Wisconsin Football: 2017 game-by-game predictions
By Shane Lunnen
The second half of the season for Wisconsin kicks off as they welcome Big Ten East foe Maryland.
Maryland is improving, with the Terps posting a 6-6 record in 2016 under first year head coach D.J. Durkin. He’s recruiting at a higher level than his predecessor, Randy Edsall, so the future could be brighter.
Still hard to say who the quarterback will be as of this writing. Now with junior Caleb Henderson injured, it’s a three man race in fall camp. Whoever is under center, they will have two good running backs to hand the ball to, with Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison returning. The speedy junior D.J. Moore leads a talented set of receivers.
The defense has a lot of experience returning, but they must improve in both the run and pass defense. Last year, they gave up on average over 210 yards per game through the air and on the ground. The linebackers though could be a real strength for the Terps. Senior Jermaine Carter isn’t a big name outside of College Park, but he has led the team in tackles the last two years and looks to continue the trend this year.
As stated earlier, Maryland is improving. Their biggest problem is that their competition in the Big Ten is also improving. They’ll have a tough task going into Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s defense will get after Maryland’s starting quarterback, but the duo of Johnson and Harrison will have a couple bright spots in the game, scoring a touchdown each. Wisconsin’s running backs Bradrick Shaw and Chris James will be better though, scoring two each. Hornibrook adds two scores through the air and it’s just another day at the office for the Badgers.