Head football coach Bret Bielema said Monday he expects a tough game between No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 6 Penn State when the two face off at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday.
The Nittany Lions will enter the contest at the top of Big Ten conference standings, while the Badgers have lost their past two games and will play for their first conference win of the season.
We got a tremendous challenge on our hands and an opportunity to right the ship,"" Bielema said.
He pointed out improvements the team made against Ohio State, but said crucial mistakes late in the game cost Wisconsin a victory.
""We're five points away from being a 5-0 football team,"" Bielema said, referring to Wisconsin's losses to Michigan and Ohio State, by two and three points, respectively. ""Because they [Ohio State] score at the end of the game, because we can't convert in the two-minute situation, we drop another game and we're 3-2.""
Bielema was critical of quarterback Allan Evridge, whose interception on the Badgers' final offensive drive drew boos from some of the home crowd.
""As coaches we have to evaluate everything: offense, defense, special teams, schemes, calls, but also personnel,"" he said. ""Allan's not immune to that.""
However Bielema was quick to point out that he had no plans to replace Evridge, saying, ""You don't need to read into it, Allan's going to start on Saturday and be our quarterback. But there comes a point in time when you have to make an assessment of where we are as a football team.""
Bielema also said he was happy with the progression of running back John Clay, named co-offensive player of the week along with lineman Eric Vanden Heuvel. Clay led the Badger ground game against Ohio State, although Bielema was wary of putting too much pressure on the freshman.
""What you don't want to do with a young player is put them into a situation that they'll be overwhelmed in,"" Bielema said, adding that at a position like running back any mistakes Clay could make would affect the whole team.
Clay and fellow running backs P.J. Hill and Zach Brown will face a Penn State defense that is the best in the conference. Against Purdue last weekend, the Nittany Lions allowed just 83 yards on the ground, on their way to a 20-6 victory over the Boilermakers.
Bielema praised the Penn State offense, also ranked highest in the conference. Sophomore running back Evan Royster gained 194 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns for Penn State last week, and the team averages 500 yards of offense per game.
""There hasn't been a game where they've been stifled,"" Bielema said.
When Penn State and Wisconsin met last season in Beaver Stadium, the Badger offense was subdued in a 38-7 Wisconsin loss.
Saturday's defeat ended a 16-game winning streak at Camp Randall Stadium for the Badgers. Wisconsin will face off against Penn State in Camp Randall Saturday night at 7 p.m. for the second night game of the season.
