Big Ten Championship: Five Badgers to Watch

The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers have one more shot to defeat a Top 10 team during the 2016 College Football season. The Badgers face the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions in one of the most intriguing conference championship games on Saturday.  Currently, the Badgers (10-2) are three point favorites over the (10-2) Nittany Lions. Given the circumstances, both teams are alive for the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, there's a chance that the Big Ten Champion won't earn a Final Four berth during Sunday's selection show. 

No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, IN

TV: Fox

Kickoff: Saturday 8:17 p.m. ET

The Badgers have one of the most incredible defenses in college football. During the brilliant run to the Big Ten Championship game, the Badgers posted dominating figures. For example, they had the No. 3 scoring defense, giving up 13.7 points per game. Alabama and Michigan were slightly better throughout the season. The Badgers were also No. 3 in rushing defense. Overall, the Badgers held opponents to 292 yards per game and that was good enough to rank seventh in the country. 

Despite the incredible numbers, the Badgers were never full healthy all season. The linebackers were hit hard with injuries from the start. In fact, they never had their full complement of starters. Chris Orr played exactly one play. Meanwhile, T.J. Edwards missed the season-opener but led the Badgers with 75 tackles. Vince Biegel only played in 10 games, while Jack Cichy finished his season with 60 tackles in seven games. Regardless of who was in the lineup, opponents knew they had to deal with the best linebackers in the country. 

However, each unit played a critical part for the Badgers' defense. Due to the three defensive linemen, the Badgers were able to cause havoc in their opponents' backfield. They held the opposing ground attack to 3.3 yards per carry. The Badgers also accounted for 21 interceptions, while playing lock down defense. Therefore, opposing offenses have to pick their poison. Let's see if Penn State can escape the rough and rugged Badgers' defense. 

Here are Five Players to Watch in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

Five Wisconsin Badgers to Watch 

1. T.J. Watt - So. Linebacker-

T.J. Watt finished the regular season with 55 tackles. Watt is one of the most explosive outside linebackers in the country. He led the Badgers with 9.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss. He also scored on a 17-yard interception return against the Purdue Boilermakers. He also showed up in the biggest games. For example, Watt tallied a career high 11 tackles in the seven point loss to Michigan. He recorded sacks in seven different games. He'll have the opportunity to harass Trace McSorley into mistakes. But Watt's main goal will be limiting the Penn State ground attack. 

2. D'Cota Dixon- Jr. Safety

There's a reason why the Wisconsin Badgers cover so well. They have hybrid players in the secondary. Whether D'Cota Dixon is playing corner or safety, he's part of a unit that smothers the passing game. So far, Dixon is second on the team with four interceptions. Three of his interceptions came against Top 10 opponents. He also tallied 49 tackles, while breaking up four passes this season. 

He's joined by Leo Musso in the defensive backfield. Matter of fact, Musso leads the Badgers' secondary in tackles and interceptions. His 59 tackles are ranked No. 3 on the Badgers' defense. Combined, Dixon and Musso help punish the run game. Below you can see Dixon force a fumble on L.J. Scott. However, the play isn't over until Musso scoops up the ball and takes it back to the house. 

3. Alex Hornibrook Fr. QB

Alex Hornibrook had to leave the season finale early due to a head injury. Despite his injury, one coach believes Hornibrook will be in the lineup on Saturday. 

Although Hornibrook didn't begin the season as the starting quarterback, he quickly became the No. 1 guy for the Badgers' offense. He finished the season with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Hornibrook completed 104-of-179 passes for 1,243 yards. In reality, the Badgers use a two-quarterback system. Therefore, Bart Houston will see plenty of time whether Hornibrook starts or not. Houston has accounted for five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led Wisconsin to a win over LSU in the season opener. 

The quarterbacks may have to make a few plays in the passing game to win the Big Ten. During the two losses, the Badgers only used Hornibrook in the lineup. Certainly, Houston has provided a nice change of pace since becoming the second string QB. However, there's no reason to believe he would take all of the snaps this weekend. The only way that happens is due to Hornibrook being sidelined for the game. Keep in mind, Penn State recorded 37 sacks this year. 

4. Corey Clement- Sr. Running Back

The No. 1 player for the Badgers’ running game is Corey Clement. He came into the season as somewhat of a mystery, but blew passed mixed expectations in 2016. Clement led the Badgers with 1,140 yards, recording his first thousand-yard season as a senior. He also led the Badgers with 13 rushing touchdowns. During their six-game winning streak, Clement has surpassed the 100-yard mark five times.

The Badgers have counted on the ground attack all season. Yet, it hasn’t always been easy sledding for the senior running back. Clement sliced through the Ohio State defense, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Although the Badgers lost that game, they found their ground attack in rare form. Unfortunately, he never managed to reach four yards per carry in three of the wins. Iowa, Northwestern, and Minnesota held Clement to 113 yards per game on 31 carries per game. Although Clement only averaged 3.6 yards per rush attempt, the Badgers’ running game was relentless during this stretch.

5. T.J. Edwards- So. Linebacker

As we stated earlier, T.J. Edwards leads the Badgers with 75 tackles. He also has three sacks and two interceptions this season. Edwards can play all over the field and he will be a key match up against Saquon Barkley. Edwards' ability to run from sideline to sideline will deal well with Barkley's quickness. The Nittany Lions also run zone-read plays. Therefore, Edwards must read when Trace McSorley keeps the ball. So far, the linebackers have tackled extremely well all season. This may be their toughest challenge to date. Edwards recorded 11 tackles in three separate games in 2016. He also tallied 6.5 tackles for loss in the last four games. 

Next Up: Badgers' Ground Attack Must be Title Worthy vs Penn State.