Wisconsin may fit every stereotype one may have about Big Ten football, and that could materialize into a formidable challenge for ASU as both teams face off in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. Here’s a closer look at what we can expect from Arizona State’s opponent on Thursday.

Wisconsin Offense

After starting all seven games Wisconsin played during the abbreviated 2020 season, Graham Mertz returned as starting quarterback for the Badgers in 2021.

In 2020 as a redshirt freshman, Mertz threw nine touchdowns with five interceptions and had two rushing touchdowns, completed 61.1% of his passes, and averaged 176.9 passing yards per game.

Though Wisconsin typically demands little from its quarterback and focuses more on the run game, Mertz has been shaky on more than one occasion in 2021, as in Wisconsin’s four losses, he threw two touchdowns to seven combined interceptions. In the team’s eight wins, he had seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

For the year, Mertz, the starting quarterback in all 12 games for Wisconsin, has thrown nine touchdowns with ten interceptions, has completed 58.7% of his passes while averaging 151.8 passing yards per game. He has three 200-yard passing games on the year, including a season-high 240 yards on two occasions. Conversely, he has seven games with under 150 passing yards – including five in a row in which he threw for fewer than 120 yards, though Wisconsin posted a 4-1 record during that stretch.

One of the nation’s breakout true freshmen, beastly running back Braelon Allen exploded in the final two-thirds of the regular season and finished with 1,109 rushing yards on 157 carries (7.1 avg.) with 12 rushing touchdowns along with six receptions for 37 yards. Though he wasn’t the day one starter – in fact, he didn’t start his first game until November – Allen has all the tools to become Wisconsin’s next great rusher and next high caliber NFL prospect at the position.

Allen, a 6-2, 238-pound Second-Team All-Big 10 selection for 2021, was a significant catalyst during Wisconsin’s seven-game win streak through October and November as he topped 100 rushing yards each game capped off by a 228-yard, three-touchdown effort in the final game of that win streak.

However, he was greatly limited in the regular-season finale in Wisconsin’s rivalry loss to Minnesota as he was held to just 47 yards on 17 carries.

As a recruit, Allen was a four-star prospect rated the No. 135 overall recruit in the country and the No. 5 athlete for the 2021 class.

What makes Allen’s sensational season even more remarkable is that he did not take over as the starting running back until the 10th game of the season. Former Clemson transfer, Chez Mellusi, started the first nine games and rushed for 815 yards on 173 carries with five touchdowns before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

Wisconsin’s trio of receivers Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor, along with tight end Jake Ferguson have accumulated the vast majority of Wisconsin’s receiving numbers on the year. In fact, this trio has accounted for 63.9% of the team’s overall receptions and seven of Wisconsin’s ten total touchdown catches on the year.

Each of the three claims a team lead in some category, as Ferguson leads Wisconsin with 43 catches, resulting in 417 yards with two touchdowns, Davis has a team-best 478 yards on 32 receptions with two scores, while Pryor leads the Badgers with three touchdown catches on 31 receptions for 406 yards.

Davis has had at least five catches on four occasions this year, including season bests of eight receptions for 99 yards against Penn State. Pryor has had at least four catches in four games this year, with a season-best six receptions versus Notre Dame and a season-high 72 receiving yards against Rutgers. Ferguson has had at least three catches on seven occasions this year and had top games of nine catches for 52 yards against Penn State and eight receptions for 92 yards versus Nebraska.

As expected, Pryor, Davis, and Ferguson each started all 12 regular-season games.

Receiver Chimere Dike is the only other pass catcher on the team with double-digit receptions as he has 18 catches for 242 yards with a touchdown. No other player on the roster has more than seven receptions on the year.

The Badger offensive line – always a Wisconsin team strength – figures to feature tackle Tyler Beach and guard Josh Seltzner on the left side, guard Jack Nelson, and tackle Logan Bruss on the right side along with center Joe Tippman.

Beach and Nelson started all 12 games, while Tippman had 11 starts, and Bruss and Seltzner each had 10. Seltzner earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors, while Bruss was a second-team honoree, and Beach was a third-team selection. Nelson and Tippman were Honorable Mention All-Big-10 selections for 2021 as well.

Wisconsin Offense Summary

A massive offensive line with pro caliber bodies, an outstanding running back with NFL potential, and a potent and reliable tight end. These are hallmarks of the Wisconsin program, as has been the case for several years and continues to this day.

Though trying to limit Allen’s productivity on the ground is objective one for ASU, the Sun Devils certainly can’t focus on that goal at the risk of letting Ferguson become yet another tight end to have a field day on the Devils.

Wisconsin won’t let many sacks happen – the Badgers rank 13th nationally in sacks allowed per game – but Mertz, either by force or his own inefficiencies, is prone to error without much “reward” to balance the risk as he is one of only three FBS quarterbacks with double-digit interceptions (10) and single-digit touchdown throws (nine).

Wisconsin Defense

Wisconsin’s 3-4 defensive alignment figures to feature nose tackle Keeanu Benton surrounded by ends Matt Henningsen and Isaiah Mullens. Benton and Henningsen started all 12 regular-season games, while Mullens had seven starts.

Henningsen was the statistical leader of the group with 31 tackles, including 5.5 for loss with 3.0 sacks, while Benton had 24 tackles, including 5.0 for loss with 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. Mullens registered 23 tackles, including 2.5 for loss with 2.0 sacks.

Benton was a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, Henningsen was named a Third-Team All-Big Ten pick, and Mullens was an Honorable Mention choice.

At linebacker, the Badgers feature one of America’s best players at the position in Leo Chenal, joined by fellow star defender Jack Sanborn as the team’s inside linebackers. At outside, linebacker Nick Herbig is joined by Noah Burks in the starting lineup.

Chenal claimed quite a bit of recognition for his 2021 regular season as he was named the Big Ten’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, a Second-Team Walter Camp All-American, and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection.

Chenal missed the first two games of the season but started the remaining ten and had 106 tackles, including 17.0 for loss with 7.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles.

Sanborn joined Chenal as a First-Team All-Big Ten pick, while Burks and Herbig were Honorable Mention all-conference selections. All three players started all 12 regular-season games for Wisconsin.

Sanborn ranked second on the team with 88 tackles, including 14.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks with four quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery, while Herbig tied for the team lead with 7.0 sacks, ranked third on the team with 12.0 tackles for loss, and fourth on the team with 57 tackles. He added four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Burks tallied 38 tackles, including 7.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks, and had four quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

In the secondary, cornerbacks Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams are joined by free safety Scott Nelson and strong safety John Torchio.

Nelson started all 12 games, while Hicks and Williams started 11. Torchio had two regular-season starts and again will enter the starting lineup due to an injury by the typical starting strong safety.

Nelson ranked third on the team and topped all Wisconsin defensive backs with 58 tackles, including 3.5 for loss with six pass breakups and an interception. Hicks posted 28 tackles and a team-high nine pass breakups, while Williams tied for the team lead with three interceptions, tied for second with six pass breakups, and had 24 tackles. Despite primarily playing in a reserve role, Torchio tallied 30 tackles, including 2.0 for loss, and had two interceptions.

Williams was named a Third-Team All-Big Ten honoree, while Hicks and Nelson were Honorable Mention choices.

Defensive back Collin Wilder was also named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection this year, but an injury will keep him out of action against ASU. Wilder started 11 regular-season games at strong safety and ranked sixth on the team with 32 tackles and tied for the team-high with three interceptions.

Wisconsin Defense Summary

Though ASU’s run game has been a strength for the vast majority of the 2021 season, its effectiveness could potentially nosedive against Wisconsin as all-conference back Rachaad White has opted out of the game, DeaMonte Trayanum has transferred out of the program and added to that, standout offensive lineman Dohnovan West is expected not to play.

Even if ASU were at full strength, it would face a major disadvantage as Wisconsin boasts one of the absolute premier defenses in the entire nation – unfortunately for ASU, especially against the run.

The statistics for the Badgers are staggering, as Wisconsin leads the nation in total defense (240.8), rush defense (65.2 ypg.), and rushing yards per carry allowed (2.14), ranks second nationally only behind Georgia in yards per play allowed (4.17), tied for third nationally in passing touchdowns allowed (nine), fifth in the nation in pass defense (175.6) and team passing efficiency defense (109.69), sixth in scoring defense (16.42) while ranking 10th nationally in team interceptions (15) and tied for 16th in total turnovers gained (23).

Different from ASU, also, at the point of this publishing, no players from Wisconsin have opted out of the bowl game.

The strategy seems absolutely elementary for Wisconsin on defense – load the box to shut down the shorthanded Sun Devil run game and force Jayden Daniels, who averaged 121.8 passing yards per game across the final four outings of the regular season with six interceptions in the final five games of the year, to use his arm to drive the Arizona State offense.

Wisconsin Special Teams

Kicker Collin Larsh has connected on 15-of-20 field goal attempts with a long of 43, while punter Andy Vujnovich averages 45.83 yards on 46 punts – good for 15th nationally.

In the return game, Dean Engram averages 4.92 yards on 13 punt returns, while Stephan Bracey averages 32.17 yards on his six kickoff returns, including a 91-yard touchdown.

Overall Summary

Two programs with identical records and standings – 8-4 overall, 6-3 in conference play, second-place divisional finish – and two programs that had realistic preseason aspirations to at least appear in their respective conference championship games, Arizona State and Wisconsin conclude their 2021 seasons in Las Vegas in the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs.

In the all-time series, ASU has a 3-1 edge, with a 42-16 win in Madison on Sept. 30, 1967, and a 55-7 victory on Sept. 21, 1968, in Tempe before a frustrating 20-19 loss on the road to the Badgers on Sept. 18, 2010, and most recently a chaotic 32-30 Sun Devil victory in Tempe on Sept. 14, 2013, that featured one of the zaniest finishes to a football game any of us will ever see.

In terms of personnel, ASU certainly has a significant comparative disadvantage due to the opt-outs of three defensive starters and one offensive starter, transfers of players like Chip Trayanum and Johnny Wilson, and the injury issues by starting lineman Dohnovan West. At this current point, Wisconsin has no known opt-outs, no significant transfers, and had just one starter sidelined in the season finale due to injury.

An equalizer could be motivation – or lack thereof – as both programs surely had conference championship game aspirations and Rose Bowl hopes in the preseason and could view this postseason outcome as some measure of failure to achieve those goals. Excluding the 2020 season, since 2009, Wisconsin has never won fewer than eight games in a season and has had nine or more nine times.

For Wisconsin, this game represents an opportunity to place a positive punctuation mark on a season that can at this point be qualified as at least some measure of a disappointment, as the Badgers were ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll and were chosen by the conference media as the preseason pick to win their division.

For the Sun Devils, a win, especially with at least three defensive starters having opted out of the game along with a depleted depth chart at running back, would provide a surge of short-term positivity at a time where there is still so much that is unknown about the future of the program.

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