Which Badgers could be the X-Factors this week in pulling off the upset?
The Wisconsin Badgers are on a two-game losing streak, dropping games to both the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Their biggest test comes this weekend as they host the No. 1 team in the country: the Oregon Ducks.
For the third time this season, Coach Fickell has a chance to come away with a signature win against a top-five opponent.
Oregon is 10-0 and is looking like the favorite to win the College Football Playoff. Dan Lanning’s Ducks squad is led by Dillon Gabriel who is slowly rising up the Heisman power rankings. The Ducks also have an incredibly talented defense, spearheaded by players like defensive end Jordan Burch. It’s safe to say it would take a lot for a Wisconsin upset this Saturday. However, this season has been one with many upsets, so you can never count anyone out.
Here are three Badgers who can make an upset for the ages happen.
CJ Williams
There weren’t many bright spots in Wisconsin’s game against Iowa. However, junior receiver CJ Williams had a really nice game with a few catches and an impressive touchdown grab to give the Badgers their only touchdown of the game against the Hawkeyes. Williams has had somewhat of a breakout season for the Badgers and has had some very solid outings this season.
Williams is a deep-threat receiver who has been targeted on longer passes a fair amount in recent games against PSU and Iowa. Expect him to be targeted a lot both across the middle of the field and in deep passes to try and help Wisconsin’s passing game ignite in this big-time matchup.
Christian Alliegro
Christian Alliegro is having an impressive sophomore season and most people aren’t talking about it. The sophomore linebacker leads the Badgers in sacks with three and is top-five on the team in total tackles. Alliegro has emerged as a strong presence on the defensive end of the ball and has garnered pressure on opposing quarterbacks when other Wisconsin defenders haven’t been able to.
In games this season that have come down to the wire, Oregon’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been sacked many times. If Wisconsin wants to give the Ducks any issues defensively, it all starts up front. Running back Jordan James is talented, but banged up. Wisconsin needs to get after him and eventually get after Gabriel and the Oregon offensive line.
Alliegro has to be the guy to create that pressure. Alliegro will be key in this game if he can wreak enough havoc against this tough Ducks offense.
Ricardo Hallman
Ricardo Hallman hasn’t recorded an interception all season. That is shocking, considering he led the NCAA last season with seven. However, that isn’t because Hallman is playing poorly. In fact, it means the opposite. Hallman is tied for the least-targeted cornerback in all of the Power 4.
Hallman will have his toughest matchup this week as he will primarily be up against Evan Stewart, who has been a very good receiver for the Ducks thus far. Stewart had a strong outing in Oregon’s big home win against Ohio State and I expect Gabriel to cautiously target him in this game even when Hallman is defending him. This gives the Badgers’ secondary a chance to hopefully pick off Gabriel and give Wisconsin a chance in this one. Hallman needs to be aggressive in the passing game and I expect him to be.
If I had to make a prediction for this game, I expect it to be closer than people expect for the first half and could even see a world where Wisconsin leads at halftime. However, I expect Oregon to finish out strong and win with a final score of around 31-17. Oregon looked slower last week against Maryland, which gives me some hope that Wisconsin can score some points against the Ducks defense.