Three Burning Questions: Wisconsin braces for No. 1 Oregon

Wisconsin has one more shot to shock the nation when the top-ranked Oregon Ducks come to Madison for a primetime showdown under the Camp Randall lights.

As the Badgers look to avoid a three-game losing streak, what questions surround this matchup?

Oregon’s passing attack, currently ranked 15th in the nation, boasts one of the most dynamic receiver corps in the entire country. It’s comprised of Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart and Traeshon Holden, all of whom figure to play on Sundays.

Johnson has 64 catches for 649 yards and eight touchdowns. Stewart has 37 grabs for 517 yards and five scores. Holden has reeled in 30 passes for 492 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon’s third-leading receiver has outpaced Wisconsin’s top receiver (Vinny Anthony).

Wisconsin has faced plenty of dynamic wideouts this fall. Alabama’s Ryan Williams and USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane come to mind. The Badgers didn’t fare well against either.

Williams reeled in all four of his targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. Lane caught a whopping 10 passes for 105 yards and two scores. In both instances, the opposing receiver simply beat the Badgers’ defensive backs in coverage time and time again, and there were multiple offenders. Nyzier Fourqurean, Hunter Wohler and RJ Delancy are among those who fell victim to the aforementioned electrifying wideouts.

“They’re gonna be challenged in different ways, and that’s the beauty of college football, right? You can be challenged in a lot of different ways, and this would be one that maybe we haven’t seen really the entire year. The ability for them to throw the ball downfield, the dynamic of the wide receivers that they have, obviously the quarterback and the ability for him to make plays both with his feet and in the air,” head coach Luke Fickell said.

Fickell is right: Oregon poses a different test in terms of the sheer number of talented wideouts they deploy. With the Crimson Tide, Williams was by far and away the top receiving threat. In the USC game, Lane dominated the target share — and Wisconsin’s defensive backs. But the Ducks spread the ball to a variety of capable eligibles.

“We’ve got the utmost confidence, right?” Fickell continued. “We talked about Rico (Hallman) earlier; there’s gonna be a lot more opportunities this week for him to be in positions to have a chance to make some plays. And he’s gonna be challenged, no doubt.”

In back-to-back games against Iowa and Penn State, Wisconsin’s play along the offensive line and from the defensive front seven has left much to be desired. The Badgers got dominated at the point of attack in both games, an area that’s particularly frustrating for Fickell.

The head coach is a noted traditionalist in terms of trench play being the most important aspect of the game. The entire season, he’s harped on how significant the action around the line of scrimmage is. But in Wisconsin’s losses, namely against Alabama, Penn State and Iowa, the trenches were owned by the Badgers’ opponents.

Oregon will pose yet another daunting test up front. On the Ducks’ offense, tailback Jordan James has been a stud. He’s racked up 946 yards on the ground on 5.7 yards-per-carry with 10 touchdowns. He was limited last week against Maryland with just seven carries, but should have little to no limitations Saturday night in Camp Randall. The Oregon offensive line has also allowed just 10 sacks this season.

The Ducks have a stout rushing defense that’s surrendered 117.4 yards-per-game. For reference, that’s about a yard more than Iowa. In consecutive games, Wisconsin will face an upper-echelon run defense. Oregon has also compiled 27.0 sacks this fall, tied for ninth in the nation.

Oregon brings a lot of glitz and glamour with its playmakers at the skill positions, but make no mistake — if Wisconsin wants to win this game, it needs to play better in the trenches. If the Badgers can bring pressure, for example, it won’t always matter how tightly the Ducks’ wideouts are blanketed.

Bye weeks are often used as a period of self-scouting and reflection, and for the Badgers, there’s plenty to clean up on both sides of the ball. But as the season begins to wind down, and decisions begin getting made for the future, it stands to reason that Wisconsin is in line for some personnel shuffling in its final three games.

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo spoke this week about an effort to get several players more involved schematically, and he named Trech Kekahuna, Vinny Anthony, Tucker Ashcraft and Darrion Dupree. Kekahuna especially makes since: after his 134-yard, two touchdown outing against Purdue, the slot receiver has just five catches across the following four games.

Dupree, meanwhile, makes plenty of sense as well as a player who could see his snap count spike. The Badgers are still committed to using Tawee Walker as their bell cow back, but Dupree looks like a very mature runner and feels like an underutilized weapon in this offense. He was the team’s leading rusher two weeks ago in Iowa City and had the Badgers’ longest run of the night.

On defense, I would expect linebacker Christian Alliegro to continue to be heavily involved. Especially against a quarterback like Dillon Gabriel, who can extend plays with his legs and stress defenses with his mobility, Alliegro’s closing speed will be of the utmost importance Saturday night.

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