Tale Of The Tape: Sizing Up Michigan And Wisconsin

Michigan Wolverines football (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will take on Wisconsin (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) in Madison Saturday afternoon.

Here, we've set the stage for each aspect of the matchup between the Wolverines and Badgers, with a statistical and analytical breakdown, and give our take on who has the advantage in each area.

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Here are some stats and analytics on Michigan's passing offense and Wisconsin's pass defense, followed by our analysis.

Analysis: Michigan has thrown the ball just 16.3 times per game, the fourth fewest mark in the nation, but will have some opportunity to air it out against the Badgers. Redshirt freshman Cade McNamara hasn't thrown an interception in his career and has been extremely efficient, but the Maize and Blue may need their passing attack to be explosive in this one, especially with how good Wisconsin is at stopping the run (which we'll break down below).

The Badgers' defensive front gets to the quarterback, and that includes both the down linemen and linebackers. Sophomore outside linebacker Nick Herbig has 10 pressures on the season according to PFF, while senior inside 'backer Jack Sanborn has nine.

Wisconsin is more susceptible on the back end, and its best corner, senior Faion Hicks, is likely to play but may not be 100 percent after leaving last week's game with an injury.

Advantage: Push

Here are some stats and analytics on Michigan's potent rushing offense and Wisconsin's strong run defense, followed by our analysis.

Analysis: This is truly a matchup of strength on strength. Michigan has relied heavily on running the ball, while Wisconsin has leaned on its run defense that has put up ridiculous numbers to this point, and against great competition (Penn State and Notre Dame).

Michigan hasn't faced a defensive front like Wisconsin's, but the Badgers haven't gone up against a rushing attack like the Wolverines. Whoever wins this battle very well might win the contest, unless an outlier in another area of the game changes things.

Advantage: Wisconsin

Here are some stats and analytics on Wisconsin's pass game and Michigan's pass defense, followed by our take.

Analysis: Wisconsin's passing attack has been a net negative this season, with sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz throwing seven interceptions, including three pick sixes. The Badgers are prone to making the big mistake ... but Michigan hasn't been coming up with interceptions to this point. Winning the turnover battle is directly correlated to winning, and Michigan has a great chance to force some takeaways against Mertz and Co.

That'll start with some pass rush up front. Junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson leads the nation with 5.5 sacks, and will be going up against a Wisconsin offensive line that has struggled in pass protection. Senior right tackle Logan Bruss has been very good, with an 83.3 pass-blocking grade, but senior left tackle Tyler Beach has struggled with a team-low 19.1 pass-blocking rating. Both will have to be on the lookout for Hutchinson, who moves around the formation and is tough to track.

The Wolverines have totaled just seven sacks on the year, but they'll look to at least make Mertz uncomfortable in the pocket and make bad decisions down field.

Advantage: Michigan

Here are some stats and analytics on Wisconsin's rushing game and Michigan's run defense, followed by our analysis.

Analysis: Wisconsin doesn't have a great back like it's had in the past, and the offensive line isn't one of its best, but they're still productive on the ground. Junior running back Chez Mellusi is averaging 4.6 yards per carry, but he's unlikely to hit on big plays (just like the rest of the Badger offense). Wisconsin's stats may be a bit deflated due to playing some stiff competition in the early going, too.

Michigan's run defense is much less proven. The Wolverines look like they've improved in the middle this season, but the competition hasn't shown us a whole lot. Rutgers was able to rack up 4.7 yards per carry last week, but the Scarlet Knights run a much different style of offense. The big question mark is the Wolverines' ability to line up against heavy packages, establish the line of scrimmage and get off blocks. The Badgers have dominated the Wolverines in that facet the last two seasons, and due to that (plus the fact that they've been fairly productive on the ground against two good teams), they have the slight edge here.

Advantage: Wisconsin

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