A new era of Wisconsin football begins Saturday. As weird as that is to say, Jim Leonhard will lead the Badgers into Evanston to take on Northwestern. How the team responds under Leonhard will be the biggest key, but there are other things the Badgers must do in order to get the lead victory. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 on BTN.
The Offense Has To Be The Difference
There isn’t much about the Northwestern offense that should scare Wisconsin. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski is only completing 59% of his passes. The Wildcats offense only averages 3.2 yards a rush too. I’m not worried about the defense as they should put the offense in a chance to win this game.
You could make the argument the offense took more of a hit from the firing of Paul Chryst. Chryst is an offensive coach and I assume he was a big part of offensive game plans. A lot of those responsibilities will lie on offensive coordinator Bobby Engram. Make no mistake about it: the offense has to play better both with the pass and the run. It’s going to be hard against a good Northwestern defense.
Defense Has To Get Off The Field
Both offenses love time of possession and will have long drives throughout the game. As a result, possessions will be limited. The defense that can get off the field quicker should have a good chance to win.
I like Wisconsin’s chances to get to the quarterback. I think if they can put pressure on Hilinski, it could potentially lead to a few turnovers. The longer the defense can keep the offense on the field, those opportunities should lead to points.
Contain The Passing Game
Ryan Hilinski is averaging 285 yards a game in the air. He’s also been asked to throw the ball a lot as well. That’s uncharacteristic of a Northwestern offense as they haven’t seen a quarterback like this since Clayton Thorson.
While only throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions, I think Wisconsin should be in a good spot if they put pressure on Hilinski. If the the corners can contain their match-ups, it could be a good day for the Badger defense. Nick Herbig has been emotional this week about the Chryst firing. I would expect him to play with emotion tomorrow and be all over the field.
Prediction
All eyes will be on Jim Leonhard Saturday. His first task? A tough road game where Wisconsin hasn’t won since 2016 and only twice since 1999.
This is not a good Northwestern team. I am very confident Illinois is a lot better. The Wildcats has yet to win a home game so far and has losses to Southern Illinois and Miami (OH). Pat Fitzgerald and his team continue to struggle offensively.
Expect to see a ton of Evan Hull, The junior tailback has 96 carries and 32 receptions, which leads the team in both categories. On the offensive side, it seems to be a one man show.
The defense is coming off of five forced turnovers against Penn State last week. Four of them were fumbles in cold and rain. Wisconsin has to be clean against the Wildcats or their defense will have to be on the field a ton.
Northwestern won’t score many points. The only question is can Wisconsin score enough. Assuming the Badgers play and channel the emotions and play with discipline, I think they’re the better team. They haven’t played to their potential yet this year. I think that changes tomorrow and Jim Leonhard gets his first win in his debut.
Wisconsin 21 Northwestern 17
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
