Wisconsin vs. Georgia Southern: Four things to watch as Badgers try to rediscover winning ways
WISCONSIN (1-1) VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (2-0)
When: 11 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Camp Randall Stadium.
TV: BTN with Mark Followill (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analysis) and Elise Menaker (sideline).
Radio: FM-97.3 and AM-920 in Milwaukee and a state network with Matt Lepay (play-by-play), Mark Tauscher (analysis) and Patrick Herb (sideline).
Line: Wisconsin by 19½.
Series: First meeting.
Coaches: Wisconsin's Luke Fickell (2-1, first full season; 65-26, seventh season overall) vs. Georgia Southern’s Clay Helton (8-7, second season; 54-31, eight-plus seasons).
More: Big things expected from UW receiver Bryson Green
FOUR THINGS TO WATCH
Can the Badgers improve their ugly turnover margin?
Through two games, UW has a turnover margin of minus-5. The Badgers have turned the ball over five times – three fumbles and two interceptions – and have failed to generate a takeaway. Can UW get past Georgia Southern with a negative turnover margin? Probably. But UW must start protecting the football better and generating turnovers because a negative turnover margin in Big Ten play could prove costly.
Head coach Luke Fickell has noted the tackling must improve, particularly in the open field. Once that happens, players will have more opportunities to jar the ball loose. But another factor is a more consistent pass rush. The Badgers must get more pressure on the quarterback, which could result in hurried or errant passes.
Georgia Southern has lost two of four fumbles this season and quarterback Davis Brin has thrown two interceptions.
Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel must find ways to generate a more consistent pass rush
UW failed to record a sack in the opener against Buffalo but got four last week against Washington State. The Badgers got to Cameron Ward two times in each half of the 31-22 loss at Washington State. However, UW generally rushed three in the opening half and Ward often had plenty of time to look for open receivers as the Cougars built a 24-9 halftime lead. On one play, he remained in the pocket for about nine seconds before he finally decided to scramble for yardage. Georgia Southern’s quarterback isn’t as much of a threat to run so it will be interesting to see if UW is comfortable sending extra rushers, particularly early in the game.
Wisconsin struggled to run the ball at Washington State. Can tailbacks Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen rebound?
Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen combined to rush for 298 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1. Their combined numbers last week were just 69 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Allen was limited to just seven carries. That was tied for his second-lowest mark at UW. His lowest total is five, in UW’s loss to Michigan in 2021. Washington State’s front seven was active and generally took away clean running lanes, particularly on the edges. Can Georgia Southern’s defense do the same? The Eagles are allowing 4.0 yards per carry through two games. Will UW’s tailbacks get more chances to carry the ball this week?
UW support staff might want to set an earlier wake-up call
The Badgers started slowly in the opener and held a 14-10 halftime lead over Buffalo before taking control in the second half in the 38-17 victory.
The first half last week was a disaster. UW settled for field goals rather than touchdowns on three drives, a sack resulted in a 2-yard fumble return for a touchdown and UW’s defense had no idea how to slow Washington State’s up-tempo offense.
With an 11 a.m. start against a first-time opponent that isn’t exactly a marquee name, the energy in Camp Randall Stadium might be dampened. UW’s players will have to be sharp early to avoid another uninspiring start.
HISTORY LESSON
Although this is the first meeting between UW and Georgia Southern, the Badgers do have a bit of history with Helton, in his second season as the Eagles head coach. He was head coach at USC when the Trojans and Badgers met in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
The game was played late at night and didn’t receive much national attention but it turned into an entertaining battle that wasn’t decided until the final minutes, with UW prevailing, 23-21.
UW built a 20-7 lead midway through third quarter thanks to touchdowns by tailback Corey Clement and tight end Austin Traylor and two field goals from Rafael Gaglianone.
The Trojans scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 21-20 lead, but Joel Stave returned from injury to lead a 42-yard drive capped by Gaglianone’s 29-yard field goal with 2 minutes 42 seconds remaining.
UW’s defense recorded two more stops.
Cornerback Sojourn Shelton intercepted a pass and the Badgers then forced a fourth-down incompletion with three seconds left.
Stave was named offensive MVP after completing 18 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Jack Cichy, who sat out the first half because of a targeting penalty assessed in the regular-season finale at Minnesota, was named the defensive MVP. He recorded a sack on three consecutive plays in the second half, for losses of 9, 7 and 7 yards.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since the 2010 season, UW’s defense has limited visiting teams to a third-down conversion rate of just 27.7%. Buffalo converted just 2 of 15 third-down chances (13.3%) in the opener. Georgia Southern has converted 60% of its chances (12 of 20) so far.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin vs. Georgia Southern: Four things to watch Saturday Sept. 16
