? It seems like Kendric Pryor may be on track to play on Saturday but Danny Davis’ status is up in the air. If Davis isn’t ready to go against a tough Indiana secondary, Mertz and the passing offense will need the young receivers to play big.

Kocorowski: Let's look at a key stat for Indiana's defense besides its turnovers -- third-down conversions. On the season, it has allowed 34.1 percent of opponents' attempts on that very snap, third in the Big Ten.

Entering the game, Wisconsin has moved the chains on 19-of-43 opportunities (44 percent) on that down. However, against Northwestern, UW converted on just 3-of-16 chances in that dreary afternoon in Evanston nearly two weeks ago.

Ben talked about offensive execution earlier. UW needs to convert on that down to get the unit in rhythm. On the season, the overall percentage appears not overwhelmingly concerning, but with the play against the Wildcats, it will definitely be worth watching how the Badgers work to stay on the field and put points on the board.