The wait is finally for for Wisconsin football and its fans. This game against Alabama has been on the mind of a lot of people for years. Tomorrow, the #4 Crimson Tide will visit Camp Randall Stadium in what is likely one of, if not, the biggest non-conference home game in Wisconsin football program history. Kickoff is 11 AM CST as it is a part of the FOX Big Noon Kickoff. Can the Badgers find a way to shock the college football world tomorrow? Here is a preview of tomorrow’s game.
Wisconsin Football Needs to Win the First Quarter
Obviously, football is a four quarter game and one quarter won’t decide this game tomorrow,. However, Wisconsin football has to win the first 15 minutes if they stand any chance. They have to keep the Camp Randall crowd in this game right away. I think momentum is huge in a game like this. The more the Badgers believe they can win, the better chance they have to hang around with Alabama.
I am not a big moral victory person, but this feels like a scenario where if this team can just hang around and not fall behind any more than 10 points, you feel like Wisconsin football is one play away from potentially turning this game. If this gets out of hand early, there is no shot for an upset.
Anything and Everything Should be on the Table
Execution wise, the Badgers have to be perfect tomorrow, If they decide to get creative and run some fake plays on special teams, they can’t afford to miss on it. Through two games, I am not sure the Wisconsin football special teams can say they are in a position to do that especially since they’ve had a costly mistake in each of the first two games.
Offensively, I want to see if Luke Fickell and Phil Longo will be aggressive staying on the field on fourth downs. In times where it’s probably a better idea to play the field position game, I want to see if they roll the dice. I think they should because the Badgers have nothing to lose in this game, Why not?
Prediction
There is no doubt on paper Alabama is much deeper and talented than this Wisconsin football team. The Badgers are excited for the opportunity. Stud safety Hunter Wohler even said he had this game marked on his calendar since high school. I like seeing the players over the course of the week excited for this challenge. They understand the opportunity in front of them.
What concerns me the most about this game is Wisconsin didn’t give us much of a reason to believe they can hang around against Alabama. In the first two games, they were trailing Western Michigan entering the fourth quarter and held a four point head entering the fourth quarter against South Dakota. I never thought the Badgers were in danger of losing those games, but when you see a team like the Crimson Tide on the schedule, you want to dominate the games leading up to it. So far, that has not been the case.
Look for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to make every part of the Wisconsin football secondary work. He can take shots downfield and take off with his legs. The Badgers run defense has been below average to start the year while the secondary, who has been solid so far, has not been tested much to this point.
I am excited to see what the Camp Randall atmosphere will be like. I think it has been pretty good to begin the year. Look for the Badgers to compete early, but I think Alabama runs away with this game in the third quarter. The Badgers have been pretty poor in third quarters so far. There is no reason to believe that changes tomorrow.
Alabama 34 Wisconsin 17
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