Wisconsin football vs Northwestern: Preview, prediction and live stream
An important Big Ten West showdown will take place in Madison this week as the Wisconsin football hosts the Northwestern Wildcats.
The last two times the Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats met, each team did something that had not done in a long time. Two years ago in Madison, the Wildcats benefited from a late controversial call and took down the Badgers on the road 13-7. It was Northwestern’s first win in Madison in 15 years.
In 2016, the Badgers traveled to Evanston and knocked off the Wildcats by a score of 21-7. The win secured their first victory at Northwestern of the century. Their most recent win up to that point as their last win on the road against them came back in 1999.
Besides these two instances, the two teams have experienced an up-and-down series in recent history. For example, the Badgers last three victories prior to 2016 came by margins of victory of 29, 47, and 32 points. On the other hand, the Wildcats’ last four victories have come by a total margin of just 17 points.
Over the last couple of years, the Wildcats have posed as a threat in the Big Ten West, but have not gotten over the hump just yet to be a true contender. The Badgers have been just the opposite, controlling the Big Ten West almost every year since the conference went to two leagues. Although not a marquee matchup in terms of national prominence, the Wildcats and Badgers have a lot at stake heading into Saturday’s showdown.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Madison, WI
Venue: Camp Randall Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
The Badgers’ offense looked sluggish at times during their first two games against Utah State and Florida Atlantic. Because of this, many thought their last game at BYU would serve to be a trap game and potential upset due to the high level of talent surrounding BYU’s defense. Instead, the Badgers walloped the Cougars on the road 40-6, dominating all aspects of the game.
Northwestern’s defense has not looked all that sharp this year, as the team has been lifted on the backs of quarterback Clayton Thorson and the Wildcats’ offenses. With the Badgers’ offense starting to click, and already facing an elite defense, the Wildcats will need to keep their defense off of the field as much as possible. In the team’s lone loss this year, a 41-17 crushing at the hands of Duke, the Wildcats were outgunned in time of possession 41 minutes to just under 19. Northwestern will need to convert on third downs and make it easier for the defense to hang in the game.
Wisconsin will look to complement their rushing attack with the brilliant play of Alex Hornibrook. Coming off a record-setting day, Hornibrook has been successful finding multiple receivers through the passing attack and taking the pressure off preseason All-American tight end Troy Fumagalli. If the Badgers can establish the aerial attack early, it could be a long day for the Wildcats’ defense.
Prediction
The difficulty behind the concept of winning conference road games continues to be at high levels. Wisconsin has proven to be very successful at home against Big Ten West teams and this has been the catalyst to their division titles thus far.
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Freshman running back Jonathan Taylor has started to establish a rhythm for the Badgers and will get off to a fast start against the Wildcats’ defense. Hornibrook is starting to find some confidence and will spread the ball around the field just like their win against BYU. Northwestern has the potential to put some points up on the Badgers, but will not be able to outscore the home team in Madison.
Final score: Wisconsin 31, Northwestern 16