Tune-Up Game, then to East Lansing
A week away from the start of a brutal stretch of a schedule that defines the word "gauntlet", the #9 Wisconsin Badgers will be hosting the Georgia State (I had to look this up before typing this in) Panthers at historic Camp Randall Stadium. I will be attending this game with seats an arm length away from the student section, and if the Akron game was any indication, I am more looking forward to the atmosphere than the game itself. I had confused the Georgia State Panthers with their Sun Belt rivals and Sun Belt champion Georgia Southern University, so this game is likely the "easiest" on the schedule. Georgia State should not be taken lightly, but we will also likely see a good amount of backup QB Alex Hornibrook again. This is important, because the Michigan State-Michigan-Ohio State-Iowa stretch is deadly and we cannot afford any more injuries on defense.
Nickel CB Natrell Jamerson will be out until at least the Ohio State game, joining ILB Chris Orr who is already out for the season. That said, the Badgers have a deep defense, and junior Lubern Figaro and redshirt freshman Titus Booker look to get the majority of Jamerson's snaps. Despite the injuries, this defense should have no trouble stopping Georgia State's offense, and if they got to 21 points after LSU only got 14 and Akron had 10, I would be flabbergasted. So far this season, Georgia State is 0-2, and lost to Ball State at home 31-21 and at Air Force 48-14. Georgia State is a veteran group on offense, but the talent is just not there. It is a pass-first team, so pressure from TJ Watt, Vince Biegel, etc. is the key to the defense. Setting the tone early on defense will get the crowd involved and cause struggles from a Georgia State team that has never played in an environment like Camp Randall Stadium.
On the offensive side of the football, working on schemes and letting the ground game keep rolling is vital. The Badgers' passing game and receiving corp is better, but the ground attack led by senior RB Corey Clement is how we have a shot at beating any of the next four opponents. Getting Bart Houston more comfortable with the offense is also important, and look for a lot of balance early on. Georgia State's pass rush is virtually the opposite of the Badgers, and this young but experienced offensive line should be able to push around the front seven of Georgia State rather easily.
I don't really have a lot to say about Georgia State, frankly because there is not much to say. If they lost 48-14 to Air Force and 31-21 to Ball State at home, they Badgers should not have trouble. If they do, then the AP Poll may need to rethink their ranking of the Badgers at #9. I'm going to be nice with my final score prediction, although it could get a lot uglier than this for the Panthers. Final score: Wisconsin 35, Georgia State 10.
