No. 5 LSU and unranked Wisconsin will square off Sept. 3 for the first-ever college football game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
LSU’s 53-game non-conference win streak will be on the line versus the unranked Badgers, who went 10-3 last season, including a 23-21 Holiday Bowl victory against Southern California on Dec. 31.
Including LSU, Wisconsin’s schedule includes matchups against five teams ranked in the Associated Press’ Top 25.
The last time these teams faced off resulted in a 28-24 LSU win in 2014, at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The Badgers head into the season unranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2009 and bring their two top leading rushers, and have a new quarterback under center.
Wisconsin also replaced defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who spent three seasons with the Badgers, ranking in the top five national in every major defensive category: total defense (passing yards and rushing yards) and scoring defense (points allowed).
Ahead of Saturday’s season-opening matchup at 2:30 p.m. at Lambeau Field, The Daily Reveille breaks down Wisconsin’s position groups on both sides of the ball.
Offense
- Offensive returning starters: Six
- 2015 Total offense rank: No. 79
- 2015 Scoring offense rank: No. 81
QUARTERBACK
After waiting nearly four years for his turn, Wisconsin redshirt senior quarterback Bart Houston will start his first college football game against LSU, beating out freshman Alex Hornibrook in August. Houston replaces Joel Stave, who was 31-10 in his four years as a starter. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound signal caller has only thrown 51 passes in his career. Houston also punted in four games during the 2014 season.
- Who: Bart Houston, Alex Hornibrook
RUNNING BACK
Senior running back Corey Clement and Dare Ogunwale headline the Wisconsin rushing attack. Ogunwale was the leading rusher for the Badgers last season with 819 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Clement, who was the former backup to Melvin Gordon, returns after a sports hernia injury hampered his junior season.
- Who: Corey Clement, Dare Ogunwale
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END
The Badgers will be without leading receiver, now-Cincinnati Bengal Alex Erickson — who caught 77 passes for 978 yards last season — but their No. 2 and No. 3 leading receivers return: senior wide receiver Robert Wheelwright and junior tight end Troy Fumagalli.
- Who: Robert Wheelwright, Troy Fumagalli, Jazz Peavy
Defense
- Returning starters: Six
- 2015 Total defense rank: No. 2
- 2015 defensive scoring rank: No. 1
Wisconsin led the nation in scoring defense last season and returns every member from its front seven except for All-Big Ten linebacker Joe Schobert. New defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox likes to use multiple defensive fronts just as his predecessor Dave Aranda.
“You talk about scheme, which is important,” Wilcox told the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel in April. “But there’s a lot of ways to do it. There’s a 4-3, a 4-2-5, a 3-4 and a 3-3-5 and it all works.
- Who: Linebacker Chris Orr, linebacker Vince Biegel, nose guard Conor Sheehy
