The Wisconsin Badgers must face off against a strong opponent despite a record that might suggest otherwise this season.
The Northwestern Wildcats are currently 3-3 on the season and just managed to defeat the Maryland Terrapins, 37-10. Northwestern has had difficult losses to Duke, Washington, and a ranked Indiana team as well so far. The Wildcats are expected to be handed another loss at home when the Wisconsin Badgers visit tomorrow for a big clash.
Despite defeating the Maryland Terrapins away from home, the Northwestern Wildcats have been two different teams this season. At home, the Wildcats defense has been solid apart from the 41-24 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers and the offense has struggled. Away from home, however, the defense has been stellar and the offense has found ways to score.
When diving deeper into games, the Wildcats should realistically be a 4-2 team currently as the loss to Duke really came down to a couple of throws. As Duke continues to win games, the close overtime loss looks better and better.
In the recent win over Maryland, the Wildcats forced four turnovers and scored off of all of the turnovers. The defense specifically score one touchdown on a fumble return just a handful of yards away from the end zone.
If a couple things went differently here and there, the Wildcats could realistically be a four or five win team this season. With that taken into account, the Wisconsin Badgers football team is just a 7.5-point favorite to defeat the Wildcats away from home. Perhaps Northwestern could really be more of a problem than the Badgers may have thought.
Wisconsin Badgers Must Expect Tough Defense Against Northwestern Wildcats
While the Wisconsin Badgers might be touchdown favorites over the Wildcats, that does not mean it will necessarily be a walk in the park.
Wisconsin has ignited the rush offense over the past two games and really opened things up as the team appears more cohesive. The Badgers running backs Tawee Walker and Cade Yacamelli in particular have been excellent for the team. Wisconsin is going to have to find a way to utilize the incredible offensive line play and punch a hole through the Wildcats defense for Walker and Yacamelli.
Northwestern has one of the better pass defense and tackling units in the Big Ten Conference at the moment. The Wildcats have 248 solo tackles, which is nearly double the amount of assisted tackles they have displaying the open-field tackling prowess. The Wildcats also lead the conference in pass defenses with 33, along with 15 sacks which have surprisingly come from the secondary at times.
The Wildcats love to utilize the talented defensive backs they have in every way, especially since the rest of the defensive unit is not as talented. Northwestern has struggled to make it into the backfield on defense and currently sits towards the bottom of the conference in tackles for loss.
In order for the Wisconsin Badgers to win, it is going to take physical play upfront and a balanced attack of offense. If Wisconsin tries to force the ball in the air, it could be a serious problem pretty quick.
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