BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — A fairly remarkable trend has been unearthed thanks to the three-game winning streak that has brought Wisconsin to the doorstep of Big Ten Conference football title contention.
After a 24-0 victory over Illinois in which the Badgers threw the ball 19 times, they toppled Army 20-14 and Purdue 30-13 attempting 15 and 8 passes, respectively.
It's rare to see Wisconsin go three straight games or more without throwing the ball at least 20 times. The last time it happened was 2014 (three consecutive games). Before that it was 1999 (six games), '98 (three games) and '96 (six games).
It's easy to understand why those teams had some modest passing attacks. The Badgers had a record-setting weapon like running back Melvin Gordon in 2014. In 1996, '98 and '99 they had running back Ron Dayne, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1999.
Now UW has the one-two punch of junior Chez Mellusi, who has four 100-yard outings overall, and true freshman Braelon Allen, who's working on a streak of three straight 100-yard efforts heading into a Big Ten duel with No. 9 Iowa on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Camp Randall Stadium.
Dig deeper and you'll find this important trend: Going back to 1990, when the UW rebirth began under Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez, the Badgers are 46-0 when attempting 15 or fewer passes in a game. Three of those wins came vs. Iowa (2014, 1998 and '97).
During the Paul Chryst head coaching era, which began in 2015, Wisconsin (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the Big Ten) has attempted 15 or fewer passes in a game seven times. Another seven occurred while Chryst was UW offensive coordinator from 2005 to '11.
Since 1990, UW is 11-3 versus the Hawkeyes when it has at least one 100-yard rusher, including a run of eight straight wins dating back to 2007. On the flip side, the Badgers are 0-8 when attempting 30 passes or more against the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1) during that period.
Here are five more things to know:
Making a Point
Officially, UW ranks 17th in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing 129 points in seven outings for an average of 18.4 per game. But the defense wasn't involved in five scoring plays: An interception returned for a touchdown by Eastern Michigan, two more pick-sixes and a kickoff return for a TD by Notre Dame and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by Purdue. Take away those 35 points and the Badgers are allowing 13.4 points per outing, which would put them second in the nation.
Go Figure
In 18 meetings with Iowa since 2000, the Badgers have a cumulative minus-8 turnover margin, but own a 10-8 record. UW is minus-10 in the losses, plus-2 in the victories.
Thinking Negatively
Iowa has allowed 56 tackles for loss, one of the worst totals among the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and the most yielded in the Big Ten. The Badgers rank third in the Big Ten in most TFLs, averaging 6.57 per outing.
No Biggie
Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in the FBS in fewest big plays allowed — runs and passes of 10 yards or more — with 47. Top-ranked Georgia is next with 49. The rest of the FBS field is back at 65. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, rank 125th in big plays produced with 73.
By Comparison
In his first three straight outings with double-figure carries for UW, true freshman running back Braelon Allen shows 379 yards on 46 attempts, which works out to 8.2 per rush. Some comparisons at the same stage of their freshman seasons: Ron Dayne in 1996 (294 yards on 49 carries, 6.0); James White in 2010 (361 yards, 40 carries, 9.0); Jonathan Taylor in 2017 (431 yards on 63 carries, 6.8).
