ANDY BAGGOT Insider

BY ANDY BAGGOT

MADISON, Wis. —  Nearly 60 years have passed since the Wisconsin football team last faced Northwestern when both Big Ten Conference teams were ranked in the Associated Press top-20.

Once-beaten UW was rated eighth when it hosted the unbeaten and top-ranked Wildcats at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 10, 1962. The Badgers eased to a 37-6 victory and went on to claim their second league title and second Rose Bowl berth in four seasons.

When the schools meet Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, Wisconsin (2-0) will be ranked 10th and Northwestern (4-0) will be rated No. 19. At stake is the inside track to the Big Ten West Division title. The teams have combined to win the last four divisional crowns: UW in 2016, '17 and '19 and the Wildcats in 2018.

Odd details have joined forces to make this one of the most compelling series in the Big Ten regardless of the standings. The Badgers are 13-2 on the road against West Division opponents since Paul Chryst took over as coach in 2015, but one of those losses came against Northwestern in 2018. Moreover, Wisconsin is 1-5 at Ryan Field dating back to 2003. In all those setbacks, UW was ranked in the top 20 and the Wildcats were unranked.

Since 2000, the teams have twice combined for 1,000 yards of total offense in a game (1,049 in 2000 and 1,189 in '05) and have twice combined for less than 500 (412 in 2015 and 498 in '19).

The two best individual rushing performances for the Badgers in this series came in losses: 293 yards by Michael Bennett in 2000 and 259 by Melvin Gordon in 2014.

The two best individual passing efforts for UW in this series also came during losses: 355 yards by Tony Lowery in 1990 and 326 by John Stocco in 2005.

Crazy stuff.

Here are five more things to know:

Small Sample, Big Profile

National statistics are skewed by the coronavirus pandemic — for example, Texas State has played 10 games; the Badgers have played two — but the numbers show Wisconsin ranks first in eight categories: scoring defense, total defense, PAT conversion rate, penalties, red-zone conversion rate, time of possession, opponent red-zone conversion ratio and opponent fourth-down conversion rate.

Cake And Ice Cream

Chryst was born on Nov. 17, 1965. He turned 55 on Tuesday. Since becoming the coach at his alma mater, he's 4-1 in games played the week of his birthday. The only loss came in 2015 to Northwestern.

 

Good Point

Junior tight end Jake Ferguson is chasing 50-year-old history. He leads the Badgers in scoring with four touchdowns and 24 points. The last tight end to lead UW in that category was Larry Mialik, who had seven TDs and 42 points in 1970. The last time Wisconsin had someone other than a running back or kicker pace the team in scoring was in 2003 when wide receiver Lee Evans led the way with 13 TDs and 78 points.

Course Correction

This will be the seventh time UW and Northwestern will play when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25. The Badgers prevailed in 1951, '58, '59 and '62, but dropped the last two in 1995 and 2015.

In Really Good Hands

Jack Coan after two starts in 2019: 45 completions, 59 attempts (.763), 564 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 2-0 record. Graham Mertz after two starts in 2020: 32 completions, 43 attempts (.744), 375 yards, 7 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 2-0 record.