1. The Badgers were two wins away from being eligible for a bowl Sept. 21. As of right now, they still need one win. The Badgers have lost four games by seven points or less, but the bottom line is that they still need one more win if they want to make it to a bowl game this December.
To earn this victory, they have to win one of the most storied rivalries in the nation. When they play Minnesota on Saturday, it will be the 112th meeting between the teams ' the oldest rivalry in the conference. They will play for the Paul Bunyan axe, the trophy that goes to the winning team, which was won back by Minnesota last year.
2. Now that the Wisconsin running attack is productive once again, the passing game needs to be effective as well. During the Badgers' three-game losing streak, no quarterback has had more than 160 yards passing and no wide receiver has caught more than 83 yards receiving. Wisconsin hasn't had a single passing touchdown during their losing streak either.
In order for the Wisconsin passing game to be effective, the young Badger receivers need to take their game to the next level. Freshmen Jonathan Orr and Brandon Williams and sophomore Darrin Charles have been ineffective as of late with a lot of dropped passes. The receivers will need to play extremely well against the best pass defense in the Big Ten.
3. Along with Iowa, Minnesota has one of the most potent backfields in the Big Ten. They are ranked second in the conference in rushing, and have two legitimate running backs in sophomore Terry Jackson and junior Thomas Tapeh. The two running backs have 1,194 and 804 yards rushing respectively and a combined 11 rushing touchdowns.
Junior quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq is one of the most effective in the conference. Though he may not have the most passing yards in the conference, Abdul-Khaliq has passed for 17 touchdowns, fourth in the Big Ten, and has given up nine interceptions. He has also rushed for five touchdowns, which is tied for second among Big Ten quarterbacks.
4. Aside from the blowout against Illinois, Wisconsin's defense hasn't given up more than 24 points since their loss to Indiana, and has kept the Badgers in most of their games that they have lost. This says a lot for a defense that was very inconsistent at the beginning of the year. Part of the defenses success can be attributed to sophomore safety Jim Leonhard and senior defensive back B.J. Tucker, who lead the Big Ten in interceptions with eight and five respectively.
The Badgers just have not been able to put that much pressure on the quarterback with the defensive line. They're ranked eighth in the conference with only 21 sacks. Senior defensive lineman Jake Sprague leads the team with six. The Badger secondary would be helped out immensely if the defensive front could come up with some pressure on the quarterback.
5. Sophomore punter R.J. Morse has joined the funk that Wisconsin's kickers have been in all year. Morse is only averaging 39.1 yards per punt in his last four games and has not kicked a punt over 50 yards since the loss to Indiana. Furthermore, Wisconsin placekickers are only a combined 14 for 22 in field goals this season, showcased by another missed field goal by sophomore kicker Mike Allen last week.
Now is the time for Wisconsin kickers to come through. With so many of Wisconsin's losses being close this year, they can't afford to miss half of their field goals in games decided by such few points.
