Looking to take charge in the West
MADISON – The Big Ten West won’t be won Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
Yet the winner — No. 8 Wisconsin or unranked Nebraska — will emerge as the only team in the division without a league loss.
Consider the state of the division entering the week:
Nebraska (3-2, 2-0 Big Ten) has won its last two games and appears to have recovered from an ugly home loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 16.
Yet the mini-resurgence comes with a caveat. Those victories came against Rutgers (1-4, 0-2) and Illinois (2-2, 0-1).
Rutgers suffered an embarrassing 56-0 loss to visiting Ohio State on Saturday.
Illinois, which has lost its last two games by a combined 65-29, has played 20 freshmen through four games. Ten of those players have started at least one game.
UW (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), the fashionable pick to win the division title for the second consecutive season under Paul Chryst, fields the best offense and defense in the division.
“I believe in this team,” said senior defensive end Alec James, who had four tackles in UW’s 33-24 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. “I believe we can do some special things.”
Despite sagging late and allowing two touchdown drives after UW had built a 31-10 lead over Northwestern, the defense won the day.
UW limited Northwestern to 219 yards on 79 plays, or 3.1 yards per play. Northwestern’s suspect offensive line was overwhelmed as the Badgers recorded eight sacks and stopped the Wildcats on 12 of 15 third-down chances.
“I know they scored the last two drives,” Chryst said, “but I thought our defense did really
well and kept us in the game, gave us a chance.
“I thought they did a tremendous job on the pass rush. We did a good job of mixing it up and I thought it was a good plan and most importantly I thought the kids understood the plan.”
Wisconsin’s offense was anemic in the first half, with one score on seven possessions.
Wide receiver Jazz Peavy lost a fumble on UW’s first offensive play and quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw two interceptions in the half.
Hornibrook turned white hot after halftime as the offense scored on three of its first four second-half drives to turn a 10-7 deficit into a 24-10 lead.
“We didn't help him and he didn't get himself into a rhythm,” Chryst said of Hornibrook’s first-half play. “He found himself into a little bit of a rhythm, and we've got to continue to help him…
“It was one of those games. It’s a good defense and you’re not always going to be in rhythm. You’ve got to learn how to play that way, too. Football is a good game that way.”
After UW and Nebraska, the other five teams in the West are already playing from behind.
Minnesota (3-1, 0-1) dropped its Big Ten opener at home to a Maryland team down to its No. 3 quarterback.
The Gophers couldn’t run the ball (80 yards on 31 attempts), couldn’t stop the run (262 yards on 47 attempts) and lost the turnover battle (minus-2) in a 31-24 loss to Maryland.
“We didn’t deserve to win the football game — simple,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “When you look at why and how we win football games, that was flipped over on us today.”
Iowa (3-2, 0-2) followed a valiant effort in a loss to No. 4 Penn State with a 17-10 clunker Saturday at Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes were held to three rushing first downs and 82 yards on 23 attempts in the 21-19 loss to Penn State.
They managed two rushing first downs and 25 yards on 19 attempts in the loss to Michigan State.
“I don’t know if we need to hit the panic button," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said after the loss to Michigan State, "but we need to hit the improve button.”
Northwestern (2-2, 0-1) has been outplayed at the line of scrimmage in its losses to Duke and UW. Quarterback Clayton Thorson needs a strong running game to flourish, and the Wildcats’ offensive line isn’t helping.
Purdue (2-2, 0-1) is significantly improved under first-year coach Jeff Brohm, but trips to UW, Iowa and Northwestern will prove dicey.
UW and Nebraska have met six times since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. UW is 5-1 in those games, with the lone loss coming in the 2012 Big Ten opener in Lincoln.
“I’m not going to be the one that comes out and says something crazy,” Nebraska redshirt junior left guard Jerald Foster told the Lincoln Journal Star after the 28-6 victory at Illinois. “I’m going to tell you this: Wisconsin’s always been on my target list. I really, really would love to have a win against this team.”