THE BASICS

The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (1-1) vs the New Mexico State Aggies (0-3)

The time: 2:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday

The place: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.

The TV coverage: Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and Joshua Perry in the booth and Rick Pizzo on the sideline.

The last time: Wisconsin opened the 1962 season with a 69-13 win over New Mexico State at Camp Randall Stadium

The series: Wisconsin 1-0

The line: Wisconsin -37

THE BREAKDOWN: 5 THINGS TO WATCH

1) Back on track

Following an ugly and disappointing loss to Washington State, what kind of fight does Wisconsin show against New Mexico State? Leaders of the team, namely nose guard Keeanu Benton, questioned the lack of energy and fire on the sideline when the Badgers fell behind the Cougars in the third quarter last week. The senior even suggested it felt like some guys gave up despite being down just three points at the time, something he’d never seen in his time in Madison. Benton delivered an impassioned speech to his teammates prior to Monday’s practice and thought it got through. Saturday will tell us whether he was right.

2) Get the running game rolling

Through two games the Wisconsin offensive line and running backs haven’t produced the dominant running game many expected to see. The Badgers currently rank 41st in the country at 197 yards per game and 50th in yards per carry. Some of that is an OL lacking experience together but that excuse is quickly running out of time. Can the Badgers put together a strong performance against an Aggies defense that is allowing 194 yards per game, including giving up nearly 300 yards against Minnesota?

3) Concerns at kicker

Vito Calvaruso was given a scholarship when he transferred to Wisconsin from Arkansas in the offseason. Handing one of those to a kicker, especially one that had yet to attempt a field goal in college, is a rarity in Madison. The Badgers didn’t even given one to Collin Larsh, despite him being their starter for most of the last three seasons. He originally planned to return for a sixth year but Calvaruso’s scholarship changed that. Flash forward to last Saturday and the big leg of Calvaruso missed two kicks badly, which has to leave coach Paul Chryst questioning whether he can send him out there again in pressure situations. Does the sophomore get one or two more chances or do we perhaps see redshirt freshman Nate Van Zelst given an opportunity?

4) Continued steps

One bright spot against Washington State was the play of Graham Mertz. The junior was locked in much of the afternoon, especially on third down when he went 6-for-9 with all the completions turning into first downs. Eight different players caught at least one pass and his deep throws gave his wide receivers a chance to make a play. The game was another step in the right direction for a quarterback that had a lot to prove coming into the season. The Aggies have been good against the pass so far this season, so they should provide another solid test of just how far Mertz has come.

5) Playing clean

Chryst’s teams have been known for being disciplined and usually not beating themselves. That wasn’t the case last week as 11 penalties, two missed field goals, three turnovers and several communication breakdowns are the reasons the Badgers are sitting at 1-1. The penalties were especially impactful, with nine of them coming on offense and four of them wiping out 76 yards of gains. Wisconsin isn’t good enough offensively to overcome themselves and beat a defense. Cutting those out is paramount if they are going to rebound.

NUMBERS TO CONSIDER

Wisconsin is known as a running team but through two games the Badgers have more passing yards (446) than rushing (395). The last time that happened for an entire season was 2015.

The Wisconsin defense is allowing just 55 yards per game on the ground. That’s 9.2 yards fewer than the unit did a year ago when it set the school record for rushing yards allowed per game.

The Badgers have six sacks this season and half of them belong to outside linebacker Nick Herbig. His three sacks are tied for the fifth-most in the country.

New Mexico State has won just eight games since the start of 2018. The Aggies have not beaten a Power 5 team since a 2011 victory against Minnesota.

ZONE PREDICTIONS

Zach Heilprin’s (1-1, 2-0 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 38, New Mexico State 3
Ebo’s (1-1, 1-1 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 42, New Mexico State 3
Nelson Raisbeck’s (1-1, 1-1 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 35, New Mexico State 7
RJ Brachman’s (1-1, 0-2 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 42 , New Mexico State 0
Ben Kenney’s (1-1, 1-1 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 42, New Mexico State 3