Wisconsin Football: 3 Keys to Victory over Nebraska

In order for Wisconsin Football to keep their Big Ten West Title hopes alive they’ll have to beat Nebraska, and these are the three keys to doing so.

Led by another outstanding performance by Jonathan Taylor and huge two-point conversion stop by the defense, the Wisconsin Football team was able to get back on track with a win over Iowa to improve to 7-2 on the season.

Although at this point it is looking more like a long shot, the Badgers are still in the running for the Big Ten West Title, but they will need some help from the aforementioned Iowa Hawkeyes who have a date this Saturday with the undefeated Minnesota Gophers. For Wisconsin to have any hope of making the Big Ten Championship game, Minnesota needs to lose one game before the two teams meet on November 30th.

However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the Wisconsin football team has to play at Nebraska this Saturday. And while things this season haven’t gone as the Cornhuskers would have hoped, as we’ve already learned, no game can be taken lightly. If the Badgers are going to leave Lincoln with a win, these are their three keys to doing so.

Contain Adrian Martinez

To say the least, it has been an up and down season for the sophomore quarterback who has missed two games with an injury, is completing less than 60 percent of his passes, and has just seven touchdowns to six interceptions.

Although the consistency hasn’t been there this season for Adrian Martinez, the Badgers know first hand just how explosive the young quarterback can be, both with his arm and his legs. In last year’s matchup, Martinez would throw for 384 yards and rush for another 57 with three total touchdowns against this Badger defense. Granted, this year’s defense has been much better but they certainly aren’t immune to giving up the big play.

This Nebraska offense likes to play with a fast pace and Wisconsin has had some issues against up-tempo offenses this season. And if they are going to avoid the road upset, containing Adrian Martinez will be at the top of the to-do list.

Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor makes the “Keys to Victory” list, a big shocker to everyone, I’m sure. Taylor is coming off of his best game of the season against a very good Iowa run defense and now will be taking on a Nebraska team that ranks 83rd nationally, giving up nearly 174 rushing yards per game.

As always, we expect Taylor to play an integral part in this Badgers’ offense, but controlling the time of possession will be a key factor in this game. Currently, Wisconsin leads all of college football in time of possession, while due to Nebraska’s up-tempo offense that hasn’t been successful, they are near the bottom. So a big day from Taylor means Wisconsin will control the clock, take advantage of the extra possessions that the Cornhuskers give them, keep the Nebraska offense and Adrian Martinez off the field, while also wearing out the defense.

Limit the Explosive Plays

As I mentioned above, despite the inconsistencies from the Nebraska offense, they do have some play-makers on this team and they can come away with a big play at any moment. Meanwhile for this Wisconsin defense, the big play has been their kryptonite, especially in recent weeks.

Against Illinois we saw two touchdowns of at least 40 yards and another of 29 from the Illini. The following week, Ohio State had five plays of at least 20 yards and Iowa was able to have some success through the air, which included a 75-yard touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter.

Realistically, this is a game that the Badgers should win by multiple scores, and if they can limit the explosive play, it’ll be very difficult for Nebraska to move the ball with any regularity. However, if Wisconsin continues to have issues and the Cornhuskers can rip off multiple chunk plays, then any outcome is possible. Just look at the Illinois game.