Can the ‘Cats climb back into the bowl hunt with a win against the Badgers?
Looking to knock off Wisconsin in Evanston for the first time since 2020, the ‘Cats come into Saturday’s game riding high off a 37-10 win over Maryland. Ahead of a matinee matchup on the lakefill, Bucky’s 5th Quarter’s Rohan Chakravarthi answered our biggest questions.
Inside NU: After starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s season ended after a torn ACL against Alabama, the Badgers turned to Braedyn Locke, who has shown spurts of potential in three full starts. What have you made of his performances?
Rohan Chakravarthi: Locke started the year with some struggles against Alabama, but you expect that from a sophomore quarterback going up against a top-five team after getting thrown in there. The biggest growth over the past few weeks has been his desire to drive the ball downfield, which has opened up the offense in a major way and shown the potential that Wisconsin could have in the future with the redshirt sophomore as its starting quarterback.
I think there are still some things to wrinkle out from a decision-making perspective, while his accuracy will definitely be challenged against some tougher opponents. But it’s been a good past two weeks for Locke, who looks much improved from last year.
INU: The Badgers romped into Piscataway last weekend, taking down Rutgers 42-7. In a dominant performance against the Scarlet Knights, what clicked for Wisconsin? Was it just a continued flash in the pan after walloping Purdue, or is this what Wisconsin is truly capable of?
RC: I think it was a part of both. Rutgers didn’t look like a good football team, as Wisconsin managed to shut down the run, which had been a struggle in weeks prior. The Badgers also eliminated the passing attack, with Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis missing a number of throws and facing drops.
The offense clicked yet again, with Locke taking downfield shots early to open up the offense, while the offensive line dominated against lighter boxes from Rutgers, who looked to defend the pass more with their two-high shells. Wisconsin is playing good complementary football at the moment, and that continued against Rutgers.
INU: After a disappointing first season in charge for Luke Fickell, how would you assess how he’s adapted in his second year at the helm? What have you made of Fickell’s coaching this season?
RC: I think he’s done a good job in terms of making adjustments after a slow start. With Fickell, many assumed this project may have just been a one or two-year rebuild back to the old Wisconsin standard, but with such high standards in the Big Ten, it may take one to two more years for that to settle.
However, with a solid start to the year here against a tougher schedule, as well as continued strong classes on the recruiting front, it’s been a good enough year for Fickell thus far. Now, it’s time to see how he finishes against a tough group of opponents.
INU: Eighth in the conference in yards per game and yards allowed per game, who are a couple X-factors on both sides of the football to watch out for this weekend?
RC: On offense, it’ll have to be wide receiver Vinny Anthony, who has been a big-play machine all year and leads the entirety of college football in yards per catch among qualified leaders. He’s been Locke’s go-to guy on deep balls with track-level speed, and the duo have seemed to connect on an explosive play every game. Elsewhere, running back Tawee Walker has really gotten into a groove, displaying high efficiency behind a strong offensive line in each of the past two weeks, while scoring three touchdowns in both games.
Defensively, the entire secondary is the X-factor, as it has been the bread and butter for Wisconsin’s defensive success this year. The pass rush is still developing, leading to clean pockets for quarterbacks, so it’s important for the secondary to hold up in coverage as it has been doing.
INU: After falling to Northwestern in Madison last season, what do you think the Badgers need to do to beat the Wildcats?
RC: Fickell said it best this week: it’s about the trenches. Last year, Wisconsin was dominated at the line of scrimmage, which led to the ugly loss to a surging Northwestern team.
This year, Wisconsin’s offensive line has played at a high level as one of the best units in the country, which will be important, allowing both Tawee Walker to get big opportunities, while giving Braedyn Locke time in the pocket to operate.
Defensively, while the defensive line has been up and down, specifically in the pressure department, Wisconsin did well against a tough running back in Kyle Monangai, and it will look to continue those efforts this weekend against Northwestern.
INU: What is your score prediction for the game and why?
RC: With Wisconsin rolling the last few weeks, I expect the Badgers to pull off the victory on the road here, but Northwestern should find a way to put up some points as well, given the dual-threat ability of quarterback Jack Lausch.
I’ll say: Wisconsin 34, Northwestern 20