The 3Cs: No. 10 Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Northwestern

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 Big Ten West showdown against No. 19 Northwestern.

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: Does Jalen Berger follow the true freshman career path of another New Jersey tailback? As we all remember the legend, Jonathan Taylor began the 2017 fall camp as the No.3 tailback, began the season as the co-starter, led the team in rushing in his first game and never looked back over the next three years. Berger’s story is similar, albeit starting in UW’s second game instead of his first.

Playing high school football roughly 150 miles from where Taylor played, Berger shows a lot of similar traits as the two-time Doak Walker Award winner: speed, physicality, a nose for finding the open seam. He also is a better pass catcher than Taylor was as a true freshman, something that was also displayed during his impressive debut against Michigan.

Will senior Garrett Groshek, the Badgers’ best run blocker and a versatile weapon, be back this week? Nakia Watson took a nice step forward last week, too, and appears to be gaining confidence. However, Berger is too talented a player to be relegated to mop-up duty. After proving his worth in Ann Arbor, it’ll be interesting to see how Berger is used against a stingy Northwestern defense in Evanston.

Vasquez: Much like Ben is curious about how Berger will be used after flashing against Michigan, I will be looking forward to watching how Chimere Dike is used. He showed what he can do with more reps, catching two passes for 29 yards and taking one carry 30 yards. But was his extended time on the field a product of Jack Dunn being out?

Dike's snap count jumped from a mere 17 snaps against Illinois to the second-most among receivers, behind only Danny Davis, with 35 snaps against Michigan. Without access to fall camp, reporters were left to rely on players and coaches for a report of who was playing well, and Dike was a name that came up regularly. Does the true freshman continue to see the field at a consistent clip or does Dunn cut into his snap count whenever he returns?

Kocorowski: I’m curious (not concerned, I mind you) how Graham Mertz fares against a Northwestern defense that has created eight interceptions and 10 total turnovers in four games. The redshirt freshman has completed 74.4% of his throws and has not thrown a pick yet in 43 attempts to go with seven touchdowns.

How will defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz try to throw off Mertz and the Wisconsin passing attack?

It was still early in the week, but Mertz on Monday was asked what he was seeing on the film early on that has generated those takeaways. Based on talking with coaches and taking in a bit of film, he said he does not think the Wildcats have changed a lot in what they have done.

“I think they just execute it really well,” Mertz said. “They do a great job of dropping ends out and really playing the voids of the defense. A lot of teams play pure progression and try to hit 1-2-3, and they do a great job of jacking it up and getting to where you can't get three. Then you're like, ‘Oh, where am I going with it?’ And they kind of get guys to scramble right there. I think that on our end of it, we got to be really crisp with our read keys and our decisions. I think that for a quarterback, that's fun. So I can't wait for it.”

I think Mertz will play well, but it will be interesting just to see how Northwestern’s defense tries to contain an offense that has averaged 47 points in two contests led by the redshirt freshman signal caller.

Worgull: While Jake is curious about the Wisconsin quarterback’s performance, I’m confident that Mertz is going to be prepared. Mertz told reporters that while he wasn’t able to practice until later in the Michigan prep week due to the Big Ten 21-day coronavirus protocol, the redshirt freshman was still doing virtual meetings. He called it “a rush” to get a week of practice after a two-week break and promised he had good reps leading into last weekend.

“For quarterbacks it’s nice because it’s not like a high intensity position,” Mertz said following the victory over Michigan. “You’re not running down (the field), your cardio isn’t crazy every day at practice.”

The quote above is noteworthy because Mertz approaches quarterback as much if not more mental than physical, an impressive revelation from a young college quarterback. Northwestern’s defense has feasted on young quarterbacks this season, but I feel confident in saying that Mertz won’t give the Wildcats many chances to make field-flipping plays.

Vasquez: Overall, I’m pretty confident in Wisconsin’s ability to go down to Ryan Field and come away with a win. This isn’t specific but the Badgers have struggled away from Camp Randall against the Wildcats. UW is just 1-5 away from home dating back to 2000 and even needed a scrappy defensive performance to beat Northwestern at home in 2019.

The Badgers have struggled mightily offensively the past two seasons in Evanston and while the Wildcats sport another tough defense, I think the combination of playmaking, jet sweeps and the usual rushing attack can get the job done. Wisconsin’s defense should continue to be stout and lead the way. With Northwestern coming away with slight wins over Purdue, Iowa and Nebraska, Wisconsin should put be able to come out with a road victory.

Kocorowski: I’m just confident in the Wisconsin defense overall. In two games, they have allowed just 11 points (remember, Illinois’s lone touchdown was a defensive score). Opponents have gained only 218.5 yards per contest and four yards per rush.

Northwestern averages about 28 points and 355 yards of offense per game, but it’s only generating 3.6 yards per carry. I am curious to see how the line looks this week, particularly at end when Garrett Rand was unavailable Saturday at Michigan and Matt Henningsen leaving that clash due to injury. However, I think the Badgers’ defense can stuff the run and make the Wildcats one-dimensional. With UW’s secondary being a veteran strength, it may be a long day for quarterback Peyton Ramsey and Co.

Worgull: It’s evident that Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald and defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz have figured out the right way to stop Wisconsin’s running game. I wrote about this on Monday but it deserves repeating, the Badgers have averaged 113.6 rushing yards and 3.0 yards per carry against the Wildcats defense over the last five seasons. That includes a minus-26 rushing game in 2015, only two 100-yard rushers (none over 120 yards) and only four carries going for at least 20 yards. Over the weekend, Northwestern held Purdue to two rushing yards in the Cats 27-20 win.

And it won’t be as easy as saying Wisconsin will just throw it all over the field against the Wildcats. NU ranks fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed (210.0 per game) and have generated eight interceptions through four games. The inability to run the ball will stress UW’s passing game, which could play right into Northwestern’s hands.

Vasquez: Wisconsin’s offense faces its first big test this weekend. The unit couldn’t get much going a season ago, but now they’ll be without a clear workhorse back like Jonathan Taylor and a wide out who can go up and get the ball like Quintez Cephus did a year ago. What does the offense look like against a tough Wildcats defense and, if (when?) they do struggle, which playmaker steps up to make a big play? Is it Jake Ferguson? Danny Davis? Garrett Groshek? Jalen Berger or even Chimere Dike?

As a secondary concern, I look towards the depth, or lack thereof, at linebacker. Mike Maskalunas went down late against Michigan. Maskalunas is listed as the backup for both Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn. If he is unable to go this Northwestern, who fills in as a reserve? And in the trenches, if Matt Henningsen and Garrett Rand are unavailable, who steps up on the line? A position filled with depth would quickly become bare.

Kocorowski: Again, like past weeks, concerned is too strong a word, but I do wonder where we’ll see more pressure on opposing quarterbacks from Wisconsin. The Badgers have four sacks heading into their third game of the season, but only one came against Michigan. No one has necessarily popped out as Chris Orr and Zack Baun did early in 2019. It’s still early, and I also like how true freshman Nick Herbig has played early on.

For that matter, despite averaging two sacks a contest right now, Wisconsin has racked up 11 tackles for loss in that span (led by Herbig at four). If UW can rattle Ramsey inside Ryan Field, it will be a good day for the defending Big Ten West champs.