With the game of the week looming for the Wisconsin Badgers, coach Luke Fickell must finalize his plan of action for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Crimson Tide have not visited Madison, Wisconsin since 1928, and last played the Badgers in 2015 during a neutral site contest in Arlington, Texas. Alabama has been the victor thus far in the matchups between the Crimson Tide and the Badgers, but Wisconsin could at least keep a close game if they establish the run. The USF Bulls kept the game between themselves and the Crimson Tide tight before a collapse but showed what the pathway to beating Alabama is in the process.
Wisconsin Badgers Facing Tough Test Against #4 Alabama Crimson Tide
The Wisconsin football team will face off against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday after playing them last in 2015. The Badgers lost the previous matchup as Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake ran all over the defense. However, Wisconsin is hoping they can have a different level of success against the Crimson Tide this weekend.
Alabama is two games deep into their first season without legendary coach Nick Saban, who will be in Madison this weekend for College Gameday. Coach Kalen DeBoer is leading the Crimson Tide now and struggled to play solid football for four quarterbacks against the University of South Florida Bulls. The Bulls only scored 16 points, but kept the game within one point entering the fourth quarter.
What USF did extremely well for three quarters against the Crimson Tide was to run the ball. While quarterback Byron Brown was the primary rusher, the idea of slowing down the Crimson Tide with draw plays worked well. Brown had 108 yards on the ground and running back Nay’Quan Wright added 64 yards as well.
If the Wisconsin football team wants to find a way through the Crimson Tide defense, it may have to come on the ground with running backs Chez Mellusi and Cade Yacamelli. Both are strong, capable, and speedy running backs that could slice through the holes of the Crimson Tide defense. While quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is not the prettiest rusher, he could also benefit the offense by picking up small gains or potential conversions.
Can the Wisconsin Football Team Keep a Close Game Against the Crimson Tide?
If the Wisconsin football team wants to keep a close game against Alabama, it will take more than just an effective run game. The Badgers will also need to go blow-for-blow against the Crimson Tide and keep up with the opposing offense. As great as the Wisconsin defense can potentially be, they have holes and Alabama has a different level of talent and speed on offense.
The Wisconsin offense needs to be able to match the Alabama offense, otherwise they may lose the game much like the USF Bulls lost their game. The Bulls were within one point of tying the game against the Crimson Tide entering the fourth quarter. Milroe threw for an unanswered 43-yard touchdown and then the floodgates opened for the Alabama offense as they tacked on two more touchdowns.
In order for the Wisconsin football team to keep the game close, they cannot allow the offense to become comfortable or gain any sort of momentum of that nature. Once Milroe in particular gets rolling, it is really difficult to shut down the quarterback given his ability to run as well.
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