BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is 24-3 against opponents from the Big Ten West Division since the format was introduced in 2014. That dominance will be tested Saturday when the 20th-ranked Badgers (5-2 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) face Northwestern (4-3, 4-1) at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. A closer look shows Wisconsin is 12-1 on the road against Big Ten West rivals, including 10-0 under fourth-year coach Paul Chryst. The lone loss came to the host Wildcats in 2014 when Gary Andersen was coaching the Badgers.
Here are five more things you need to know:
Most Improved
The Chryst coaching era at Wisconsin has featured a steady upgrade of the offense and its big-play capabilities. In 2015, the Badgers ranked 95th nationally with an average of 5.29 yards per play. They currently sit 15th with an average of 6.78. Meanwhile, after seven games in 2015, Wisconsin had 30 plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or more (five runs, 25 passes). After seven outings this season, the Badgers have 37 plays of 20-plus yards (16 rushes, 21 passes).
Common Thread
The Badgers have won two of the three meetings with Northwestern under Chryst, but they've done so despite a disturbing trend. Wisconsin is 12-for-43 (27.9 percent) on third-down conversions in those three games. That's been an issue this season. The Badgers are 29-for-56 (51.8 percent) converting on third down in their five victories. They are 6-for-24 (25 percent) in their two losses.
Deal Me Out
The list of one-hit wonders in Wisconsin ball-carrying history — guys who rushed for 100 yards or more in a game only once in their careers — has nearly two dozen names and some are pretty distinguished. There's an All-Big Ten quarterback (Dale Hackbarth was honored in 1959), a school-record-setting defensive back (Clarence Bratt intercepted four passes vs. Minnesota in 1954), the first 100-yard rusher in program history (Earl Maves ran for 155 yards vs. Marquette in 1946) and an NFL wide receiver (Tanner McEvoy played free safety, quarterback and wide receiver for the Badgers from 2013 to '15). The one-and-done list no longer includes Taiwan Deal, which is a good thing. He ran for 147 vs. Hawaii as a redshirt freshman in 2015. His next came last week when the fifth-year senior amassed 111 vs. Illinois. Deal has persevered through a series of health issues, including a foot injury that cost him all of 2017, and returned to full strength as an able backup to sophomore starter Jonathan Taylor. In fact, Deal leads Wisconsin tailbacks with his per-carry average of 6.8 yards.
Landing the First Blow
On the way to his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season — 1,109 to be exact — Taylor has done most of his damage on first-and-10. He's carried 105 times for 755 yards (7.2 per attempt) on first down, including 17 runs of 10 yards or more and five runs of 20-plus yards. He's scored on bolts of 47, 30 and 88 yards on first down.
Trending Upward
Over their first four games of the season, the Badgers averaged 0.8 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 takeaways. Over the last three outings, the Wisconsin defense is averaging 2.7 sacks, 6.0 tackles for loss and 3.3 takeaways.
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