Oct. 18, 2004
NU-Wisconsin Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- With an extra week to regroup following a demanding six games to open the season, Northwestern is set to begin another grueling six-game stretch starting with sixth-ranked Wisconsin this Saturday, Oct. 23 in Madison. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game is being televised nationally by ESPN.
Northwestern, which has played one of the nation's toughest schedules, will play three of its next four games versus top-20 foes. The Wildcats already have faced three opponents who are or have been nationally ranked: Arizona State, Minnesota and Ohio State.
The Wildcat offense, which ranks 19th nationally in total offense, faces its toughest test to date, going up a Badger defense that ranks as one of the nation's best. Wisconsin allows just 222.4 yards per game and a Division I-A-leading 8.0 points per game. It held its first five foes this season to seven points or less. The Badgers rank second nationally in total defense. In Saturday's game versus then-fifth-ranked Purdue, Wisconsin held the high-octane Boilermaker offense to 367 yards and a season-low 17 points. The Badgers overcame a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit in the final six minutes, with the winning points coming on a 40-yard fumble return by Scott Starks, who was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week.
Wisconsin's defense ranks eighth nationally in rushing defense and third nationally in pass efficiency defense. Up front, linemen Erasmus James and Anttaj Hawthorne have led a vaunted attack. James, who is expected to miss Saturday's game with an ankle injury, leads the Badgers with 10.5 TFL's while Hawthorne has 5 TFL's. Safety Jim Leonhard is second in team tackles and first in pass breakups. Linebacker Dontez Sanders leads UW with 46 tackles.
Offensively, Heisman Trophy candidate Anthony Davis has returned from an early-season eye injury that sidelined him for three-plus games. Davis is averaging 131.2 yards per game and 5.4 ypc. That figure is the Big Ten's best, but since he has only played in four games, he does not qualify yet for Big Ten and NCAA statistical rankings. Davis currently ranks ninth among the Big Ten's all-time rushing leaders with 4,228 yards.
After this week's test, the Wildcats return to Ryan Field for their annual homecoming game. Northwestern faces 12th-ranked Purdue at 11 a.m. CT.
(For the complete set of game notes, see the PDF link above.)