Wisconsin is a 1-2 football team, but its two losses have come to No. 4 Penn State (16-10) and No. 9 Notre Dame (41-13), with their one win a blowout over Eastern Michigan (34-7). Time will tell what the Badgers wind up being, but their early-season struggles could be the product of a tough schedule.
Wisconsin still controls its own destiny in the Big Ten West and certainly has plenty to play for. Its next opponent, undefeated No. 14 Michigan, also has high hopes as it heads into Madison Saturday.
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Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara said Monday that the Wolverines' game against Rutgers last week, a 20-13 win in which they struggled throughout the second half, was a 'trap game.' But that won't be the case this week — Wisconsin has Michigan's full attention. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mazi Smith says he's expecting a battle, despite the Badgers ranking 67th nationally in total offense and 112th in scoring offense (19 points per game).
"As a defense, you’ve got a team that is trying to really run it down your throat, and they have big, physical guys that have been getting the job done," Smith, who said he likes the Badgers' style of play, said. "The games that they’ve played don't reflect … the score doesn’t always respect how they played. When you turn on the film, you see a bunch of guys that are physical, and we’ve got to be the same way."
The Wolverines' struggles against Wisconsin the last two seasons have been well-documented. The Badgers scored a combined 74 points and rushed for 700 yards in the two meetings, both Michigan losses, but the Wolverines are running a new defensive scheme and feel more confident this time around.
"It’s what we’ve been working on in the offseason," Smith, who's totaled six tackles and one stop for loss this season, said of defending the type of offense Wisconsin runs. "That’s why we run the defense that we run, the technique that we play, is for big, physical people that are trying to impose their will. You’ve got to be in there, be strong, be stout."
Camp Randall is known for its raucous crowds, which will present more of a challenge for the Wolverines' offense in that it will have to communicate more effectively amidst the noise, but Smith said a key is not letting momentum slip away, something that is prone to happen on the road.
"Just having a short-term memory," Smith said when asked what the Wolverines must do to prevent from letting the game slip away. "Personally, when I have a bad snap, I gotta change it. You need to know what you’re supposed to do every time, and if you don’t do it, you need to fix it. And you need to be able to do that quick."
That's something Michigan didn't do last time in Madison, when it trailed 28-0 at halftime and never made it a competitive game. Several players have insisted the mental fortitude of this team is different. They'll have an opportunity to prove that Saturday afternoon.
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