Summary
Make them earn it: Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the collapse of UW's defense last week against Michigan State was the number of big plays the Badgers surrendered. The Spartans had eight plays of 20 yards or longer, for a combined 321 of their 564 yards. Now comes a date with the Illinois offense, which has 22 plays of 20 yards or longer in five games (12 runs and 10 passes), an average of 4.4 per game. UW must win the field-position battle and make the Illini put together drives for their scores. The Illini have big play potential, but they have just two scoring drives this season that lasted five minutes or longer.
A thief in the night: UW's defense has forced four turnovers in five games. Where does that rank among all Big Ten Conference teams? Dead last. Eight teams have forced at least 10 turnovers, led by Michigan and Indiana with 15 apiece. The Illini have turned the ball over 12 times (five fumbles, seven interceptions), the third highest total in the league. UW defenders have had their hands on balls in recent weeks and haven't been able to make the play. The time to start making those plays is now.See the full content of this document
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Uw Replay; Five Things to Watch
The clock is your friend: What is the best way to keep Illinois' offense from running wild? K...
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