After things looked just about as dark as they have under Luke Fickell after his third straight humiliating loss to Iowa, Wisconsin football gave its fans just about as much hope as they’ve had in Fickell’s regime with the emergence of true freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins.
Now, the Badgers have three games left on the schedule to prove they’ve in fact turned a corner with Hopkins under center. It starts with a road trip to sleepy College Park, Maryland, where the 3-6 Terrapins are playing re-invigorated ball under interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.
Below, the Badgers On SI crew offers roundtable game picks for the Week 11 showdown:
Seamus Rohrer, Editor
My main concern is that Wisconsin is going to come out flat in an empty stadium against an opponent it takes too lightly. Maryland is a very different team the past two weeks since interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim took over.
The Terps also have some capable weapons on offense, namely wideout Chris Durr, and quarterback Malik Washington needs no introduction after he shredded the Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium last season as a true freshman. This can’t be a week, like Iowa on Halloween, that Mike Tressel’s defense forgets to show up.
I think if Wisconsin plays to its defensive standard, Ryan Hopkins and the offense can do enough to handle Maryland. But I’ve got an uneasy feeling about this game. Maryland has nothing to lose.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Maryland 21
Drew Gentile, Staff Writer
These types of games are always dangerous. While the Badgers are headed east this week, this has some shades of an old-fashioned Big Ten West matchup at a sleepy Ryan Field. Abdul-Rahim has these Terrapins playing better football than they were just a few weeks ago, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying they remind me of a Pat Fitzgerald-led Northwestern team. Still, Wisconsin needs to find a way to bring its own energy in an atmosphere I expect to be fairly lifeless.
For Ryan Hopkins, if he replicates — or comes close to — his performance from a week ago while cutting out the two near-mistake throws, I think this offense will be in a good spot. Defensively, Malik Washington gave the Badgers troubles a year ago, but he’s been banged up and I trust this defense to be at the very least serviceable. Even if Wisconsin starts slow, I think it wins fairly comfortably.
Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Maryland 10
Jeremy Schneider, Staff Writer
Wisconsin would be wise not to underestimate Maryland, as the Terrapins aren’t devoid of talent and have shown signs of life under interim head coach Abdul-Rahim, most recently securing a win at Purdue last week.
However, the starting quarterback Washington is banged up, and his ability to generate explosive plays will be crucial if Maryland hopes to pull off the home upset. Big plays have been a major source of offense for the Terrapins, but Wisconsin has excelled at limiting those opportunities throughout the season.
On the other side of the ball, the Badgers shouldn’t need Hopkins to put up gaudy numbers in his first career road start. Protecting the football and avoiding costly mistakes should be enough for Wisconsin to take care of business. Ultimately, I expect the Badgers to come away with a double-digit victory.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Maryland 13
Christian Borman, Staff Writer
This game worries me a bit. On paper, the Badgers are the clear favorites. Maryland is among the worst teams in the Big Ten, even with Washington at quarterback.
But since the Terps fired Mike Locksley, they’ve been an improved team, losing by just three to Illinois two weeks ago before finally getting their first conference win of the season against Purdue last week.
Hopkins needs to play mistake-free football. If he can do that, and the offense can sustain some drives and keep the Wisconsin defense off the field for more than a few minutes, I like the Badgers’ chances.
I think it’s closer than it needs to be, but they pull off their second road win of the year.
Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Maryland 21
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