Wisconsin looks for first series sweep of season
By Ethan Levy | Nov. 18, 2017Difficulty putting together a full weekend Wisconsin has struggled to put together a full weekend all season.
Difficulty putting together a full weekend Wisconsin has struggled to put together a full weekend all season.
With 4:41 remaining in the third quarter, and the Badgers (8-0 Big Ten, 11-0 overall) staring at yet another three-and-out, sophomore wideout A.J. made perhaps the biggest play of his young Wisconsin career, wriggling loose of his man for a 51-yard catch.
In a back-and-forth, sometimes brutal Big Ten battle against the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (5-3 Big Ten, 8-3 overall), the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (8-0, 11-0) needed their quarterback to step up and be the difference-maker. Alex Hornibrook delivered, with one of the biggest games of his young career in UW's 24-10 victory. Doubt lingered through the the first half of the game.
Coming into this season, the Badgers felt like they had a legitimate shot to win a national championship.
Now in the fourth year of his Wisconsin career, senior safety Natrell Jamerson has acclimated to his Midwest surroundings after entering the program from the balmy climate of Florida. The Ocala, Fla., native has elevated to a starting role this fall after dabbling as a wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner in his first three seasons. But while Jamerson has settled into Wisconsin life and created a strong bond with his fellow Florida-bred defensive backs, Madison still lags behind the Sunshine State in one department. “It’s got me a little sick,” Jamerson said of the cold weather starting to hit town.
The vast majority of the Wisconsin-Michigan rivalry has been all Wolverines (they hold a 50-14-1 all-time edge). Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler used to wallop the Badgers year-in and year-out, going 18-1 against UW in his career. The tables have turned of late though, as over the last seven matchups, the Badgers hold a 4-3 lead and have outscored UM 198-161.
The last three meetings between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Iowa Hawkeyes have been absolute wars.
1. Baker Mayfield, RS Senior QB- Oklahoma At this point, Mayfield has a firm grasp of the steering wheel in this Heisman year.
Wisconsin Wisconsin’s defense will need to keep the same mentality they had against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
In what has been a largely up and down 2017 campaign, No. 13 Wisconsin hit perhaps its lowest point of the season this past weekend. On the road in West Lafayette, the No. 13 Badgers (8-8 Big Ten, 17-8 overall) fell to the Purdue Boilermakers in straight sets last Saturday, suffering their first sweep since 2016.
Coming into this season, many thought the Big Ten was going to primarily be a five-team race between Minnesota, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State. Now, after a 2-1-1 conference start and a 6-3-1 overall start, including a win and a tie against No. 7 Minnesota, Michigan has reestablished themselves as a competitive, quality hockey team with legitimate Big Ten Championship aspirations.
The No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (7-0 Big Ten, 10-0 Overall) still have a bad taste in their mouth from the last time they faced No. 19 Michigan (5-2, 8-2). When the undefeated Badgers travelled to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines in 2016, they struggled through a brutal 14-7 loss that put the season in perspective and forced Wisconsin to get back on track. “They were a pretty sound, physical defense, and they kind of kicked our butt that day,” redshirt sophomore right tackle David Edwards said.
It’s a little bit redundant to say at this point, but I still have to say it: what a weekend of college football.
SCENE: We see Michigan Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh bellied up at a bar. It’s late on a weeknight, and the bar is nearly empty, save for a regular huddled in one of the booths in the back and a pool shark practicing his game.
At the start of this college football season, many expected the Wisconsin vs. Michigan meeting to be a top-10 contest.
In a chaotic week full of upsets for the top-10 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Big Ten conference hardly had any surprising results.
Brad Davison spent the majority of the first half of Wisconsin’s 80-70 to No. 15 Xavier (3-0) pestering Musketeer players, making contested jump shots and pumping his fists in excitement.
Wisconsin has been on a run of revenge, and Thursday night it was a dish best served cold. The Badgers (4-3-1 Big Ten, 11-4-5 overall) continued their five-game winning streak as it knocked off the UIC Flames (6-2-1 Horizon, 11-6-3) with a 4-1 win on a frozen night in McClimon Park to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. All of the teams who Wisconsin beat in the postseason had previously handed UW a defeat.
After two 30-point blowouts to open the season, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team (2-1) used just about every possession to decide its third game of the year against the No. 15 Xavier Musketeers (3-0). In a hotly contested affair, the Musketeers ultimately pulled away from the fresh-faced Badgers to win 80-70. Each half was a tale of two halves for the Badgers.
Sports editor Ben Pickman and football beat writers Lorin Cox and and Jake Nisse preview Wisconsin's upcoming matchup with Michigan.