Preview: Maryland at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — Returning home, Wisconsin (2-1) hosts Maryland (3-0) in Saturday’s Big Ten Conference opener. After getting thumped 38-14 at No. 14 Alabama in week three, the Badgers shift focus to league play, where they hope to be able to quickly turn the page and move on following the first loss of the season.

“Not that the first three didn’t matter. They’re all huge. You only get 12 guaranteed opportunities and you gotta take advantage of every one of them, but the real focus was, this is when the season begins,” head coach Luke Fickell said Monday. “This is the start of the real season. We’ve gotta make sure we move forward, make sure we prepare for this mountain of a Big Ten season is gonna look like.”

GAME INFO

Kickoff Time: 11 a.m. CT

Where: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wis.)

TV: NBC

TV Crew: Paul Burmeiste, Yogi Roth, Caroline Pineda

Stream: Peacock

Line: Wisconsin – 10

Series History: Wisconsin leads 4-0

Last Meeting: Wisconsin won 23-10 in 2022

NUMBERS TO KNOW

.659: Wisconsin is 87-45 (.659) record against Big Ten opponents since 2010. Ohio State (116-16) and Michigan (89-40) are the only programs to post more Big Ten wins during that span.

2: Under Fickell, the Badgers are 2-0 in Big Ten home openers.

4: Including Saturday, four of the first five meetings in this series will have been played in Madison.

4: Wisconsin is 4-0 all-time against Maryland.

22.5: UW has an average margin of victory of 22.5 ppg in this series.

WHAT TO WATCH

Will Billy Edwards Face His Former Team?

Fickell said Monday that starting quarterback Billy Edwards would have a chance to play against his former team after missing the last two games with a knee sprain. Per On3 Sources, the Maryland transfer will be a game-time decision.

“I think any time guys play their former team, it’s an emotional thing, it’s a difficult thing,” said Fickell. “I’ve had it several times. It’s always something I’ve said, ‘We’re not going to overlook this.’ But it’s not gonna go away either. Yes, Billy is mature, is an older guy who’s been through a lot of things, but it’s not something that we would go unnoticed or say, ‘Let the elephant in the room, be the elephant in the room, and let’s not talk about it.’ There’s a lot of other things on his plate, which is maybe even better for him, so he’s distracted.”

Maryland’s Passing Attack

Wisconsin has the fourth-ranked rushing defense in the country. Only 10 teams in FBS pass the ball more than Maryland. That being said, expect the Terrapins and quarterback Malik Washington to be airing the ball out on Saturday against the Badgers’ unproven secondary, which just allowed 382 yards to Alabama.

“He’s very good for a young guy,” senior safety Austin Brown said. “Likes the deep ball a lot.”

Is Wisconsin Still Wisconsin?

Last season, after suffering defeats to USC and Alabama, Wisconsin was able to bounce back and take care of the bottom feeders in the Big Ten Conference. In year three of the Fickell era, the Badgers have yet to push this program forward whatsoever, but at least last season, fans could say, ‘The wheels haven’t come completely off.’

Saturday’s matchup against Maryland is scary in some regard. UW has not looked great outside 1.5 quarters versus Middle Tennessee State, one of the worst teams in FBS. The Badgers have lost six consecutive games to power-four opponents. Five of those defeats have come by double digits. Depending on how the next few games go, Saturday also might be the last time the Badgers are favored this season.

Can Wisconsin put the hammer down as a 10-point favorite? Or will the questions surrounding the future of Fickell start to become very real?

PREDICTION

Maryland is 3-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. That’s tied for second in the country for the most 3-0 starts during that span, trailing only Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Rutgers, and tied with Oregon and Penn State. The best team the Terrapins have actually beaten during that run? Probably a 5-7 Illinois team in 2021, the first year under head coach Bret Bielema.

Maryland does have the chance to give Wisconsin some real problems. The Terrapins have a talented quarterback going up against an unproven group of cornerbacks. Small sample size against a weak schedule, but the Terrapins also don’t allow many sacks or tackles for loss and could negate that big, strong front seven for the Badgers. If Edwards doesn’t go, and even if he does, Maryland has nine interceptions in three games and is +2.5 in turnover margin per game.

However, watching the Terps against Northern Illinois should give Wisconsin some confidence. The Huskies were able to run the ball well enough, generating 180 yards on the ground. Maryland also caught some breaks late in that game to be able to hold on for a 20-9 victory. Washington is also making his first road start, which generally bodes well for the home team, especially against a quarterback who hasn’t even taken a sack yet at this level, let alone faced a crowd of 70,000-plus against him.

I haven’t seen enough from UW this season to make me think they’re just going to smack Maryland around, but I think the Badgers are good enough to get their first conference win.

If Edwards plays – Wisconsin 24 Maryland 17

If he doesn’t – Wisconsin 17 – Maryland 14