College Football: Badgers and Ducks Battle for Rose Bowl
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Al Dannity
It’s the Granddaddy of them all as two powerhouse programs collide. The Pac-12 champion Ducks take on the Big Ten champion Badgers and Wisconsin fans want Al Dannity to show them more respect after last year’s Rose Bowl.
A brief history lesson
The faithful in Madison weren’t exactly pleased with my preview of their Rose Bowl match-up with TCU. Amongst the choice quotes were Scott who said “This is an incredibly inept analysis. You have never watched a Badgers game…” while John said “This is by far the worst analysis for the rose bowl I’ve seen yet” and those are the comments safe to re-post.
Strong defenses, much stronger offenses
The talk about both this teams is how good they are at putting points on the board. The front line strength of Wisconsin’s defense and opportunistic streak of the Ducks secondary doesn’t get the same kind of attention. The Ducks have survived against meaty defenses before but the Badgers will cause more problems than most in the backfield. Likewise Wisconsin’s quarterback, Russell Wilson, has great ball security but he’s coming up against a defense reminiscent of the 2009 Saints in the NFL. They might give up big passing yards but they are rather adept at creating turnovers.
All that being said; this game will be won on offense. If Oregon can establish LaMichael James’ presence early, then it’s going to be a tough day for the Badgers. If James creates problems, then Darron Thomas, De’Anthony Thomas, and Kenjon Barner will all have more room to operate. The Ducks meanwhile will have their hands full coping with the balanced Wisconsin offense. The power running game has rarely looked stronger and that’s because of their upgrade under center. Russell Wilson’s arm forces teams to respect the pass more, creating more opportunities on the ground for the Badgers.
The verdict
Wisconsin will have to be wary of Oregon threatening the deep ball, largely because it’s an element of their offense so rarely deployed in the regular season. Teams adapt for bowl games, they bring in wrinkles and this is one I expect to see from Chip Kelly. I expect the Badgers to stay true to the identity that led them to a well-earned Big Ten title. The two losses hurt their reputation but we arguably saw the best of Wisconsin after those defeats. The Badgers know the level required now to beat the best, they have been there and they have tasted it. Montee Ball will be a big factor but it’s Wilson I see earning MVP honors by keeping the error-count to a minimum. I like Wisconsin to beat the Ducks in a high-scoring Rose Bowl.