Penn State looks to defend its No. 3 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time on Saturday night when James Franklin leads the souring Nittany Lions into Madison for a matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Badgers have found their stride after starting the season 2-2 and have won their last three games by an average of 27.3 points per game against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. That puts Luke Fickell's group at 5-2 overall and a game back in the loss column for first place in the Big Ten.
Happy Valley Insider takes a closer look at the confident pack of Badgers, by the numbers, ahead of Saturday's primetime clash.
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Offense:
Wisconsin is starting to look and play like those tough nose squads that ran the Big Ten Leaders division and then the Big Ten West under Barry Alvarez, Bret Bielema and others. The Badgers have found success running the football on the heels of losing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and starting running back Chez Mellusi for the year.
Running back Tawee Walker has shined in the absence of Mellusi, rushing for 418 yards and six scores over the his last three games, as Wisconsin is averaging north of 200 rushing yards per game over that stretch. The Badgers are now third in the conference in rushing yards per game (194) and are second in the league in rushing touchdowns (18) this season. They lead both of those categories during conference play as well, with Walker leading the charge.
True freshman Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli have also gotten snaps out of the backfield, but Walker has turned into the bell cow back for the Badgers since Chez Mellusi stepped away from the program
Quarterback Braedyn Locke has been up and down after taking over for the injured Tyler Van Dyke in the Alabama game. In lopsided wins over Purdue and Rutgers, he completed 67% of his passes for 699 yards with four touchdown passes. He took a step back against Northwestern, completing 58% of his passes for just 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turnovers have plagued the junior signal caller, throwing five across his four starts this season.
For the season he is 14th in passing yards per game and has the fifth-most interceptions of any Big Ten signal caller.
Locke's receiving corps is a step up from the groups in recent years in Madison, but still leave something to be desired, with the likes of Will Pauling, Bryson Green, Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekahuna being his primary pass catchers. Pauling and Anthony are pacing that group with 302 and 314 yards respectively, while Pauling has 30 receptions to lead the team.
Vinny Anthony, Trech Kekahuna and CJ Williams have all seen less action than Pauling, but are in the top 13 in the conference in yards per reception. Anthony has been the most lethal in regards to creating big plays, leading the conference in that category with an average of 24.2 yards.
Overall, the Badgers are seventh in the Big Ten in scoring offense with 29.0 points per game, as well as eight in total offense with 406.6 yards per game. They have feasted on lesser defensive units in recent weeks as the Nittany Lions will be a large step up for the Wisconsin offensive attack on Saturday.
Defense:
While the offense has hit its stride during the Badgers' three-game winning streak, the defense has been lights out in recent weeks. Wisconsin has surrendered 5.3 points per game over its last three contests, which comes on the heels of giving up 40+ in back-to-back games against Alabama and USC.
Granted, the last three showings have come against teams in the bottom three of the Big Ten in scoring offense during conference play, Purdue (18th), Rutgers (17th), and Northwestern (16th). Those teams are all being held under 20 points per game against conference foes through four games.
A stellar pass defense has been the catalyst for the Badgers, however, giving up 155.9 yards per game through the air, which is third best in the conference. That includes giving up 100.6 per game against the aforementioned Boilermakers, Scarlet Knights and Wildcats. However, only Alabama and USC have scored through the air against the Badgers this season.
Safeties Preston Zachman and Hunter Wohler have been the leaders of that charge, with Zachman being the top graded Badger defender via Pro Football Focus. Zachman and Wohler have combined for ten pass breakups and a pair of interceptions this season to make up one of the top safety duos in the league.
The run defense has been a concern despite the strong play against the pass for Wisconsin. The Badgers are surrendering 139.9 rushing yards per game this season, which is fifth-most in the conference, with only one game giving up less than 100, which was Purdue's 99-yard effort at the start of the month. Alabama, USC and Rutgers all had 160 or more yards and five touchdowns on the ground behind three stellar running backs.
Wisconsin's struggles haven't been from a lack of tackling, as the Badgers have the 11th-best tackling grade in the country by Pro Football Focus.
Penn State presents an offensive attack more similar to that of the games Wisconsin has struggled in and will be the biggest challenge as far as the ground game is concern for the Badgers during conference play thus far between Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. That plays in the favor of the Nittany Lions to humble to Wisconsin defense a bit after they beat up on some reeling squads.
Special teams:
The kicking game is a big area of concern for the Badgers, who have seen their starter struggle through the first half of the season. Nathanial Vakos is 6-10 this season, but has connected on a pair of 50-yard field goals, which is tied for third-most in the conference.
Punter Atticus Bertrams is having himself a stellar campaign, however, averaging 45.4 yards per boot, which is fifth in the conference.
Wide receiver Vinny Anthony II is also shining in the return game on a few opportunities, taking six kicks for 192 yards that comes out to a 32 yard average, which is the best of any Big Ten returner with more than five returns. Trech Kekahuna hasn't been far behind, with 142 yards on seven returns this season.
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