Johnny Raider – @johnnyraider29 – October 10th, 2024
Photo By Cameron Schneider ~ The Daily Cardinal
The Badgers are back above .500 and are looking to keep it that way against a formidable opponent in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Now the badgers are not favored by a lot of outlets with quite a few projecting a close badgers loss and few others predicting a narrow victory for the badgers. However, if a close prediction is what you were looking for, this isn't the article for you. Here are some BOLD predictions going into this intriguing matchup.
Badgers Rush for 230+ Yards
Johnny Raider – @johnnyraider29
If you could point out one weakness on the Rutgers defense, I think most would point to the rush defense allowing 5.2 yards per carry (111th in the country) and allowing over 160 rush yards per game (78th in the country). The badgers may not have been keen on handing the ball off since week 1, but this week has to be the week. The Rutgers pass defense is miles ahead of its rush defense in terms of opponent passer rating and opponent completion percentage, so the game plan will most likely need to rally behind Tawee Walker. If the badgers exploit this glaring weakness. 200 or more rushing yards will be on the final stat sheet along with a Badgers win.
Badgers Intercept Two Passes
Vince Hesprich – @vincehesprich
Rutgers' ground-and-pound approach could be stifled by a quick Wisconsin lead, forcing the Scarlet Knights to rely on Athan Kaliakmanis' arm more than ever. Kaliakmanis only has three picks so far on the year, and the Badgers have two picks so far on the year. However, Kaliakmanis hasn't thrown the ball much, and teams haven't thrown much on the badgers (outside of USC). This is a recipe for Mike Tressel's secondary to come up big and win it for Bucky.
Trech Goes over 100 Yards AGAIN
Levi Cooper – @levicoop3r
The Badgers passing offense has improved each week, with Braedyn Locke slowly gaining confidence. With this improvement, we've seen the passing offense appear to reach heights we all initially imagined when Phil Longo was hired a bit over a year ago. Riding this wave, I expect Braedyn Locke, who definitely isn't afraid to air out the ball, to hit Trech Kekahuna and Vinny Anthony on routine. They were both Locke's favorite targets last Saturday, with Trech going over 100 yards for the first time in his career, and I completely expect an encore with Pauling potentially not being 100%. Look for Trech to contribute significantly in the slot in this showdown.
