The Wisconsin Badgers conclude their 2021 season tomorrow night against Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Sun Devils are out for the PAC 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 PM on ESPN. The Badgers are currently six point favorites. Here are the keys to a win tomorrow night.
Take Advantage Of A Short Sun Devil Team
Arizona State will be down a number of players due to injury or 2022 NFL Draft prep work.
Despite a number of players being out, I still expect this to be a competitive game. However, the Wisconsin offense has a chance to put up points. They need to do this in order to have momentum to the Spring season and the Fall camp.
The Offense Needs To Finish Strong
I think most Badger fans will say that a win or loss doesn’t necessarily matter tomorrow night. What does matter is this offense needing to go into the off-season feeling good. The offense has struggled for the most part this season. Despite some really good defenses they faced, there really was no reason why a veteran offense was this far behind. It does start with Graham Mertz. I’ve said in multiple previews this season that he needs to play better.
Now that Braelon Allen has had weeks to heal from an ankle injury, I would expect a heavy dose of him early and often. The future is bright for Allen and he needs to play a key role.
Time To See Young Faces Shine
There is no doubt the Badgers have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. The 2020 and 2021 class have been statically some of the best recruiting classes in program history. In a game like this against Arizona State, it’s time to see what the young players have. Wisconisn should take this opportunity to evaluate what they have. They probably have to replace two wide receivers, an All-American tight end, likely three linebackers, and an entire secondary next season.
Some names I am looking forward to see is receiver Markus Allen (freshman), Jordan Turner (linebacker), Alexander Smith (secondary), Dean Engram (secondary), and Semar Melvin (secondary). It’s important to send the seniors out strong for their great contributions. At the same time, seeing what the future is could be just as important.
Prediction
Everything seems to favor the Badgers against Arizona State. The Badgers have more impact players available and I believe they are the better team. One player the Badgers need to keep in check is quarterback Jayden Daniels. the 6’3 junior can beat defenses with his arm and his leg. The Badgers recently struggled against former Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez with his dual threat ability.
I think the Badgers are angry about their Minnesota performance. It was poor to say the least and it’s the last time we saw this team play. This is full of young players that want to forget about the Gopher loss and get their off season started the right way. I think Wisconisn has a lot to play for because of this. As a result, I’m picking Wisconsin.
Wisconsin- 27 Arizona State- 17
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