1: Three is the magic number
As a team, third-downs have been a sore spot for the Badgers as of late. The Badgers eliminated any chance of sparking a comeback against Michigan State Saturday by allowing the Spartans to convert three crucial third-downs within the final 10 minutes of the game. The Spartans were 9-for-18 on third-down conversions Saturday, and only punted once in the game. Look for UW to come out aggressive against a Minnesota team that was only able to convert 43 percent of the time on third-down against somewhat mediocre competition (they did play USC).
On the offensive side of things, UW struggled mightily with third downs Saturday in East Lansing, converting three of their 11 chances. Senior quarterback Scott Tolzien seemed reluctant to throw to his most consistent third-down receiver last season, senior Nick Toon, after Toon dropped a couple easy ones against the Spartans. Look for UW to get their big play threats involved more this week on third-down against the Gophers who have allowed their opponents to convert 46 percent of the time.
2: Steady diet of running
After an average display through the air against Michigan State and a less than stellar Gopher squad that boasts one of the worst rush defenses in the Big Ten, look for UW to rely a little more on the three-headed monster of sophomore Montee Ball, freshman James White and junior John Clay to carry the load this weekend. Although UW is predominantly a run-first team and has been since the Alvarez era, the Badgers' threats at the wide out and tight end positions, along with having a returning starter at QB, have allowed them to open the air game up a bit more. With Toon still trying to acclimate himself back into the offense and an average outing in East Lansing from standout senior tight end Lance Kendricks, you can expect the Badgers will use a heavy dose of running to bandage those sores from last weekend's devastating loss at MSU.
White has emerged as the most consistent tailback in UW trio after a 10-carry, 98-yard outing Saturday. For the season, White is averaging 8.3 yards per carry and remains tied with fourth-year junior John Clay in touchdowns with six.
3: The two-year hangover
In each of the past four seasons, UW has failed to bounce back with a win following their first Big Ten loss. Most recently, the Badgers fell victim to Michigan at the Big House after giving up a huge halftime lead in 2008. UW lost three straight following that game and it took them just under a month to record their next win. Last season, after falling victim to eventual Rose Bowl champ Ohio State on the road, the Badgers came up short at home in a close one with then-No. 4 Iowa. Each of those seasons resulted in a Champs Sports Bowl appearance for UW and increased amounts of criticism as far as coaching and recruiting goes.
Following last weekend's loss, UW has a great shot at ending that dry-spell this weekend against the Gophers. Minnesota is already 1-4 going into week two of the Big Ten season, and has dropped two of their five games to FCS schools Northern Illinois and South Dakota.
4: 'Special' Attention'
After squeaking by Arizona State Sept. 18 and giving up 288 yards and one touchdown on special teams in the process, the coverage squad has never looked the same and was again torched last weekend against Michigan State.
The Badgers' special teams unit has come up short as of late, especially in the areas of punt and kick-off coverage. UW's punt team has given up 108 yards on six punts against its opponents this season, and is allowing just over 23 yards on kickoff returns. Things aren't looking any better this week as senior Gopher kick-off returner Ryan Collado is averaging 28.8 yards per return, although Northwestern was able to hold the Gophers to an average of 15.6 yards on five returns last weekend.
On the other hand, the Gophers boast a less than stellar 7.2-yard average on punt returns, which gives the Wisconsin some hope in fine-tuning its special team's squad one week before their nationally-televised matchup with the Buckeyes.
5: Toon-ing out frustrations
Toon returned to the top spot on the depth-chart last week for the first time in three games. In his return, he caught one pass for 28 yards and took some heat for a couple drops he made on textbook passes from Tolzien. Immediately after the game, Toon spoke about his lack of involvement in the offensive schemes against the Spartans, alluding to the idea that he didn't get the opportunities needed to make the big plays when it counted.
Following those comments, it will be interesting to see how Toon responds this weekend when faced with his first start at Camp Randall Stadium this season. Head coach Bret Bielema feels Toon has been the most consistent player since the start of camp and believes he is poised for a breakout game. It would be odd to think that Toon will not eventually get back on track with the offense, but the question remains whether he will now be able to co-exist with Tolzien and offensive coordinator Paul Chryst after what he said Saturday.
