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Alex Hornibrook, UW quarterback, passes well behind A.j. Taylor is in the end zone in third place, forcing the Badgers to settle for a spot in the second quarter against Nebraska on Saturday night.(Photo: Mark Hoffman, Sentinel of the Milwaukee Diary)Buy a photo

Wisconsin have won two consecutive games at the start of the game against Big Ten, but it does not appear that the Badgers are still very successful in their clash with Michigan on Saturday.

This is probably because the UW, 10th in the standings (4-1, 2-0, Big Ten), will try to slow down Wolverines # 13 with a defense held together by a medical band.

Cornerback Caesar Williams (left leg) and Deron Harrell (head) will likely be decisive decisions, but second-year defender Isaiahh Loudermilk has already been declared an injured ankle.

The absence of Loudermilk will weaken an already anemic race for UW. The Badgers have only managed five sacks this season and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel has been limited in the last two games due to a leg injury.

PLAY DAY: Wisconsin vs. Michigan preview, prediction

Matt Henningsen, a freshman at Redshirt, will likely get the call to get into Loudermilk. UW starts another Redshirt rookie, Kayden Lyles, at the other end of the line.

Henningsen and Lyles started together in the first game of the season when Loudermilk was recovering from a knee injury.

"Matt Henningsen and Kayden had not played (at the time)," UW coach Paul Chryst said Thursday. "It's part 6. They know what it's like to play in a game.

"We have not played in Michigan yet, but every week the challenge is different. But the guys played. "

Beau Benzschawel, UW goalkeeper, knows the offensive will have to take the team a bit more this week. And for the Badgers to maintain their efforts, Benzschawel and his offensive linemates must be successful against Michigan's ultra-talented forward-thinking defense.

"I think we know this game will fall on our shoulders," Benzschawel said. "The backs will not be able to crush big races if the holes are not there for them.

"In the end, it falls on us, so I do not think that being in front of us matters little."

This would help the Badgers if they could get a better start than they did against Nebraska last weekend.

UW finished with 41 points, but it could have been much higher if the Badgers had not chosen to score goals on the field in their first goals.

In their first training, the Badgers accumulated 63 yards in 15 games in 7 minutes and 52 seconds. But the training stopped when quarterback Alex Hornibrook was unable to complete his pass to wide receiver Kendric Pryor in the third and seventh minute. UW is content with a goal of 30 yards by Rafael Gaglianone.

In the second quarter, UW moved the ball 41 yards but stalled when Hornibrook passed a pass to A.J. Taylor broke the game for another third and seventh game. Gaglianone scored a 28-yard field goal.

"I think it was just little things, an execution," Hornibrook said. "We did not have a third try. That's why we had to settle for one goal.

"We moved the ball pretty well, we just did not finish with six points. We ended up with three, and I think it only converts those third attempts and maintains those results. "

The domination of possession time is often a key element of victory on the road. UW has had great success in imposing distance from home under Chryst, with a 15-1 record in real road games. The Badgers have won 10 straight victories on the road, the second longest run in the country behind Oklahoma (17).

A victory at Michigan Stadium with an underused defense would be an important statement for UW.

"Shoot, man, every time you win games is great," said Joe Rudolph, UW's offensive coordinator. "You can see it everywhere in this conference. There are excellent matches, there are great players, there is a great training.

"The guys come up with game plans that do their best and can cause you problems no matter who they are. I think you celebrate each victory and hope that you will evolve in every game. "