The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers pressured, sacked and ran over the Kent State Golden Flashes in a 48-0 win on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Now head coach Paul Chryst and his program turn the page to a key cross-divisional showdown against the Michigan State Spartans next weekend.
BadgerBlitz.com returns its "3-2-1" weekly series to declare three more takeaways we learned after the win, two questions heading into this week, and one prediction before this Saturday's battle.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. The duo of Chris Orr and Jack Sanborn have continued UW's production at inside linebacker.
Both recorded two sacks in the win against Kent State, and both so far have more-than-filled the shoes of the NFL-bound Ryan Connelly and T.J. Edwards.
Through five games, sophomore Jack Sanborn leads the team in tackles (28) with Chris Orr currently tied for second with outside linebacker Zack Baun (23). Both inside 'backers are also creating havoc in opposing backfields. Sanborn has more tackles for loss (five, compared to Orr's four), but Orr has recorded more sacks (four, compared to Sanborn's three). The latter also has five quarterback hurries to his name, while the former intercepted a pass earlier this year.
Give some credit to the defensive line as well for taking on blockers, but the two starters for Bob Bostad's position group have produced early on and have not allowed the room to take a step back.
2. Wisconsin can get the job done on the fullback dive.
Death. Taxes. Wisconsin's fullback dives being used to success.
Fullbacks Mason Stokke and John Chenal combined for six carries against Kent State, gaining 33 yards in the process.
Breaking down those half dozen attempts, five moved the chains for first downs. Both of Stokke's rushes gave Wisconsin a fresh set of downs to work with. On a 4th-and-1 from the Kent State 29-yard line in the second quarter, the redshirt junior gained five yards to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Jonathan Taylor scored his third of his five touchdowns to put UW up 21-0.
Granted, the game was in hand at this time, but three of Chenal's four carries came on 3rd-and-1 opportunities (all attempts came on the same drive late in the third quarter). With the help of the offensive line, he also achieved first downs on all of those chances as well.
Early on this season, the duo has been used utilized in I-formation looks and also as pseudo H-backs with the tight end depth thin. They have produced desirable results, but we will see if Stokke can play this week. UW listed the Menomonie, Wis., native as questionable with a designated head injury.
3. The Big Ten West appears ripe for Wisconsin's picking.
Iowa dropped a road loss to Michigan this past weekend in a not-so-poetic affair, while Nebraska took care of business in a likewise "gritty"13-10 win over Northwestern. The Wildcats now fall to 0-3 in conference play after winning the division last season, while the Hawkeyes and Huskers -- who were definite contenders heading into the season (and should still be thought of as such) -- now hold one loss on their respective records.
Purdue and Illinois both sit at 0-2, and Wisconsin will also play those two programs coming up in the next six weeks.
For now, Minnesota (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (5-0, 2-0) stand among the Big Ten West wreckage undefeated. Still a lot of time left, and the Badgers need to take care of business with each opponent. However with that cross-divisional win against the Wolverines, the team sits in a positive position heading into the midway mark of the season.
TWO QUESTIONS HEADING INTO MICHIGAN STATE WEEK
1. Can the Badgers run the ball against the Spartans?
Although Michigan State allowed 323 yards on the ground to Ohio State on 6.6 yards per carry, the Spartans overall have just allowed an average of 100.3 per contest through six games. Before facing the Buckeyes, Sparty have not faced quite the explosive rushing attacks in Tulsa, Western Michigan, Arizona State, Northwestern and Indiana. However, it is still a stout unit that could cause headaches for Joe Rudolph's offensive line.
Wisconsin ran for 348 yards against Kent State and 357 against Michigan, though it gained just 130 against Northwestern. The likely expectation for results will be somewhere in-between, but it will be key for center Tyler Biadasz and the offensive line to control the line of scrimmage this weekend.
2. How should we realign expectations for this team?
Wisconsin sits at 5-0 heading into homecoming week, maybe a record that many thought before the season could be achievable at this time but with the big question mark being if the team could defeat Michigan.
Just how the Badgers have won, with maybe the exception of the Northwestern game, shows a program that is hell bent on winning in dominant fashion and finishing games. With those more "impressive" wins, how should we realign those expectations, if at all?
We discussed this on the latest BadgerBlitz.com podcast, but UW very well could be undefeated when heading into the Horseshoe to face a top-5 Ohio State team that walloped Michigan State. That will be a tough challenge to overcome, but what about the other programs thereafter? All have shown flashes of potential that could give Wisconsin fits, but all have areas where the Badgers could return the favor more often than not as well.
Again, not getting ahead of the game in front of the Badgers, but could this team be an 11-win squad and return to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game? Time will tell, but the attitude, demeanor and previous play of this team shows potential to do so.
ONE PREDICTION: WISCONSIN HOLDS MICHIGAN STATE TO UNDER 14 POINTS ON SATURDAY
Michigan State comes into the game averaging under four touchdowns and extra points per contest (27.8), and it only scored 10 this past weekend against Ohio State. However, this could be thought of as the most significant test it will face to date-- at least until the Badgers head to Columbus later this month.
Wisconsin's secondary will have to account for a passing attack that is averaging over 260 yards per contest. Quarterback Brian Lewerke, despite only completing about 58 percent of his passes, has thrown for 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Wide receiver Darrell Stewart already holds 41 catches for 624 yards and four touchdowns, while running back and former Wisconsin recruiting target Elijah Collins has gained 476 yards on 5.3 yards per touch.
BadgerBlitz.com asked if Wisconsin could contain Michigan's offense a few weeks back, and the defense answered the call. Even with facing a more multi-faceted attack that will challenge them differently, I think Orr, Baun and the Badgers' unit answer the call once again in a low scoring, smash mouth affair.
