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Winners of two straight blowout games, the Wisconsin Badgers are looking to make it three in a row against lesser opponents after an opening game win slipped away from them against the No. 13 LSU Tigers. With an extremely favorable Big Ten schedule this season, the Badgers are heavy favorites to make it back to the conference title game in December.
Losing two of their last three games after an opening week win, the South Florida Bulls are trying to piece together a winning season for the first time since 2010. South Florida has looked mediocre on both sides of the ball this season and this game against the Badgers on the road in week five could be a confidence killer heading into conference play.
Without an adequate starting quarterback under center, the Wisconsin Badgers have had to rely heavily on the run game once again this season — this is something that is not new to this football team. The Badgers always have one of the top run games in the nation and the 2014 version of Wisconsin is no different. Wisconsin is No. 1 in the nation in rushing yards per game behind Heisman hopeful running back Melvin Gordon and his 431 yards and six touchdowns on 9.4 yards per touch. Quarterback Tanner McEvoy has 445 yards passing and four scores, but he is second on the team in rushing with 253 yards and two touchdowns on 9.7 yards per carry. Corey Clement is going to be very dangerous once Gordon leaves as he also has 213 yards and three scores this year. Alex Erickson and Sam Arneson lead the receiving corps — by far — with a combined 23 catches for 320 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
It seems like the South Florida Bulls are headed for a rough season as they have yet to find a solid starting quarterback to lead the team. Sophomore QB Mike White is the team’s leader thus far, passing for 388 yards and two touchdowns with two picks while completing an embarrassing 39 percent of his passes. Junior Steven Bench hasn’t been any better, completing just 40 percent of his passes for 172 yards and no touchdowns but one interception. As a team, the Bulls are completing a lowly 39 percent of their passes. Wide receiver Rodney Adams must be growing impatient with the lack of a solid quarterback, yet he still leads the team with 10 catches for 184 yards and a touchdowns — all team-highs. The passing attack ranks 119th in the nation while the run game isn’t much better, ranking just 83rd, but racking up 10 more yards per game on the ground than through the air. Marlon Mack has been one of two bright spots on offense, rushing for 502 yards and five touchdowns on 89 carries — he has been the offense this season.
Defensively, the Bulls haven’t been what you would call impressive. South Florida ranks 93rd nationally in points allowed per game as well as ranking in the middle of the pack in terms of yards allowed with 376.3 per contest. The Bulls will have their hands full with the best run game in the country lining up across from them. Wisconsin, on the other hand, ranks 13th in the nation in points allowed as well as ninth in total yards allowed per game with an average of just 266. The Badgers’ secondary has only snagged two picks this season, however, as that number will need to improve. The crowd will be ‘jumping around’ in Madison on Saturday afternoon for this contest.
South Florida will travel to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 27. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
PREDICTION: South Florida 9, Wisconsin 49
Want to see the Badgers take on the Bulls in week five? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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