BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Two of the most consistent forces among Football Bowl Subdivision teams will not only be on display Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium, they will clash.
The first-ever non-conference meeting between Wisconsin (2-3 overall) and Army (4-1) might well come down to which club is best able to impose its will.
Since the Paul Chryst head coaching era began in 2015, the Badgers have ranked in the top 10 in rushing defense six out of seven times. That unit is currently rated No. 1 in the nation, allowing 41.4 rush yards per game and 1.66 yards per attempt.
During that same time period, Army has ranked among the top 10 in rushing offense six out of seven times. That unit currently sits No. 2 among 130 FBS schools, averaging 318.2 yards per game and 66.5 attempts.
Another critical trend in this matchup is time of possession. The Badgers have ranked among the top five FBS teams in this category in six of the last seven seasons, currently sitting at No. 4 (35 minutes, 39 seconds per game). The Black Knights, meanwhile, have ranked in the top five in T.O.P. on five occasions, including their current place in the No. 1 spot (40:01).
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Running back Braelon Allen joined a relatively small club when he rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries during a 24-0 victory over Illinois last week. He became the 11th back in program history to top 100 yards in a game as a true freshman, joining a group that includes two Heisman Trophy winners and two Doak Walker Award recipients. The group includes Jonathan Taylor (2017), Corey Clement (2013), James White (2010), Ron Dayne (1996), Terrell Fletcher (1991), Sean Wilson (1989), Lionel Crawford (1988), Mike Morgan (1974), Alan Ameche (1951) and Harland Carl (1951). Ameche and Dayne won Heismans in 1954 and 1999, respectively, while Dayne won the Doak Walker in 1999 and Taylor won the Doak Walker in 2018 and '19.
A More Exclusive Club
Allen, from Fond du Lac, is the 17th Wisconsin native in program history to rush for a 100 yards in a game at least once. Ameche (Kenosha) and Carl (Greenwood) are the only other backs to do it as a true freshman.
Drawing Blanks
The 24-0 victory over Illinois marked the third time during the Chryst Era that the Badgers recorded a shutout on the road. It also was the eighth shutout for UW with Chryst at the helm. For reference, Barry Alvarez, the winningest coach in Wisconsin history with 119, had seven shutouts with one coming on the road, while Bret Bielema, the second-winningest coach in program history with 68, produced three shutouts, all coming at home.
Mixed Company
The Badgers rank second nationally in total defense at 217.8 yards allowed per game, but sit 123rd in takeaways with three. Army, meanwhile, is ranked 10th in total defense (276 ypg) and 106th in the FBS with five forced turnovers.
Dare To Compare
In throttling the Illini, holding them to 93 yards of total offense, the Badgers limited an opponent to less than 100 for the second time this season and fourth time overall on defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's watch. UW also did it vs. Eastern Michigan in Week 2 (92 yards), Central Michigan in 2019 (58 yards) and Iowa in 2017 (66 yards).
