BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — It's been a long time since Michigan State last made an appearance at Camp Randall Stadium.
A lot can happen in 2,542 days.
On Oct. 27, 2012, the Big Ten Conference had 12 members, Paul Chryst was a rookie college head coach at Pittsburgh, Jim Leonhard was an NFL safety in Buffalo, Jonathan Taylor was a high school freshman in Salem, New Jersey, and the Spartans came to Madison and claimed a 16-13 overtime victory over Wisconsin.
Their first visit since then will come Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when the eighth-ranked Badgers (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) will try to close out a five-game homestand with a bang and become bowl eligible for an 18th consecutive season.
Of course, the Big Ten now has 14 teams, Chryst is in his fifth season as coach of the Badgers, Leonhard is his celebrated defensive coordinator and Taylor is the latest Heisman Trophy-caliber tailback for UW.
It's been so long since Michigan State (4-2, 2-1) played at Camp Randall that nearly every team in the league has made at least one coaching change. Wisconsin went from Bret Bielema to Gary Andersen to Chryst. One of the exceptions is the Spartans, who still have Mark Dantonio calling the shots.
The Badgers are trying to open a season 6-0 for the sixth time in the modern era, which goes back to 1946. Three of them — 1993, '98 and 2011 — ended with Big Ten championships and two required epic victories over Michigan State.
In '93, Wisconsin clinched its first league title since 1962 with a 41-20 win in Tokyo, Japan.
In '11, the Badgers atoned for a last-second loss during the regular season with a riveting 37-31 triumph in the inaugural Big Ten championship game.
Here are five more things to know:
They Go Hand-in-Hand
The Badgers have converted 37 of their 70 third-down opportunities through the first five games. That 52.9-percent success rate ranks eighth among the 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Third downs are more manageable for Wisconsin because it averages 7.3 yards on first down.
Five-Oh-Oh-Oh
Taylor needs 84 rushing yards to reach 5,000 for his career. He's looking to join Herschel Walker of Georgia, Ron Dayne of Wisconsin and LaMichael James of Oregon to scale that plateau as a junior. Taylor is also trying to top 100 yards rushing for the 11th straight game. If he's successful, he'll move one step closer to having a 100-yard outing against every Big Ten team. Michigan State and Ohio State (Oct. 26) are the last hurdles.
Pass, Fail
Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 44.6 percent of their passes (70-for-157) against the Badgers, a telling stat that can be traced to how well Wisconsin defends when the ball is in the air. No FBS team gets its hands on opponents' passes as effectively as the Badgers, who have either broken up or intercepted 22.3 percent of passes thrown. That mark ranks No. 1 in the country. Wisconsin is averaging seven passes defended per game, which ranks fourth nationally. In all, 17 different players have at least pass breakup or interception.
Our Time
Wisconsin is 40-2 in the 59-game Chryst era when leading at halftime. That phenomenon has been taken to a different level this season. Not only are the Badgers 5-0 with a lead at the break, they've scored on their first drive of every game, they've outscored opponents 135-3 in the first half and haven't trailed at any point in any game.
Balanced Diet
The balance of the Wisconsin offense — it's averaging 200 yards rushing as well as passing — extends to its big plays from scrimmage. The Badgers have 19 runs or passes of 20 yards or more. Ten have come on the ground from five different sources (Taylor five, Garrett Groshek two, Jack Coan, Bradrick Shaw and Nakia Watson one each). Nine have come via the pass utilizing six different receivers (Quintez Cephus three, Jake Ferguson two, Groshek, Jonathan Taylor, A.J. Taylor and Kendric Pryor one apiece).
