3. Nov. 7 @ Wisconsin
Oct 25, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 52-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Wisconsin Badgers are the early favorite to win the Big Ten West division and a consensus preseason Top 25 team. This will be the first season for the Badgers under new head coachPaul Chryst.
Wisconsin is led on offense by one of the best running backs in the country,Corey Clement. Some people may not be familiar with Clement because he played behind Heisman Trophy finalistMelvin Gordonlast season. I’m sure the Maryland coaching staff has taken notice of him though, after he ran for 90 yards and a touchdown in their meeting last season.
Fifth-year seniorJoel Stavewill again be the starter under center. Stave has had his fair share of struggles at Wisconsin, especially last year. He completed just 53.4 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9). Despite his shaky play, the Badgers are 21-7 with Stave as the starter. He’ll have a couple key weapons at his disposal this season in junior receiverAlex Ericksonand sophomore tight endTroy Fumagalli. Erickson led the team with 55 receptions in 2014.
The Badgers were fantastic on defense a season ago, finishing fourth in the country total defense and 17th in scoring defense. They lost a few pieces, but should be very strong once again this season. Junior outside linebackerVince Biegelleads the charge. Biegel recorded 7.5 sacks and a team-leading 16.5 tackles for loss last season.
Wisconsin also has a very experienced secondary unit, which is led by senior safetyMichael Caputoand senior cornerbackDarius Hillary. The secondary hasn’t been known to cause many turnovers, but they’ll look to change that in 2015.
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations