Wisconsin football looks to end their two game losing streak tomorrow. They welcome the Northwestern Wildcats to Camp Randall Stadium. The Wildcats are coming off a 10-7 last minute loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. They sit at 4-5 and 2-4 in the Big Ten. Kick-off is 2:30 PM CST. The Badgers are 10.5 point favorites. Can Wisconsin football get back on track? Here is a preview of tomorrow’s game.
Can The Wisconsin Football Offense Get Back On Track?
To say the Wisconsin football offense was horrendous last week is an understatement. The Badgers struggled on offense all game against a bad Indiana team, In particular, Brayden Locke took a step back after a promising showing against Illinois and Ohio State. He was inaccurate with the ball and had his passes tipped at the line of scrimmage multiple times. Wisconsin was without Braelon Allen and Chimere Dike, but there’s no reason to have only put up 14 points.
The problem tomorrow is Northwestern is a much better defense than Indiana. It’s a unit full of upperclassmen that is tough against the pass. Players like Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli should see a good chunk of reps. The offensive line will have to win at the line of scrimmage too. If the Badgers can’t get the run game going, it’s going to be hard to score.
Will Wisconsin Football Get Top Players Back?
It was clear when Braelon Allen and Chimere Dike were not on the field, the offense was not the same. There hasn’t been much update on Allen and Dike this week. In my opinion, that doesn’t look good and it’s hard seeing them giving it a go tomorrow.
- Chimere Dike hasn’t had the production I thought he would have this year, but he’s been excellent in the return game and serving as a security blanket. It’t pretty obvious what Braelon Allen brings to the table. He’s their mist impact player and is one of the best backs in the country.
Prediction
There isn’t much about Northwestern that we don’t know. They’ve been solid on defense and not very good on offense. The Wildcats only score 11 points a game on the road. They have also not won a game away from Ryan Field.
Everything on paper shows Wisconsin should roll tomorrow. After last week, there are no guaranteed wins on the schedule. With the way the Wisconsin defense has played over the last month, 14 points could be enough to win this game.
I think time of possession is huge in this game. Look for Northwestern to keep the ball as long as they can and ply the field position battle again. Even without Pat Fitzgerald, this looks to be the same old Northwestern.
I want to see Wisconsin football get players like Bryson Green more involved. Green is the most explosive receiver on this roster. He’s also a good third down target to move the sticks.
I don’t see this being a pretty game by any stretch. I think there will be a ton of punts and limited possessions. At the end of the day, Wisconsin football has a better roster and I believe they are licking their chops for a rebound performance. Give me the Badgers tomorrow afternoon.
Wisconsin 20 Northwestern 10
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