Wisconsin football is beginning to find their groove on both sides of the ball. After a dominating 42-7 road win at Rutgers last Saturday to improve to 4-2, the Badgers now turn their focus to the Northwestern Wildcats. They are coning off an impressive 37-10 win at Maryland last Friday. Northwestern comes into this game with a 3-3 record. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 AM CST on BTN. Here is an early look at the Wildcats.
A Senior Led Offense
Northwestern wont wow you on the offensive side of the ball. They are a hard nose football team that focuses on defense and forcing turnovers. They are very similar to Iowa and Rutgers and can’t afford turnovers. They are not good enough to come back from a multiple touchdown deficit.
The Wildcats will start a sophomore at quarterback in Jack Lausch. He is surrounded by a veteran senior running back in Cam Porter. He has a similar build to Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai. Porter is physical and will not be easy to bring down. He will be a test for this Wisconsin football defense.
The only threat at receiver are seniors Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning. They both have over 300 yards receiving. Add in tight end Thomas Gordon and this trio accounts for 854 of the 1,088 receiving yards on this roster. There isn’t a ton of options for Lausch to go to.
Wisconsin Football Can Run on this Defense
This is not a bad Wildcats defense by any stretch, but their rush defense has been suspect at best. They are allowing 129 yards a game, including 149 yards to Indiana and 144 yards to Washington.
What is the one thing that working best for this Wisconsin football offense? They are running the ball as good as they have been since the Jonathan Taylor era. I think there is a great opportunity for the offensive line to have another great showing. If the Badgers win at the line of scrimmage. you will see a similar offensive showing they had last week against Rutgers.
An Opportunistic Defense
On the other hand, Northwestern’s defense is the calling card of this team. The Wildcats only scored 3 offensive touchdowns out of 37 points last week. The defense forced four turnovers, three of those being fumbles and great field position.
If the Badgers can work around the Northwestern defense, I don’t see a way the Wildcats offense can move down the field consistently. Road games at Northwestern have always haunted this Wisconsin football team. Because of the renovations to Ryan Field, this game will be played at a stadium that will only seat less than 10,000 people. The Badgers have to possess the ball and win the field position battle.
For More Great Football Content
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!