Baggot: Five things to know vs. Nebraska
October 06, 2018 | Football, Andy Baggot
Insight and quick hits on the Badgers’ matchup with the Huskers
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — In three-plus seasons at his alma mater, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst has compiled some memorable milestones facing Nebraska. His first Big Ten Conference win, first road victory, first come-from-behind triumph and first trophy game conquest came against the Cornhuskers in 2015. A year later he got his first overtime win vs. Nebraska. The next chapter unfolds Saturday at 6:30 p.m. when the Badgers (3-1 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) host Nebraska (0-4, 0-2) at Camp Randall Stadium. It's the third straight time the Freedom Trophy will be awarded under the lights and the fifth consecutive time Wisconsin will try and keep it since it was introduced in 2014.
Here are five more things to know about the matchup:
T.J. And His Takeaways
Wisconsin senior inside linebacker T.J. Edwards has eight career interceptions — the second-most in program history at that position — and the Badgers have benefitted from every one. Not only are they 8-0 when Edwards has a pick, they've turned those takeaways into 41 points (five touchdowns and two field goals). A closer look shows Edwards has collected most of his interceptions at crucial times. Six gave Wisconsin possession inside the opponents' 40-yard line and one came with the Badgers backed up inside their own 20. Edwards needs one more pick to tie Craig Raddatz (1983-86) for the most in a career by a Wisconsin linebacker.
The Brotherhood
For the second time in four seasons, the Badgers have seen the rare feat of brothers scoring touchdowns. By virtue of his TD reception at Iowa, redshirt freshman tight end Jake Ferguson joined his older brother Joe, a safety who scored on an interception return vs. Utah State as a senior in 2017. Their collaboration comes on the heels of the Watt brothers, outside linebacker T.J. and fullback Derek, who scored TDs in 2016 and '15, respectively.
Mr. Opportunistic
Senior fullback Alec Ingold has started only four of 42 career games for the Badgers and gotten his hands on the ball but 98 times. Both suggest a modest existence. Then you see that he has 17 touchdowns overall — 13 on the ground and four via the pass — which transports you to some remarkable realities. Ingold, from Green Bay, averages a touchdown every 5.8 times he touches the ball (88 carries, 10 receptions). For comparison, look at Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who holds the Football Bowl Subdivision record for career TDs with 88 (11.1 per carry). Look at former Wisconsin All-America tailback Montee Ball, who's second on that list with 83 TDs (11.8 per touch). Look at Ron Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner for the Badgers who has 71 career scores (17.6 per touch). Few offenses utilize the fullback like Wisconsin does and even fewer have someone as impactful as Ingold.
"Coach Alvarez called it the 'lunch pail mentality.' It's still there today." In the last 25 years, Wisconsin has played in 23 bowl games, winning 14 of them The historic '93 team got it started 📱💻 http://go.wisc.edu/varsity-9-6
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 4, 2018
Common Threads
The Badgers have faced Nebraska seven times — winning six, including the last five — since the Cornhuskers made their Big Ten debut in 2011. Some notable trends have emerged during that time. One is that Wisconsin has never lost the turnover battle — plus-10 overall — even in the lone regular-season setback in 2012. In the six wins, the Badgers have dominated in the run game, averaging 7.57 yards per rush. Four different tailbacks have topped 100 yards — Montee Ball, Melvin Gordon, Dare Ogunbowale and Jonathan Taylor — and three have surpassed 200 yards: Ball had 202 in the 2012 Big Ten title game; Gordon had 216 in the '12 Big Ten championship win and a school-record 408 in 2014; and Taylor amassed 249 vs. Nebraska in 2017.
Someone You Can Count On
Sophomore tailback Garrett Groshek is seeing a steady increase in his workload, which isn't a major surprise even though he's third on the depth chart behind sophomore Jonathan Taylor and senior Taiwan Deal. Groshek, from Amherst Junction, is averaging 5.7 yards on 18 carries and 10.9 yards on nine receptions through four games. He's an able pass blocker, has taken snaps in the shotgun and proven to be a valuable option on third down. Of his 92 career touches to date, 28 have produced either a first down (25) or a touchdown (3).
