3 Burning Questions for Wisconsin's Enormous Showdown at No. 12 UCLA

The Badgers have a massive opportunity in front of them.

Despite a 4-1 record and a 2-0 mark in conference play, with a win over then-No. 13 Penn State on their resume, they still find themselves unranked ahead of Week 7. That could all change in Pasadena.

Wisconsin is slated to face No. 12 UCLA on Saturday evening. The Bruins are a perfect 5-0, coming off a huge road upset over No. 13 Oregon. A road win over Bob Chesney's upstart squad would firmly jettison the Badgers into the national conversation.

As Wisconsin prepares for its biggest opportunity in the Luke Fickell era, Badgers On SI breaks down three burning questions surrounding this game and the Badgers' program.

Can Wisconsin slow down UCLA's rugged ground game?

UCLA running back Wayne Knight. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The biggest news ahead of kickoff so far? Bruins' starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, is likely out for the season with a knee injury. That means the Badgers will either face Ty Dieffenbach, who replaced him in Eugene last Saturday, or Madden Iamaleava, his inexperienced younger brother.

And yet, while that's obviously a massive development and a big blow for UCLA, it's not what's going to decide this game. This is an excellent matchup of strength versus strength; the Bruins' ground game ranks 6th nationally, rushing for 253.2 yards per game. The Badgers' run defense, meanwhile, has also been a strength, allowing 114.6 yards per game, good for 35th nationally.

The Bruins have a stable of capable backs including Wayne Knight (548 yards, 7.7 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns) and Anthony Woods (308 yards, 6.8 yards per carry, four touchdowns). The Badgers have a stout defensive line and two elite linebackers in Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa, the latter of which is third in the country with 29 stops (tackles that constitute a failure for the offense).

“The thing that they’ve done a really good job of is yards after contact. Their backs have been in particular really really good," head coach Luke Fickell said. "Our ability to gang tackle, our ability to swarm with discipline, because if there’s one thing they do a better job than we’ve seen this year is finding ways to get the edge and finding ways to bounce the edge."

Can the Badgers take care of the football?

UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Tyson Ford (95) tackles Oregon Ducks quarterback Brock Thomas (12). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UCLA is tops in the country with 19 turnovers forced, tied with New Mexico. It forced Oregon into a whopping seven turnovers Saturday in Autzen Stadium, recovering five fumbles and picking off two passes.

The Badgers, meanwhile, took positive steps in the turnover department the last time they took the field against Michigan State. After his three-interception performance against Penn State, quarterback Colton Joseph bounced back, taking care of the football and keeping it out of harm's way.

UCLA has played really well to start the season. But it goes without saying the Bruins don't upset Oregon on the road if they don't force that many turnovers. Even in their 14-point win over Purdue in Week 3, the Bruins forced three turnovers that were huge in determining the outcome of that game. Taking care of the football on the road as an underdog is always important, but it's especially critical against this opportunistic UCLA defense.

“They’re aggressive, and they’re taking advantage of the opportunities that are in front of them," Fickell said. "They’ve done a great job of taking advantage of some of the things that are ugly. If the ball goes on the ground, they’ve found a way to get it.”

Are these the Badgers we think they are?

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After four straight wins, including a huge road upset and true wire-to-wire domination against a conference foe — two things this program hasn't pulled off in a long time — there's legitimate reason to believe we're finally witnessing the turnaround Badgers fans have waited so long to see in Madison.

Fickell put it succinctly in his presser this week: “There’s definitely a different feel within (the) program.”

Besides the significantly improved offense, the tangible buy-in and the obvious talent upgrades up and down the roster, this is a team that, for the first time in the Fickell era, finally looks like it knows how to problem-solve.

Take Eastern Michigan's opening drive in Week 3, when the Eagles marched down the field and scored a touchdown. Wisconsin completely shut them down after that.

How about when starting center Austin Kawecki went down with a hand injury against Michigan State, forcing the inexperienced backup Ryan Cory to take his place? He played admirably and didn't significantly handicap the offense.

These Badgers are resilient, and they're gonna need more where that came from on the road against a physical Bruins team. Can they bring the same energy?

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