The key to beating UW offensively is pretty simple. Stop Gordon and Clement from busting long TD runs and make Stave pick up 3rd and 5+ and it is easy to disrupt the O. Now that is a task that is tough to do in reality despite the simple theory. But the key to UW this year has been the D, not the O.
The Badgers have the #1 ranked defense in the NCAA. With Warren Herring on the field this D has been taken to a different level. When he left the LSU game the D had given up 7 points on one 83 yard blown coverage. Maryland's first stringers managed to score one TD in the final 52 seconds against our 2nd and 3rd stringers. Rutgers did not score. In other words, this D is legit when healthy. The one area that can be exploited is the deep pass, as our DBs are almost always in man-to-man and we usually have at least one safety blitzing or in the box. If you can hit some long passes you can score on UW, if you can't hit a few over the top, it can be a long day for opposing offenses. The new front 7 has started to jell and the DBs have benefitted from the improved pass rush. Everyone always looks at Gordon and the lack of a passing game as the keys to matching up with Bucky but the D is the engine for this team. Getting to 24 points is something that only LSU and Illinois (and Illinois scored two garbage time TDs against our back ups after the game was 38-14) have managed to do so far this year, and both of them faced a depleted Badgers D. Neb is certainly one of, if not the, best teams we will have faced, but we have had this game circled all year as the key to the season and I would expect to get UW's A game in two weeks. Scoring may be at a premium.
The Badgers have the #1 ranked defense in the NCAA. With Warren Herring on the field this D has been taken to a different level. When he left the LSU game the D had given up 7 points on one 83 yard blown coverage. Maryland's first stringers managed to score one TD in the final 52 seconds against our 2nd and 3rd stringers. Rutgers did not score. In other words, this D is legit when healthy. The one area that can be exploited is the deep pass, as our DBs are almost always in man-to-man and we usually have at least one safety blitzing or in the box. If you can hit some long passes you can score on UW, if you can't hit a few over the top, it can be a long day for opposing offenses. The new front 7 has started to jell and the DBs have benefitted from the improved pass rush. Everyone always looks at Gordon and the lack of a passing game as the keys to matching up with Bucky but the D is the engine for this team. Getting to 24 points is something that only LSU and Illinois (and Illinois scored two garbage time TDs against our back ups after the game was 38-14) have managed to do so far this year, and both of them faced a depleted Badgers D. Neb is certainly one of, if not the, best teams we will have faced, but we have had this game circled all year as the key to the season and I would expect to get UW's A game in two weeks. Scoring may be at a premium.
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