Baggot: Five things to know vs. Michigan
November 18, 2017 | Football, Andy Baggot
Insight and quick hits on the Badgers and Wolverines
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When Wisconsin hosts Michigan in a Big Ten Conference game at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, a rarity will be thrown under the spotlight.
It will be just the third time in 22 meetings in Madison, dating back to 1943, that UW is rated higher than the Maize and Blue in the Associated Press poll.
The fifth-ranked Badgers are 10-0 overall, 7-0 in the Big Ten West Division.
The 19th-ranked Wolverines are 8-2 overall, 5-2 in the Big Ten East Division.
The only other instances where UW had the higher ranking in a home game in this series came in 1993 and 2009.
The 21st-rated Badgers knocked off No. 24 Michigan 13-10 in '93 on the way to a share of the Big Ten title and a first-ever win in the Rose Bowl.
Wisconsin was ranked 21st and the Wolverines were unranked in '09 leading up to a 45-24 victory that set the stage for a 10-win season for UW.
Here are five other things to know:
Running the Table?
The Badgers lead the nation in rushing defense (81.5 yards allowed per game), passing efficiency defense (94.5 rating) and total defense (247.6 yards yielded per game). They are third in scoring defense (13.4 points allowed per outing). The last Football Bowl Subdivision team to sweep all four of those categories was Alabama in 2011 on the way to a 12-1 record and the national championship. The Crimson Tide limited opponents to 72.2 yards rushing, 83.7 passing efficiency, 183.6 total and 8.2 scoring defense.
?? Wisconsin Senior Day ?? Be in your seat by 10:45am ?? Camp Randall Stadium Get there early. Get there loud. Let's send our seniors out right. #OnWisconsin || #Badgers
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 15, 2017
Parallel Lines
UW coach Paul Chryst and Michigan counterpart Jim Harbaugh have a lot in common. Both men had fathers who were assistant coaches at their alma maters (Chryst's father George was a UW assistant from 1972 to '77; Harbaugh's father Jack was an assistant in Ann Arbor from 1973 to '79). Both men quarterbacked teams to big victories at Camp Randall (Chryst with Platteville High School in the WIAA Division 4 state title game in 1983; Harbaugh with Michigan during a 34-17 win over the Badgers on the way to a share of the Big Ten championship in 1986). Both began their college coaching careers working for free (Chryst as a graduate assistant at West Virginia from 1989 to '90; Harbaugh as an unpaid assistant at Western Kentucky from 1994 to 2001); Both are known for developing quarterbacks and spent time as offensive assistants in the NFL (Chryst oversaw tight ends with San Diego from 1999 to 2001; Harbaugh worked with QBs in Oakland in 2002 and '03); Both took over as head coaches at their alma mater in 2015 (Chryst is 31-6 with the Badgers; Harbaugh is 28-8 with the Wolverines).
It's Senior Day on Saturday for Troy Fumagalli and the #Badgers From walk-on to standout tight end, the big picture has come into focus for @TroyFumagalli. "I was always thinking that I belonged here. And I tried to prove it the best I could."
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 16, 2017
Making Their Presence Felt
The Badgers have registered 42 plays from scrimmage that have gained at least 20 yards and half of those have involved freshmen. True freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor has a team-best 13 — 12 via runs — while true freshman wide receiver Danny Davis has four receptions. Redshirt freshman tailback Garrett Groshek and redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendric Pryor have two apiece. By the way, nine of the big plays for UW have come from seniors, including six from tight end Troy Fumagalli.
Making Them Pay
Wisconsin has outscored opponents 118-51 in points off turnovers this season, which represents the highest total in the Big Ten. Its plus-67 differential ranks second in the league behind Penn State's plus-74 (94-20). Michigan is minus-one (40-41).
Barry Alvarez is a "pretty boy"?! "Grandpa Barry" and senior safety Joe Ferguson sit down to share some laughs, life memories and football.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 15, 2017
Fourth Estate
For all their well-documented early-game struggles, the Badgers have shown remarkable dominance in the second half. They've outscored opponents 195-55 after halftime. They've trailed for a grand total of 5 minutes, 44 seconds in the second half (vs. Northwestern). They've allowed two opponents to score (Northwestern and Illinois). They've scored more points in the fourth quarter (a Big Ten-best 108) than BYU (77), Illinois (80), Michigan State (93) and Rutgers (97) have in third and fourth quarters combined.
Following last night's #CFBPlayoff show, what are the the latest projections for @BadgerFootball? Each week, @AndyBaggot gathers and breaks down the Bowl Buzz
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 15, 2017
