The conference season may already be two weeks underway, but classic Big Ten football will rear its ancient head on Saturday when the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0 Big Ten, 5-0 overall) head into Columbus to clash with the No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1 Big Ten, 4-1 overall).
Not to mention that it is the first legitimate test the Badgers have seen in this fleeting 2004 season. It is put up or shut up time, and step one starts with a tall order in Head Coach Jim Tressel's squad. The Buckeyes are coming off a shocking loss to Northwestern last week, and with rainy memories of last year's epic in Madison, they will certainly be fired up at the opening kickoff. Two similar teams playing similar styles, with one team rising and one maybe falling, this game could determine the future of both seasons.
In keeping with this year's team motto of \1-0,"" it is only one game, but one big game, with only one winner, something UW senior wide receiver Darrin Charles knows.
""I cannot even describe the magnitude of how important this game is for us, as a team, for the season as a whole,"" Charles said. ""It is something that will definitely be a building block for the team as we move on throughout the season. This one, right now, is just something that we are focusing a great deal on. It is a difficult opponent, it's a tough opponent. We always play great games against them.""
Certainly, the Ohio State-Wisconsin rivalry has stepped it up a notch in the last couple of years. Both teams adhere to the running attack and defense as the hallmarks of their respective programs and defense has ruled the day. In the last three meetings between the two teams, the winning team has scored less than 20 points. With the return of senior running back Anthony Davis, the Badger offense might set its sights a little higher this week.
While the offense struggled in the absence of Davis, it certainly got a shot in the arm last week with his return, as he tallied 213 yards on 27 carries to go along with three rushing touchdowns. Charles feels that having Davis in the backfield has helped to re-energize the offense.
""[Davis'] speed is definitely something that helps the team out,"" Charles said. ""He's able to get through holes quicker; he's able to outrun some guys. I think the offense was a lot more comfortable, knowing that he's back there, a veteran guy who is proven.""
Yet the Buckeye defense, led by junior linebacker A.J. Hawk, will certainly key in on Davis and the running game, daring sophomore quarterback John Stocco to beat them deep. Ohio State is fielding one of its greenest defenses in recent years, but Hawk and company have kept the Buckeyes in close games. Wisconsin's defense has done its fair share of heavy lifting in close games as well, and Ohio State, like previous Badger opponents, may discover finding the end zone is not all that easy.
Wisconsin not only leads the nation in defensive scoring (5.2 points per game), but in total defense as well (193.2 yards per game). Ohio State's running attack has been atrocious over the last three games, failing to break 100 total rushing yards as a team. Not surprisingly, each of those three games has been decided by eight points or less.
Senior running back and co-captain Lydell Ross was even benched in favor of freshman running back Antonio Pittman last week at Northwestern, but to no avail. The bad news gets worse for the Buckeyes; Wisconsin's defense is only giving up 66 yards a game on the ground and features one of the top defensive lines in all of college football. The Badger defense has a certain swagger to it, something senior defensive back Jim Leonhard attributes to confidence.
""We are very confident right now,"" Leonhard said. ""We just feel like Coach Bielema is putting us in the right places and all we have to do is execute and we have been doing a great job so far. We just like going out a being challenged.""
That does not bode well for quarterback Justin Zwick. The sophomore's struggles have eerily mirrored those of Stocco, as both have had trouble adjusting to starting roles. Zwick has only completed 60 passes thus far and ranks ninth in the league in passing efficiency. The veteran Badger defense will try to make the young signal-caller think by moving around and showing different schemes before the snap. Zwick has not had the luxury of consistent running game and is not afraid to try and make plays downfield.
""He definitely has some ability,"" Badger senior defensive back Robert Brooks said. ""I think he will be a good quarterback, especially in their system. He has some good athletes around him that can make plays. We just have to go out there and play on top of our game and do the best we can out there.""
Like any classic Wisconsin-Ohio State match-up, special teams will certainly play a key role. Buckeye senior kicker Mike Nugent has a lights-out reputation, but missed a huge kick last week in overtime. The Badgers kicking crew, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise for Wisconsin this season, providing consistency from punts to kickoffs.
Veteran senior kicker Mike Allen and freshman phenoms Taylor Melhaff and Ken DeBauche have made the kicking game one of the Badger's biggest field position weapons. Field position can often mean the difference between winning and losing a game.
""I certainly expect it just to be butting heads the entire game, going back and forth scrapping for the extra feet and yards and inches. I expect there to be a couple big plays made. I think a big part of the game will be the special teams,"" Charles said.
