After a 52-6 blowout win over Purdue last week, Wisconsin football begins preparation for their next opponent. The Badgers will travel to Rutgers on Saturday for a battle with the Scarlet Knight. They are coming off a 14-7 road loss to Nebraska. It was also the Scarlet Knights first loss of the season. The schedule has not been very challenging for Rutgers, but four wins by early October is still impressive. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 AM CST on BTN. Here is an early look at Rutgers.
The Wisconsin Football Defense will be Challenged by Kyle Monangi
Everything Rutgers wants to do on offense depends on senior running back Kyle Monangai. The Wisconsin football defense saw him last season in Madison, but only had 16 yards on eight carries.
This year, Monangai already has 116 carries for 667 yards and six touchdowns. At only 5’11, he is a powerful running back that is hard to take down. His ability to take over a game makes life easier on the Rutgers offense, who is not known to throw the ball much.
The run defense for this Wisconsin football team has been shady at times this season. There should be no surprises this week. If they can control Monangai, they will be in good shape.
A Familiar Face at Quarterback
Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is a former Minnesota quarterback. The Badgers saw Kaliakmanis three times during his time for the Golden Gophers. This is another player Mike Tressel and this defense has familiarity with.
Kaliakmanis has done his part in the passing game so far. He has only completed 55% of his passes, but has thrown for eight touchdowns and only three interceptions.
With the size of rosters in college football and the transfer portal, not to often do you see the same quarterback in a four year span. This should bode well for the Wisconsin defense.
Expect a Low Scoring Fist Fight
Rutgers wants to keep this game low scoring. Despite the 4-1 record, they have only averaged 18 points in their last three games (Washington, Virginia Tech, and Nebraska). They have a very good defense and they rely on it to stay in games.
I think this Wisconsin football team will be comfortable in this kind of game. With Brayden Locke, they have to rely on their defense more and be conservative on offense. The Badgers enter this game as only 2.5 point underdogs. For a road game, that tells me Vegas likes the potential of a big road win for this Wisconsin football team. They have to get at least one road win this season. I think this can be the one they get on Saturday.
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