The University of Wisconsin football team (3-3 Big Ten, 6-4 overall) returns home this week after two straight road losses. Traveling to Madison to take on the Badgers will be No. 22 Michigan State (4-2, 7-3). The Spartans are coming off back-to-back losses to arguably the Big Ten's two best teams, Michigan and Ohio State.
Wisconsin has lost three straight games, the most recent a heartbreaking 37-34 defeat at Minnesota. It would appear that both teams will be pressing for a win this weekend, but according to the players, the Badgers have not reached panic mode yet.
\You always want to win,"" senior wide receiver Lee Evans said. ""So, I guess you're always desperate for a win, you know, but it's not a situation where people are panicking thinking that, you know, we're a bad team because we aren't winning.""
Against Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded a season-high 305 passing yards. This, along with the fact that Michigan State has given up more passing yards than any other team in the Big Ten, should make for another high scoring encounter.
Evans admitted that he looks forward to going up against a team that has difficulty defending the pass, but also said the offense needs to be wary of Michigan State's blitz.
""[The Spartans] do lead the conference in sacks,"" Evans said. ""So some of the things they give up on the back end, they make up in the front end by doing a good job of getting after the quarterback, so we've got to be able to take advantage of the openings that they have in their defense, and if that means putting it over the top and when it comes up, we've got to make the play.""
The Badgers will not be the only ones at Camp Randall looking to air it out. Last week UW faced a high-powered Minnesota offense that relied on a potent running game. Michigan State's offense is equally dangerous, but goes about gaining its yardage through the air. Despite recent losses, MSU's senior quarterback Jeff Smoker has had no problem passing the ball this season. His 267.5 yards per game leads all Big Ten passers, and heads a passing attack the UW defense will not be able to take lightly.
""You know, Jeff Smoker is as good a college quarterback as there is,"" UW Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. ""He's very talented and he's got big, strong, physical receivers ... that can run, so they have a lot of weapons on offense and we know we have our work cut out for us.""
One thing that should help the Badgers is their return to the friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium. After two straight losses on the road, one in the subdued atmosphere of Ryan Field at Northwestern and the other on the hard turf in Minnesota, the Badgers will be anxious to return to the familiar fans and field.
""When you've got 80,000 fans screaming for you, that's a great feeling,"" junior safety Jim Leonhard said. ""Coming home is definitely going to be a great thing for us.""
Coming home takes on added importance for Lee Evans, as he prepares to play his final two games as a Badger.
""Me as a senior, and us as captains, we need to rally these troops,"" Evans said. ""Going into these last two games, my last two as a senior at Camp Randall, we've got to make the best of them.\
