Sep 12, 2007, 14:49 GMT
Madison, WI - The Wisconsin Badgers are heavily favored in today's non-conference clash with The Citadel Bulldogs, who are coming off a record-setting performance.
Last Saturday, The Citadel set a modern-day school record by scoring 76 points in a shutout of lowly Webber International. The victory moved the Bulldogs to 2-0, marking the first time they have opened a campaign with back-to-back victories since 1997. Clearly, this game marks a major leap in competition level for the program.
Wisconsin moved to 2-0 with a 20-13 victory over UNLV on Saturday, but because that win wasn't as lopsided as expected, the Badgers dropped two positions in the national poll. Still, they are the highest-ranked Big Ten team, and they have been nationally ranked for 13 consecutive weeks dating back to last season. This tilt marks the first of what will be three straight contests at home, and Wisconsin will begin conference play next week. Currently, the Badgers own the longest active winning streak at 11 games dating back to last season.
This game marks the first-ever meeting between Wisconsin and The Citadel on the gridiron.
In the first 19 minutes of last weekend's romp over Webber International, The Citadel's Duran Lawson threw three touchdown passes to Andre Roberts. Lawson also scored on a six-yard run during that span, proof of his versatility. The Bulldogs posted 514 yards of total offense in the tilt, as both the run and the pass proved productive. Lawson finished the contest 12-of-21 for 220 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Roberts reached the end zone on all three of his catches and finished with 86 yards. As for the ground attack, Tory Cooper posted 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries. In the season-opening victory over Charleston Southern, Lawson connected on 20-of-31 passes for 207 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. As for Roberts, he caught eight passes in that contest for 91 yards and a score. Cooper had 116 yards and two touchdowns in the clash, and he appears well- suited to be a featured back.
Judging by the fact that The Citadel did not allow a single point last time out, the defense certainly deserves credit. The Bulldogs permitted only 176 total yards despite the fact that Webber International ran 79 offensive plays. The pass defense was tremendous, allowing only 18-of-39 throws to be completed while posting a pair of interceptions. Even more impressive was the fact that the run defense yielded a mere 38 yards on 40 rushing attempts. With three takeaways and three sacks, The Citadel made a number of impact defensive plays. In the season-opening victory over Charleston Southern, the Bulldogs allowed only 24 rushing yards on 22 attempts. They permitted a mere 161 total yards in that clash, so the defense is off to a tremendous start.
Tyler Donovan came through with the play of the game for Wisconsin last week, as his 29-yard touchdown scamper with under two minutes remaining enabled the Badgers to overcome a stiff UNLV challenge. Donovan is a first-year starter at the quarterback position who provides a great deal of versatility. Not only did he complete 14-of-26 passes for 138 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, Donovan also rushed for 47 yards and one score. Travis Beckum was the most productive receiver in the win over UNLV, as he made six grabs for 66 yards. Of course, the most recognizable contributor on offense for the Badgers is big tailback PJ Hill, who carried the ball 30 times for 147 yards against the Rebels. Through two outings, Hill has run for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As for Donovan, the coaching staff has to be proud of the fact that he has thrown four touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 60 percent of his passes.
Credit the Wisconsin defense for a job well done in the victory over UNLV. In the first quarter, the Badgers permitted the Rebels to march 80 yards in 14 plays and score a touchdown. Fortunately, the defense stiffened from that point on, as UNLV only managed two field goals over the final three quarters. The run defense of Wisconsin was particularly strong, permitting a mere 48 rushing yards on 27 attempts. While the pass defense does show some room for improvement, there was one interception registered that proved key to the victory. Through two outings, Wisconsin is surrendering 17.0 ppg and 317.0 total ypg. Clearly, the defensive unit has not been as dominant as it was early on last season, but it is hard to judge the team too much after only two games. Elijah Hodge leads the defense with 17 total tackles, including 2.5 TFLs.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story