Wisconsin may be in their first season under head coach Luke Fickell, but that doesn’t mean that the Badgers are rebuilding. So says Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano this week when talking about the Big Ten rival he faces this week on the road.
Rutgers (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) is looking to make a statement this weekend in Madison and secure a third Power Five win to start the season. Their search for continued momentum comes against a strong Wisconsin team (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) that is coming off a bye week and an impressive win over Purdue.
And while last year was certainly a down one for Wisconsin by the program’s rather lofty standards, Schiano doesn’t believe that the Badgers aren’t exactly scraping the bottom in terms of talent.
“It’s huge. They have a great system they have good players are line is gigantic…always, right?” Schiano said of the opportunity against Wisconsin during an interview with Bruce Beck this week.
“They have a good quarterback transfer quarterback (Tanner Mordecai) from SMU they have an outstanding running back (Braelon Allen) and probably five or six receivers – all that are dangerous. So they really have some great offensive personnel – it wasn’t left empty. Trust me.”
Wisconsin is no joke on offense. The Badgers are currently fifth in the Big Ten, averaging 33.3 points per game and are fourth in total offense (427.5 yards per game).
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Great to sit down with @RFootball Head Coach @GregSchiano and chat about the 4-1 Scarlet Knights. We look back and look ahead to this week at Wisconsin and beyond! Check out this edition of Knightlife. @RUAthletics pic.twitter.com/bqUzmS4lQE pic.twitter.com/PSLkIrpZiB
— Bruce Beck (@BruceBeck4NY) October 6, 2023
Two weeks ago in a win at Purdue, the aforementioned Allen had 116 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.