Wisconsin is set to play a rare non-conference game this late into the season when they host the Army Black Knights at Camp Randall Stadium this weekend. Both of these teams’ identities are centered around running the football and playing defense, with a low-scoring affair being expected.
Entering the game, the Badgers are a two-touchdown favorite as they look to even their record at 3-3 for the year.
Army Black Knights
Army is off to a 4-1 start this season, as they look like a team that is cruising toward bowl eligibility this season. They lost their first game of the season in their last game when they fell 28-16 to Ball State. In that contest, Army fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter, with their triple-option offense simply not being built to dig out of big deficits like the one they fell in a couple of weeks ago.
This week, Army is going to be overmatched from a physicality standpoint, but they do come into this game with a unique offense in the form of the triple option. The option is something that Wisconsin hasn’t had to face this year and rarely has to face over the course of a normal college football season. For Army to have a chance in this game, their option offense will have to operate crisply, as they will need to get off to a fast start while the Badgers are still adjusting.
Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin snapped a two-game losing streak in their last game when they beat Illinois 24-0. Before that game, the Badgers had dropped back-to-back contests against the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Now that they are playing another non-Power 5 opponent, the Badgers will hope that their size and physicality advantages will propel them to a second straight win.
If Wisconsin is going to win this game, they are going to need more from Graham Mertz to play better than he has so far this season. Mertz has two touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year, with the Badgers’ starting quarterback having fewer touchdown passes this season than Army quarterback Christian Anderson on over 100 more pass attempts. Mertz will look for this game to serve as a breakout game against an opponent that isn’t used to playing Power 5 opponents.
Run Defense Will Decide Things
The key to this game on both sides is going to be run defense, as both teams rely so heavily on moving the ball with their running games. Wisconsin will need to lock in to stop Army’s triple-option attack, while the Black Knights will have to overcome a substantial size advantage upfront while trying to stop the run. The team that is able to put their opponent in the most third-and-long situations in this game should have a huge advantage in this matchup.
Two touchdowns feels like too small a number for Wisconsin in this game, as they should be able to shut down the Black Knights on the ground. But the performance of Graham Mertz this season has made the Badgers anything but a guarantee to win any game they play this season, let alone cover the spread as a favorite.
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