Wisconsin Badgers Football: 10 Things to Watch vs. UNLV

Under the light of the moon, the Wisconsin Badgers open their 2011 campaign against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. The Badgers are 35-point favorites and expect to control much of the game on the ground and with punishing defense.

But you knew that already. I'm not here to waste your time.

The following isn't your run-of-the-mill "things to watch" article. I'm diving deeper.

Here are 10 specific things to look for on Thursday night.

As the song goes: If you want to be a Badger die-hard, come along with me.

10. Vive Le French!

Senior place-kicker Phil Welch is a three-year starter, honorable mention All-Big Ten performer and former Lou Groza award semifinalist. He won't play due to a quad injury.

The Badgers will break in two new kickers. Kyle French, a redshirt freshman from Menominee Falls, WI will handle field goals and extra points. Head Coach Bret Bielema said French has range to about 53 yards, but is more comfortable with his kicker from about 45 yards and in.

French won't handle kickoffs, however. That job will fall to Alec Lerner, a redshirt sophomore from Omaha, NE. Unlike French, Lerner has some game experience, including an onside kick versus TCU in the Rose Bowl.

It's unlikely French or Lerner will determine the results of Thursday night's game, but you have to believe the Badgers would like to get their very green kickers off on the right foot (no pun intended).

9. To the Left, to the Left

You must know the Badgers lost left-tackle Gabe Carimi and left-guard John Moffitt to the NFL.

Redshirt junior Ricky Wagner will try to fill the enormous void left by Carimi, while redshirt sophomore Travis Frederick replaces Moffit. Wagner has plenty of tackle experience on the right side, but very little on the left. It's silly to think he'll step in and be an Outland Trophy finalist from day one, but Wagner must be up to the task because the Badgers have very little experience behind him (not to mention the health of their quarterback).

Frederick started at center as a true freshman but succumbed to injury that season. He has played both guard positions and will settle in on the revamped left side. I thought Moffitt was the most valuable lineman last fall, and replacing his steady hand and calming influence is crucial. I'm also interested to see how the Sharon, WI native pulls and moves when the Badgers run the ball.

For years when the Badgers needed to gain tough yards on the ground, they always ran left behind NFL-caliber linemen. It'll be curious to see how this new left side gels with each other and the three men to their right.

8: Cornerbacks Move Up

So, you heard redshirt junior Marcus Cromartie had a terrific fall camp. Good for you.

Personally, I'm more interested in seeing the Badger cornerbacks play some press coverage for once. TCU exploited the Badgers cushion in the Rose Bowl, and new co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash has promised a more menacing, attack-style defense. Ash will be up in the booth and not on the sidelines—a perfect perspective to see how close (or not-so-close) the Badgers corners are to their marks.

UNLV doesn't exactly have Rice, Taylor and Jones to contend with on the perimeter, so it will be interesting to see how much press coverage Antonio Fenelus, Devin Smith, and Cromartie play on Thursday night.

7. Jersey Joe

Let's be real: If the game goes according to plan, the Badgers should have the game in hand well before the students begin to JUMP AROUND.

Here's hoping the House of Pain hit also signals the first meaningful snaps for redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Brennan.

The New Jersey signal caller benefited from Jon Budmayr's absence for most of fall camp, and he would be the man should anything happen to starter Russell Wilson.

Sure, Brennan will likely turn and hand it off to one of the Badgers two freshmen running backs, but don't put it beyond Bret Bielema to have Brennan throw a few passes to his novice receivers as well. You simply cannot replicate in-game reps in practice, and Bielema would be wise to have Brennan survey the field without a hat and clipboard.

6. Check-Up

Health check! Sure, we're all holding our breath and hoping the Badgers come out of the UNLV game unscathed. Here's a list of players and their injuries to look for:

LB Chris Borland: Shoulder

LB Mike Taylor: ACL

WR Nick Toon: Foot (turf toe)

G Kevin Zeitler, FB/TE Sherard Cadogan, RT Rob Havenstein, LT Casey Dehn: Ankle

TE Brian Wozniak: Hamstring

RB Jeff Lewis: Hand

Note: K Phil Welch and WR Manasseh Garner are highly unlikely to play.

5. Russell Wilson's Release

He's 5'10", maybe 5'11" with cleats on.

Look, the Badgers can be thankful Wilson is donning the cardinal and white for a season. They can also be thankful his release point on his throws is practically over his head. Otherwise, we'd see a ton of batted balls and throws that could potentially hit his own linemen.

If there's one knock on Wilson's game, it's his height (or lack thereof).

I'm predicting Wilson to have a sparkling debut and think the coaching staff would love to see what their new toy can do. However, we still have yet to see Wilson throw a consistent amount of balls behind the Badgers' monstrous offensive line. Even three or four batted balls is too many for this grind-it-out offense.

Wilson's release point and how he delivers passes is a crucial piece of the Badgers offense.

4. Fab Five (True) Freshmen

Here's a quick rundown of the newest kids on the Camp Randall block:

Running back Melvin Gordon

We're still not sure Gordon has supplanted redshirt freshman Jeff Lewis as the team's third running back, but you can bet the Badgers will look to get the Kenosha prospect some touches in the second half on Thursday night. Gordon was four-star rated prospect from Rivals.com and is a glider-type the Badgers haven't had since Lance Smith. It's doubtful Gordon will return kicks tomorrow night, although that's a role the staff has said he may grow into.

Wide receiver Frederick Willis

Willis was something of an unknown coming into the Badgers fall camp in August. The Brookfield product was thought to be more raw material than finished product. Detractors mentioned the level of competition he faced in high school as well as the notion that he was only a track star playing football as opposed to vice versa. Of course, Willis is super fast and at 6'3" has really nice size for an 18-year-old. The guess here is that he will help out on special teams and when the Badgers implement multiple receivers.

Wide receiver Kenzel Doe

Doe is something of an anomaly for the Badgers. The only player from North Carolina, Doe enrolled early to learn and eventually assume the slot-man/punt returner/kick returner role vacated by David Gilreath... only it looks like he's on the outside looking in at all three positions. Doe is short and quick, and should be relatively polished for a newby.

Linebacker Derek Landisch

Derek Landisch is a perfect example of how going off of YouTube highlights, star rankings and offer lists can often be foolish. His scholarship offer list was paltry. Rivals.com rated him the 11^th best player in the state of Wisconsin.

Yet, he’s the prospect Bielema has noted time and time again ever since he wowed the staff at the Badgers summer camp in 2010. Bielema likened Landisch to Chris Borland and called him “unblockable.” Expect to see him on special teams, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was used as a blitzer like Borland was in ’09.

Cornerback Darius Hilary

There's no denying the Badgers lack of experience and depth at both wide receiver and cornerback. Quite frankly, it's glaring. We know Doe and Willis will play on the offensive perimeter, so enter Darius Hilary to play along the defensive perimeter. Hilary can cover, which is nice because it seems like the Badgers have few players who can do it, and do it on a consistent basis. Hilary sported scholarship offers from the likes of Illinois, Minnesota and Boston College. He's also fourth on the depth chart behind upperclassmen Antonio Fenelus, Devin Smith and Marcus Cromartie.

3. Dream Big, Sack the Quarterback

The good news is Louis Nzegwu and David Gilbert, the two defensive ends atop the Badgers depth chart, came to fall camp in unbelievable shape. The bad news is they ALWAYS come to camp in top-notch shape.

Well, it's not "bad" news, but it is put-up or shut-up time for these two veteran defensive ends.

Both have promise and have shown flashes of brilliance in their time on campus. Nzegwu’s 7.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks are both tops among returners. Gilbert has played in 25 of a possible 26 games since coming to UW as a very-young-for-his-grade freshman.

The Badger coaches have talked ad nauseum about not being able to replace J.J. Watt the person, but trying to replace his production.

Nzegwu and Gilbert, along with ends Brendan Kelly, Pat Muldoon and Warren Herring begin their mission on Thursday. And they won't be able to phone Watt in Houston if there is a problem.

I'll be monitoring the rotation on Thursday night between the five ends. But more important than the individual is the consistency. The Badgers need pressure from their defensive ends and someone must step up the plate.

2. Slim Ball

I gained at least fifteen pounds as a freshman in college. Montee Ball did too.

The following summer I heard all about my new-found pounds from friends and family.

This summer, all I heard about was Montee Ball's new, slimmer look from coaches and the media.

Call me a weight-watcher, but I can't wait to see it.

Ball is down close to 20 pounds and will play at about 215 pounds this fall. Will he have more burst? Will he lose his power? Can he withstand the punishment of the Big Ten season?

As good as Ball was from late October through the new year, Ball seldom ran away from defenders. His longest run last season was only 44 yards. Let that be the mark on Thursday night. Will Montee have a run longer than 44 yards? I'll be on the look-out.

1. Vanilla Offense, No Wrinkles, Wilson the Cherry on Top

If there's one thing I know to be true, it's that offensive coordinator Paul Chryst hates to tip his hand during the non-conference schedule.

Expect the Badgers to be very vanilla in their play-calls, especially on offense.

I wouldn't expect fake punts or field goals, half-back passes or flea-flickers either.

The Badgers beat UNLV, San Jose State and Austin Peay handily last fall. It was all steak and no sizzle. I am sure Chryst is hoping they won't have to use gadgetry or anything else they put on film for their Big Ten opponents to scout and prepare for.

That said, I do expect the Badgers to flaunt Wilson a bit. Paul Chryst's first play-call for Scott Tolzien in 2009 was a bomb to Isaac Anderson for a 79-yard touchdown. Still, role-outs, play-action,and a designed draw are likely the most exotic, planned things you'll see Wilson do all night.

Needless to say, any improvising Wilson may do versus UNLV is something all Badgers fans have waited months to see.