Wisconsin at North Carolina Preview

By Tim Chase  |   Thursday, September 15, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) get set to invade Kenan Memorial Stadium Saturday Night to take on a North Carolina bunch (0-1) still smarting from a tough opening season loss to conference rival Georgia Tech 27-21. Reggie Ball threw for a career high 320 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Yellow Jackets squeak by the Tar Heels. Wisconsin, on the other hand, finds themselves second in the nation in scoring following their 65-0 rout of Temple last week. These two teams last met in 2003 at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium with the Badgers prevailing 38-27.

Wisconsin was so dominant in their victory over Temple that coach Barry Alvarez removed his starters midway through the second quarter. Senior tight end Owen Daniels led the offense with 8 receptions for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns. While offensive coordinator Paul Chryst attempts to accentuate the passing game within the Badgers' offense, opposing defenses should remain wary of their always potent ground attack. Running back Brian Calhoun ran for 258 yards in the opener versus Bowling Green and has been compared by some on the Wisconsin staff to Southern Cal's Reggie Bush. The defense rebounded from a poor performance in the Bowling Green game to not only shutout Temple, but also hold them to 45 yards in 52 plays. The line remains the Wisconsin Badgers' strength on defense despite losing four senior starters from last year's team to the NFL draft. Line coach John Palermo likes to rotate 3 to 4 reserves into the game to keep his troops fresh and provide invaluable experience to the younger players.

Despite the season opening loss to Georgia Tech, the North Carolina Tar Heels appear to have found themselves a quarterback. Matt Baker, making his first start, connected on 18 of 39 passes for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for a score. To help continue his stellar performance Baker will need more help from the running game. The Tar Heels rushed for a paltry 61 yards versus the Yellow Jackets. The defense showed signs of improvement, especially stopping the run as they held Georgia Tech to 122 rushing yards, almost a 100 yard improvement over the 218 average they yielded last season. This trend must continue if they hope to contain Wisconsin's explosive Calhoun. Also, keep an eye on punter David Woolridge. Last Saturday he averaged 43.2 yards per punt while downing six of his eight punts inside the 20. Creating a long field for the potent Badger offense will be one of the keys to the game.
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