On Saturday, the No.14 Badgers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will face the Northwestern Wildcats (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) for the 91st time. The Badgers lead the rivalry with a 54-31-5 record.
However, they are looking for their first win at Ryan Field since 1999.
During his tenure as head coach, Barry Alvarez has not had great success against Northwestern with a 7-6 record. It is vital that the team continues to play hard and play smart to keep the undefeated season alive.
\It's important for us to win every game. I know that coach hasn't had a lot of success against Northwestern, but we look at each team the same ... we're not going to do anything special against them, just come out and play our game,"" freshman defensive back Roderick Rodgers said after last week's win against Indiana.
It's especially crucial this week that the Badgers play well because of injuries to senior fullback Matt Bernstein and senior tight end Owen Daniels. Even though the Badgers came out on top last week without them, the Wildcats have a strong team that the Badgers will have to control.
Leading the Wildcat offense is seniot quarterback Brett Basanez, who has a 63.9 completion percentage on the season so far. In the four games the Wildcats have played, Basanez's completion percentage has not dipped below 50 percent. ""He really has a knowledge of it [the Northwestern offense] and, strong arm, gets it out there, manages it all ... [the Cats' attack] will move the football,"" Barry Alvarez said of Basanez on Monday.
Freshman running back Tyrell Sutton has also been a standout player on the Northwestern offense. He is currently behind Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and Wisconsin's Brian Calhoun in total rushing yards in the Big Ten (528). When asked about Sutton, Alvarez said, ""Well, he reminds me of an Anthony (Davis)-type back, very quick. He's a short guy, short and stocky, and gets north and south."" The Badger defense will have a lot to handle this weekend, as the Wildcat offense averages 473.8 yards per game.
The Badgers have a lot of talent traveling to Evanston this weekend, namely tailback Brian Calhoun who leads the nation with 10 rushing touchdowns and leads the Big Ten with points scored (60). Entering this season, Calhoun had five career touchdowns.
The Wildcat defense will concentrate on halting Wisconsin's running game, but Badger quarterback John Stocco has another idea.
""It's important for us to get some deep balls, get behind their secondary and make some people pay for doing that,"" he said.
Not only is the Badger offense doing well, the special teams have done an outstanding job this season. Punter Ken DeBauche leads the Big Ten and is ranked third in the nation with 46.5 average yards per punt. He also has had 10 out of 22 punts pinned inside the 20 yard-line.
If the Badgers can play with the same intensity and focus in Evanston as they did against the Hoosiers, they will have a great shot at winning this football game.
