Northwestern at Wisconsin football preview

The University of Wisconsin football team will be looking to recover from a costly road loss to a team near the bottom of the Big Ten East standings when the Badgers return home to host the Northwestern Wildcats in a matchup of West Division foes on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) slipped in the division standings with a 20-14 loss at Indiana (3-6, 1-5) on Nov. 4 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. The Badgers enter Week 11 trailing Iowa (7-2, 4-2) and tied with Minnesota (5-4, 3-3) in the race for the Big Ten West crown. 

Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) will look to continue its streak of responding to losses this season with a win after falling to Iowa 10-7 in a defensive battle on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago that saw the Hawkeyes take sole possession of first place in the West division. 

Here are 10 things to know as the Badgers aim to clinch their 22nd consecutive year of bowl eligibility with a sixth victory this season. 

How to watch Northwestern at Wisconsin

Fans can catch Saturday's matchup at 2:30 p.m. on FS1 with Chris Myers on the play-by-play call alongside analyst Robert Smith. The broadcast also will be available to subscribers on the Fox Sports app. Those looking to tune into the radio broadcast can catch Matt Lepay, Mark Tauscher and Patrick Herb on the Badger Sport Network, the Varsity Network App and Sirius/XM Channel 196.

Where Tanner Mordecai is at in his injury recovery

While Luke Fickell said opening-day starter Tanner Mordecai was an emergency option at quarterback last week, Wisconsin's coach would not confirm Monday if the senior was practicing. Mordecai was listed as "questionable" ahead of the Badgers' matchup with the Hoosiers, but the timeline for his return from a broken throwing hand remains unclear.

In Mordecai's absence, redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke has helped Wisconsin to a 2-1 record in his three starts while completing 76 of 152 passes for 777 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Mordecai's stats weren't gaudy when healthy — 114-of-179 passing with three touchdowns and three interceptions — but the rushing threat he added to the offense (160 yards, four touchdowns) was vital.

How close Braelon Allen is to returning for Wisconsin

Mordecai isn't the only key contributor the Badgers are waiting to return on offense. Junior running back Braelon Allen missed last week's loss against Indiana and the second half against Ohio State after sustaining a left ankle injury late in the first half against the Buckeyes and Wisconsin sorely missed his production at Indiana. Fickell didn't provide any updates on Allen's status during his time with reporters on Monday, but the Badgers' first-year coach said the staff would monitor Allen after he didn't participate in warmups in Indiana and watched the game in street clothes on the sideline before sitting out the team's practice on Sunday. Allen still ranks second in the Big Ten Conference with 754 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns despite missing time. As of Friday evening, it was still unclear if Wisconsin will have Mordecai and Allen back in the lineup against Northwestern. 

What went wrong for Wisconsin on key fourth down at Indiana

In BadgerExtra's weekly Xs and Nos podcast, reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jake Kocorowski broke down what happened on a key fourth-and-2 for the Wisconsin offense during the fourth quarter of the loss at Indiana. The exclusive report broke down why it was the correct call for the Badgers to go for it and forgo a field goal attempt down three points in the final quarter. The podcast, which appears online each Tuesday morning during the season, also dove into a big sack by Wisconsin to push Indiana out of field goal range by creating some confusion and then attacking.

Why Luke Fickell is sticking with Braedyn Locke

With Mordecai unlikely to return by Saturday's matchup with the Wildcats, Fickell is confident that starting Locke under center gives the Badgers the best chance of winning. While Locke's skill set hasn't matched what Mordecai displayed at the start of the year, Fickell still thinks the freshman offers something fellow backups Myles Burkett and Nick Evers don't. During Monday's news conference, Fickell said he's considered ways of utilizing the athleticism of Burkett and Evers but isn't ready to give up on Locke as the starter with Mordecai out. 

What challenges Northwestern presents for Wisconsin

David Braun was supposed to start his first season at Northwestern as its defensive coordinator after leaving FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. Then the Kettle Moraine High School product was unexpectedly given the keys to the program in July after the university fired Pat Fitzgerald over hazing allegations. The Wildcats have continued to struggle this year after going 1-11 in Fitzgerald's final season, but Wisconsin can't afford to overlook them with just three games remaining in the regular season. Northwestern has needed to depend upon its passing attack, and quarterback Brendan Sullivan has stepped up the last four weeks for an injured Ben Bryant. Entering Week 10 ranked last in the Big Ten in yards rushing per game and second-to-last in the conference in total yards per game, the Wildcats will be looking to finish strong. 

What Wisconsin needs to do to beat Northwestern

One of the biggest keys for the Badgers when the host the Wildcats is just staying out of their own way. Wisconsin has struggled with injuries this season but it's also compounded its issues by playing poor fundamental football, with examples including procedural penalties, drops and missed blocking assignments on offense, and poor tackling and pursuit angles on defense.

The Badgers' offense also will need to do a better job of getting its slot receivers more involved. Wisconsin used more 10 personnel — one running back, four receivers — against Indiana than in any other game this season, allowing slot receivers Skyler Bell and Will Pauling to get on the field together. They're two of the faster receivers Wisconsin has and have done the best job consistently creating separation, even if they've struggled to catch the ball after getting open. 

Why these Northwestern players could cause problems for Wisconsin

The Wisconsin defense's biggest focus Saturday will likely be on Sullivan, with the unit facing a quarterback presents a threat as a runner and a passer for a second straight game. The Badgers will hope to do a better job containing the mobility of Sullivan than they have the other running quarterbacks they’ve seen. Sullivan will test the Badgers’ edge rushing defense and force the players on the outside to tackle. But what might be the bigger issue for the Badgers is the way Northwestern uses that mobility in the pass game. The Wildcats roll the pocket and simulate runs with Sullivan, then try to attack down the field. On the other side of the ball, the Wisconsin offense will have a couple tough defenders to contend with.

Linebacker Bryce Gallagher may never outdo what his brother Blake did for the Wildcats, but he’s doing a pretty solid impression of his sibling. Bryce Gallagher leads Northwestern with 78 tackles, 3½ for loss, and two forced fumbles. The Wildcats' defense also features an aggressive nickelback, with Rod Heard II tasked with slowing Wisconsin's slot receivers on Saturday. Heard has 44 tackles, 3 for loss, an interception and two pass breakups this year while preventing opposing receivers from tallying big plays by tackling well and keeping plays in front of him.

How Vegas sees Wisconsin's odds against Northwestern

The Badgers opened the week as solid favorites against the Wildcats, opening as 10-point favorites on Sunday and remaining there as of Friday night at most major sportsbooks. The over/under for total points in the game opened at 44.5 and it hadn't moved at most major Vegas sportsbooks as of Friday night. In picking up their third loss in four games on Saturday, the Badgers were unable to cover the spread, while the total score of 34 also failed to clear the over/under in Vegas.  

What weather conditions are forecast for Northwestern at Wisconsin

After a weekly of chilly temperatures and strong winds, the forecast for Saturday's matchup between Wisconsin and Northwestern is looking relatively pleasant, even if fans will still need to bundle up. As of Friday evening, the National Weather Service was calling for a daytime high near 45 degrees with partly sunny skies and a calm wind during the day before temperatures drop in the evening with an overnight low of 37 degrees.