Looking to keep the momentum going, the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Michigan State Spartans tomorrow in East Lansing, Mich. Wisconsin is coming off a much needed win while Michigan State is looking to stop a four game losing streak. Kick off is at 3 pm. Here’s our Wisconsin vs. MIchigan State preview and prediction.
The Offense Needs Another Great Day
It’s hard to top the performance the Badger offense had against Northwestern. Graham Mertz was phenomenal. Chimere Dike had a career day. The running game was back to where we expect it. It was a game the offense needed, this team needed, and this fanbase needed.
The Badgers don’t have to have the day they had last week to beat Michigan State. However, Mertz needs to continue to be sharp, the offensive line needs to be solid again, and the play-makers have to keep making plays. Michigan State’s defense gives up almost 500 yards of offense per game. They have every chance to have an encore performance.
Make Michigan State One-Dimensional
Michigan State has been relying on the arm of quarterback Peyton Thorne most of the year. The running game hasn’t been consistent enough to win games either. Any time you win a football game, there is a good chance your offense was able to both run and pass the ball.
A thought to keep in mind for Wisconsin vs. Michigan State is that Thorne is dealing with an injury that could be affecting him recently. However, Thorne mentioned this week he will play through it. If the Badgers can get pressure on the Spartan’s signal caller, it could be a good day for the defense if they have to make Michigan State abandon the best part of their offense.
Another Complete Team Effort
We know over the years this team is at it’s best when they win because of all three phases. That’s why the Northwestern game was so sweet. Besides the missed field goal on the opening possession, all three phases did their job and did it well.
Wisconsin gets Michigan State at the right time in my opinion. However, if you want to win on the road in college football, all three phases have to do their part. There is no home crowd or home field advantage that can hide one or the other. If the Badgers have a complete team effort, they’ll win their second straight road game.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: Prediction
Wisconsin and Michigan State were on similar roads two weeks ago. Both had a losing streak and the fans wanting a better performance. Wisconsin did something about it and fired their head coach. The Spartans are still looking for a spark with second year coach Mel Tucker.
It’s not ideal when your quarterback is not 100% facing a defense like Wisconsin. This defense is playing with the swagger and confidence we expected them to play with all season. I like their chances to make life tough on Peyton Thorne.
The offense I think is the key to all of this. They got back on track in a good way last week. Even though it was a bad Northwestern defense, it’s still a Pat-Fitzgerald led defense and that is nothing to scoff at. I can’t emphasize enough the opportunity this Wisconsin offense has tomorrow against Michigan State. if they can establish the run and complete high percentage passes, this should be another good day for Bobby Engram and the offense.
Road wins are always tough, but I think these are two programs going in opposite directions. I don’t think this is the week against Wisconsin that Michigan State gets their spark. The Badgers have great confidence right now and I think they take that into East Lansing and get their second straight road win.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24 Michigan State 17
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