The Northwestern Wildcats play host to the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon in a crucial Big Ten showdown from Ryan Field. Both teams seem to be quickly falling back in the conference race and given the recent success of both, will be looking to turn things around in a hurry. For the Badgers, they've lost back-to-back games, including a shocking home loss to Illinois the last time out. For the Wildcats, they've lost four games in a row since their season-opening win, as they are in desperate need of snapping the skid. Wisconsin won last year's matchup with ease but given their recent struggles, this could be a more challenging game than either team is anticipating.
Only a few years removed from a trip to the Big 10 championship, the Badgers parted ways with head coach Paul Chryst earlier this week after a subpar start to the season. The Badgers are under .500, sitting at 2-3, and with back-to-back losses in the Big Ten, it's becoming more and more difficult to figure out what the issues are with this team. Last week the running game let them down, while the week before it was the struggles in moving the ball through the air. It remains to be seen if this team can turn things around and find some momentum, or if it's a lost cause in the 2022 season.
It doesn't help matters that the Badgers are one of the most beaten-up teams in the Big Ten. The biggest loss on the offensive end is that of Clay Cundiff (leg), who was ruled out for the season, the third tight end to appear on the injury report. In total, ten players have already been ruled out for the weekend, while fou r players including a pair of kickers are questionable for Saturday's tilt.
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— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 1, 2022
Offensively, the Badgers find themselves right in the middle of the country when it comes to most aspects of moving the ball. They rank 81st nationally in total yards per game and slightly lower when it comes to passing yards per game, though the biggest shock has come at their inability to run the ball. Known as having one of the best offensive lines year after year, they only rushed for two yards last week. Braelon Allen (6.2 yards per carry, 6 touchdowns) was one of the country's best running backs last season, though has struggled to find the touch in 2022. If he can find a way to turn things around and work with an experienced quarterback, Graham Mertz, this one-two punch could quickly turn things around.
On the other side of the ball, the Badgers have remained a strong unit, even if the offense has seemed to let them down from time to time. They rank 49th nationally in scoring defense but with their own success stopping the pa ss, this could be a matchup that bodes well for this group. Everything starts with Maema Njongmeta (36 tackles, 1 interception) at linebackers but the one difference maker is John Torchio (23 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions). Torchio's ability to change momentum and find himself involved no matter where the play ends up, is exactly what Wisconsin needs to try to quickly turn around their season.