1. Big (Ten) aspirations
Since the game’s inception in 2011, Wisconsin has been to the Big Ten Championship three times. It’s won twice, memorably squeaking by Michigan State in 2011 thanks to balanced performances from Russell Wilson and Montee Ball, and the three-headed monster of Ball, James White and Melvin Gordon ran all over Nebraska in UW’s 70-31 domination the following year.
In 2014’s edition of the championship game, Cardale Jones overshadowed J.T. Barrett’s stellar season and all but erased Braxton Miller from Buckeye fans’ minds, leading OSU to a 59-0 clobbering of Wisconsin.
Now, UW will likely have a chance to catch its breath from the madness it has experienced historically in the conference championship game. The Badgers need to win out and Iowa to drop both of its remaining games if they have any hope of punching their ticket to Indianapolis, but with matchups against Purdue and Nebraska on the Hawkeye’s schedule, that hope is likely for naught.
“I think what happens with Iowa is going to happen to them,” redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave said. “They’re a good team, they’ve done a great job this season, being competitive and winning a lot of games. For us, most importantly, we’re focusing on ourselves, we’re focusing on no matter what happens with Iowa at this point, if we don’t win all our games, we don’t give ourselves a chance anyway.”
It’s a curious situation for the Badgers considering that, for the first time in several years, their fate really isn’t in their hands. That sort of loss of control can be overwhelming to conceptualize, especially given how the introduction of the College Football Playoff has rattled the meaning of conference championship games and made the road to bowl games unclear.
“There’s so much that goes into–with the new playoff–you don’t know how it’s going to flip, and teams jump in, teams get out of that, it depends on what conference you’re in,” redshirt senior wide receiver Alex Erickson said. “There’s so much that goes into it that it makes it tough to predict where you’re going to be.”
Head coach Paul Chryst, in his characteristic dry manner, echoed Erickson’s sentiments.
“Both teams have earned the right by the way we have both been playing. It’s two 8-2 teams,” Chryst said. “There has to be some bowl implications. I don’t really know what they are.”
Stave’s input on a potential bowl destination?
“Hopefully somewhere warm.”
2. NU’s inconsistent defense
Gauging Northwestern’s defense, like trying to determine if it’s true that a perpetual fog hangs over Ryan Field and sucks hope directly out of people’s souls, is no easy task. In some cases, it’s been stellar. Take its Week 1 win over Stanford, when it held the Cardinal to 240 yards of total offense, good for 3.87 yards per play.
It’s also been downright atrocious. In the Wildcats’ 40-10 loss to Iowa at home, Hawkeye backup running back Akrum Wadley, filling in for the injured Jordan Canzeri, ran wild all afternoon, picking up 204 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries. Wadley had just 41 careers in his collegiate career prior to that game.
Northwestern has started to stabilize itself the past few games, though. After allowing a combined 78 points to Michigan and Iowa in back-to-back weeks, NU has conceded 63 in its last three contests, all Wildcat wins. The unit has held opponents to a cool 93 rushing yards per game and 4.73 yards per play over that stretch.
Sophomore middle Anthony Walker Jr., a 6-foot-1, 235-pound versatile defender who played wide receiver, defensive back and wide receiver in high school, has finished with double-digit tackles in three consecutive games. The centerpiece of Northwestern’s 4-3 defense, Walker Jr. is flanked by senior defensive end Dean Lowry who sets the edge on defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz’s unit.
Chryst worked with Hankwitz when Hankwitz was Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator from 2006-’07.
“I enjoyed the time I was able to spend working with Mike Hankwitz here and think the world of him as a football coach and as a person,” Chryst said. “I think there is no doubt they’re playing well on defense. You mentioned some of their guys [Walker Jr. and Lowry], but I think the strength is that they’ve got a very good scheme, and I think their players know it. I think they’ve got good players.”
Chryst’s familiarity with Hankwitz’s scheme could come in handy, especially considering the decrease in teams employing the 4-3 defense in recent years. Northwestern has shown flashes of the stinginess that garnered so much attention early on in the season, but given its inconsistency, there’s no guarantee it will show up to play Saturday.
3. See ya, seniors
Saturday is Senior Day at Camp Randall Stadium, which means it will be the last time nine senior starters play in Madison. For many of the older guys on the team, it marks the end of an unpredictable run. The senior class has weathered two coaching changes, a litany of schematic turnover and a slew of tough losses and memorable wins.
“It’s been a roller coaster, like you said. The coaching changes and so many close games throughout our career,” Erickson said. “Won a lot of games. I think it’s really made this group bond together, especially after a coach leaves. All you’ve got is each other. Guys really came together and I think that’s why this group is so close.”
For some seniors, the final matchup in Wisconsin, the road trip to Minnesota and a bowl game is all that remains in their football careers. Some have a shot at the next level and others have a much fuzzier future, like Stave, whose level-minded outlook has always been refreshing.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll see when this season wraps up,” Stave said, with a smile, of his hopes to play at the next level. “I know I’ll work hard at it, I’m smart and I’ve got good size, so I think somewhere there’s someone who can use me. But if not, I’ll go and get a real job.”
Erickson, who sits on the same precipice as Stave, is just looking to soak in the emotions Saturday and enjoy his last moments on Camp Randall’s turf.
“I think whenever you talk to the older guys, one of the earliest memories they say is running out of that tunnel in front of 80,000, so I think one last time is going to be the same feeling,” Erickson said. “You have goose bumps running down your arms and it’s going to be a little more emotional knowing it’s your last time doing it.”
