Badgers and Wildcats meet in Big Ten brawl
Evanston, IL (Sports Network) - The 17th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats meet for the first time since 2006, as they collide in a Big Ten battle this weekend at Ryan Field.
Since losing back-to-back games to Ohio State and Iowa in mid-October, the Badgers have won three straight decisions and that includes a 45-24 triumph of Michigan this past weekend.
"This is just a great win for us to close out one of the greatest venues in college football as a fan," said head coach Bret Bielema. "To give our fans this, to beat Michigan in our season finale at Camp Randall is awesome." The 45 points were the most Wisconsin has scored in 73 meetings against Michigan. The Badgers have now won 30 straight games when scoring at least 30 points, as they sit at 8-2 overall and 5-2 within the conference. Wisconsin will wrap up its regular season campaign on December 5th, when it takes on Hawaii.
For the Wildcats, they continued their winning ways over the weekend, scoring a 21-16 victory over Illinois to finish 3-1 on the road in conference play.
"Number one, I am very proud of our young men," said head coach Pat Fitzgerald. "We knew it was going to be an emotional, hard-fought, physical battle and that is exactly what it was." It was a nice follow up to a big upset at Iowa the prior week and Northwestern all but guaranteed itself a spot in a second straight bowl game with a 7-4 ledger. The last time the Wildcats participated in two straight bowl games was in 1995 (Rose) and 1996 (Citrus).
Northwestern and Wisconsin are meeting for the 93rd time, but the first since the Badgers captured a 41-9 win in Madison in 2006. Wisconsin leads the all- time series, 55-32-5, although the Wildcats hold a 29-17-2 edge when playing n Evanston.
For the third straight week, Wisconsin punished a team with its ground attack, rushing for 229 yards in a victory over Michigan on Saturday. John Clay headed the charge, as he carried the ball 26 times for 161 yards and a touchdown.
"Yeah, like I've been saying this whole time, our offense is very explosive, stated Clay. "Once we get going, it?s hard for us to be stopped." Clay, the Big Ten's leading rusher, has now gone for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, helping Wisconsin amass 208.0 ypg and 23 scores on the ground this season.
Quarterback Scott Tolzien was able to take advantage of Michigan's defense, which was softened by the ground attack, as he threw for four touchdowns and ran for another. He completed 16-of-24 pass attempts for 240 yards in the triumph. It was clearly one of the best performances of the year by Tolzien, who has now completed 62.3 percent of his pass attempts, with 14 touchdowns.
Nick Toon capitalized on Tolzien's success last weekend by catching five balls for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he continues to lead the team with 42 receptions and 633 receiving yards on the season.
The Badgers were also tough on defense last weekend, as they held Michigan to just 265 total yards, including a mere 71 rushing on 32 attempts. The unit forced a turnover and added two sacks, while keeping the Michigan offense off the field for over 35 minutes.
For the season, Wisconsin is permitting just 307.4 total ypg, as the defense has been stout versus the run, allowing only 99.6 ypg and seven scores on the ground. The unit has also made its fare share of big plays, recording 23 takeaways and 25 sacks.
O'Brien Schofield has played a big part in this group's success and he leads the team in sacks (eight) and TLFs (19.5), while ranking third in total stops (51). Last weekend, the talented end post seven tackles to go with half a sack.
The Wildcats scored on a 99-yard drive midway through the third quarter and an 80-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, helping them to defeat Illinois, 21-16, over the weekend. The two scoring drives accounted for a large part of the team's 440 total yards, which is above its season average of 381.4 ypg.
"The 99 yard drive is a big statement<" stated quarterback Mike Kafka. "We hit a couple big plays and we were able to go down and get the score. That's a huge momentum shift in this rivalry game." Kafka, who missed most of the last two games with an injury, was terrific in a full game, completing 23-of-37 pass attempts for 305 yards and a score. He also added a rushing touchdown to the win over Illinois. Kafka has been getting the job done all season long with both his arm and legs. He has completed 65.8 percent of his pass attempts with 10 touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 248 yards and seven more scores.
Zeke Markshausen has provided Kafka with an open target each week and he leads the team with 76 catches and 737 receiving yards. Andrew Brewer has given the team a deep threat and he has 690 yards on 43 catches. Last weekend, Markshausen snared six balls for 104 yards and a score, while Brewer posted three receptions for 73 yards.
Northwestern's defense was stingy for most of the game last Saturday, but it letdown in the fourth quarter, allowing Illinois to score touchdowns on two drive of 80 yards. With the outcome hanging in the balance, however, the unit stepped up, as Sherrick McManis' interception with 32 seconds left sealed the victory.
"I saw him running the route, and I just executed and made the play," said McManis about the pick. "I just knew I needed to get the ball in my hands and I made a play when we needed it." The Wildcats had two interceptions in the game, bringing their season total to 14 in that department. The team's ability to force turnovers has helped to compensate for some of the 345.2 total ypg the defense is surrendering.
McManis now has a team-best four picks to his credit, while Quentin Davie continues to pace the club with 79 stops, eight TFLs and four sacks.
11/18 11:10:22 ET
