The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers head across state lines for a Big Ten West clash when they face the Illinois Fighting Illini in Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down its three keys to the game before head coach Paul Chryst and his team take the field against Lovie Smith's squad.

As previously stated, Wisconsin will always look to get its Heisman Trophy-caliber running back going early on -- but against Illinois, there is an extremely good reason why.

The Illini defense gives up on average 201.8 yards on the ground per contest. Breaking that down even further against three Big Ten opponents, the unit has allowed a whopping 324 yards per game and nearly six yards per carry. Against a Badgers' offense that averages over 248 yards per game in that category through six outings so far, it could be a huge day for Jonathan Taylor and Co.

Reminder as well: Taylor needs just four yards to reach the 5,000-yard milestone in his 2.5-plus year career.

Wisconsin has only coughed up the ball five times in six games (one interception, four fumbles). On the flip side, Illinois' defense has forced 14 turnovers halfway through its regular season (four interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries).

As noted by Illinois in its game notes, Smith's unit actually ranks first in the country in forced fumbles (11) and fumble recoveries (10). That includes linebacker Jake Hansen leading the FBS in both of those categories for individual players' stats (five and three, respectively).

For that matter, UW also has forced 14 takeaways (eight interceptions, six fumble recoveries) while scoring as many defensive touchdowns as it has allowed (four).

For any road game, winning the turnover battle can be critical, even against a team that's struggling through a four-game losing streak.

Honestly with the way the paper match-up looks in regards to the lopsidedness of Wisconsin's rushing offense against the Illinois run defense, just how much will quarterback Jack Coan and the passing game be needed?

However, if Illinois is able to get stops and absolutely sells out against the run, Wisconsin's passing game is potent to the point of making defenses pay -- especially in play action. Five different Badgers have at least 15 catches or more this season, and UW is averaging exactly 199 yards through the air per game.

Coan picked apart Michigan State last weekend in completing 18-of-21 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown. He hit eight different receivers on the afternoon in the blowout win against the Spartans.

This is the most balanced offense we have seen out of Wisconsin probably since 2011, at least at the moment. If opponents try to take away one aspect of its attack, the other could do some serious damage. Plus, keeping this particular facet of the game in rhythm and successful will be key next weekend in Columbus.