The Wisconsin Badgers are a team seemingly being held together by fraying duct tape. The emotional hangover from Paul Chryst being fired, to the absolute tragic murder of former Badger Devin Chandler makes the next two Big Ten games that much more difficult. On Saturday, Jim Leonard will have to dig deep to get his team ready for a road trip to Nebraska.
forever forward pic.twitter.com/zr1N8Dv6Ef
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 17, 2022
At 5-5, UW still has a shot at a bowl game. However with each passing week, fans in Madison have no idea which team is going to show up. Athletic Director Chris McIntosh has a long winter coming where he’ll have to make some hard decisions. First and foremost, whether Wisconsin retains Leonard moving forward. Whether they do or do not, the next coach will need to decide if it’s time to cut bait on the inconsistent Graham Mertz.
A road trip to Lincoln might be a good start. The Cornhuskers (3-7, 2-5) will be looking for a high note in another post season, as they attempt to beat the Badgers. Doing so would end an eight-game losing streak against their fellow team in the Red and White.
Nebraska has already locked down their sixth consecutive losing season, and the Badgers want to do the same. Sitting at .500 with two games to go is no gimme for a winning season much less any postseason aspirations. Jim Leonard knows his team well. He’s a Badger himself and a native son.
Key To A Badger’s Win: See How He Runs
Braelon Allen is the singular bright spot for a plodding Wisconsin offense. He has six 200-yard rushing games this season giving the Badgers a 1,000-yard rusher for the sixth year in a row. Allen will be key and should be the focal point as Nebraska is yielding 191 rushing yards this season.
Key To A Cornhusker Win: Quarterback Casey Thompson
Nebraska QB Casey Thompson will play against Wisconsin, according to Mickey Joseph.
"Unless he wakes up tomorrow and he says my whole elbow is numb."#Huskers @1011_News pic.twitter.com/qFoZQqPhgX
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) November 17, 2022
Casey Thompson is the offensive player Nebraska needs to put it all on his back and deliver a win. With Thompson at the controls, he can push the ball down the field and he knows how to deliver a pass to the right place at the right time. He’s also a leader on the offensive side of the football and will make sure his running backs and receivers are where they need to be pre-snap.
Any Win Is A Good Win Right Now
It’s not complicated for either the Nebraska Cornhuskers or the Wisconsin Badgers. For Nebraska breaking an eight-game losing streak before their season finale against Iowa would be huge.
The Wisconsin Badgers meanwhile would like to find some consistency and get bowl eligible in the process. 7-5 would be a nice way to finish a tough season in Madison. A win against Nebraska would be helpful as they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers to close out a season that they had just as soon forget.
