Free Daily NCAA Lock Pick, Wednesday October 18th: New Mexico State vs UTEP 9:00pmET
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A pair of teams from the West Division of the Big Ten meet up on the gridiron as they look to earn a victory in the Land of Lincoln. The Wisconsin Badgers are on the road as they make the trip to face the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday afternoon. Wisconsin was beaten 15-6 at home by Iowa last Saturday in their previous contest, losing outright as a nine-point favorite. Illinois knocked off Maryland 27-24 on the road at the final gun in their previous contest last Saturday, winning outright as a 13-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Badgers own a 44-39-7 advantage but it was the Fighting Illini picking up a 34-10 road win in the most recent matchup on October 1, 2022.
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Wisconsin did nothing offensively in their loss to Iowa in a game that cost them more than a spot in the standings. The Badgers dropped to 4-2 overall and stand 2-1 in the Big Ten, leaving them second in the West Division standings, though Iowa owns the tiebreaker after the victory. Against the Hawkeyes, Wisconsin trailed 7-0 after the opening quarter and never got even again. The Badgers climbed within 7-6 at the half but went scoreless in the second half as they took the loss. Wisconsin held a 332-237 advantage in total offense, picked up 18 first downs while allowing nine and was edged 30:33 to 29:27 in time of possession in the game. The Badgers turned the ball over twice while not recording a takeaway and gave up a safety in the contest.
For the season, Wisconsin is 88th in the FBS in passing offense as they average 212.7 yards per game this season through the air. The Badgers are 32 nd in the country in rushing offense as they grind out 187.3 yards per contest so far this year. Wisconsin is 80th in the FBS among the 133 teams to play at least one game this season in scoring offense as they average 27.2 points a game. The Badgers are 21st in scoring defense by giving up just 17.8 points per contest. Tanner Mordecai is 114 of 179 passing for 1,127 yards with three touchdowns against three interceptions while ranking third with 161 rushing yards plus four scores. He broke his hand in the game against Iowa last week and is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery. Braedyn Locke (16 of 31, 130 yards, INT) is the next man up under center. Braelon Allen leads the team on the ground with 91 carries for 559 yards plus seven touchdowns this year. Chez Mellusi (51 carries, 307 yards, four TD) and Jackson Acker (24 carries, 106 yards) have been in the mix as well. Will Pauling leads the team with 30 catches for 303 yards this season. Chime re Dike (15 receptions, 272 yards, TD), Bryson Green (15 grabs, 204 yards) and Skyler Bell (17 catches, 131 yards, TD) are each over the 100-yard receiving mark this season. Nathanial Vakos is 17 of 17 on extra point attempts and 10 of 11 on field goal attempts with a long of 52 this season.
In addition to Mordecai, Mellusi (broken fibula) is out for the season: he sustained the injury against Purdue on September 22. That pushes Allen to the forefront of the run game for the Badgers.
Free Daily NCAA Lock Pick, Wednesday October 18th: New Mexico State vs UTEP 9:00pmET CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW