Provo * Somewhat lost in all the mystery surrounding BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum’s ankle injury this week is the sobering fact for the Cougars that their offense is the sixth-worst in the country, even with the experienced Mangum at the helm.
Also diminished is the realization, which might not hit until 1:30 p.m. MT Saturday, that one of the best teams in college football will test BYU and fill-in QB Beau Hoge at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The 10th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will be the first Big Ten team to ever play in Provo.
Current Big Ten member Penn State lost 30-17 at BYU in 1992, a year before it joined the league.
“We are looking forward to playing [Wisconsin] here and just having them in our stadium is going to be fun,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake of the 2-0 Badgers. “It is nice that a great team is coming in. They capture your attention. As much as the game hurt last week, it is nice to have something to look forward to right away. That is a good distraction, I guess.”
Sitake said Wisconsin deserves its lofty ranking.
“We are expecting a really good team. They are ranked in the top 10 for a reason,” he said. “It is just good to have them at home. We will see how much of an advantage is will be for us. I was really happy and excited about the fans on Saturday night [against Utah]. I think they gave us a lot of lift, and gave us an advantage. Hopefully they can give us the same thing this weekend.”
BYU offensive lineman Thomas Shoaf grew up in Columbus, Ind., and said he looked at Wisconsin before choosing BYU.
“They’ve got a big front and big cornfed guys up front,” Shoaf said. “A lot of guys I grew up with. They are not going to have some of the same speed [as LSU], but they are physical. They pose a different threat. We respect them and are looking forward to it.
“We pride ourselves in playing the best competion we can,” Shoaf continued. “We are not going to back down from a fight. We want to be physical and show them that we can step up and play at their level.”
Looking back at 2013
When Wisconsin downed BYU 27-17 in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 9, 2013, the No. 21 Badgers outmuscled the Cougars with 229 rushing yards and got 147 yards on 20 carries from James White.
The only Cougar who played in that game who will also play Saturday is defensive lineman Merrill “Meti” Taliauli. He recorded two solo tackles.
Shoaf, fellow offensive lineman Tuni Kanuch, defensive end Trajan Pili and defensive back Cody Stewart were also on the 2013 roster, but all four players redshirted that year.
Pau’u under pressure
Middle linebacker Butch Pau’u will almost certainly lead BYU in tackles Saturday against the run-oriented Badgers, and the junior from Anaheim, Calif., says he’s ready for the workout.
“The challenge will be trying to maintain the physicality up front all four quarters,” Pau’u said. “Because they are a tough team that is going to bring it, and they are going to try to run every single play. … We expect it to be a hard-fought game.”
Pau’u said BYU’s linebackers and safeties worked extra hard on their tackling techniques after practices earlier in the week.
“These [Wisconsin] guys are hard-nosed runners and they break tackles,” Pau’u said. “You can’t bring them down if you try to go for their ankles. … We missed a lot of tackles against LSU and Utah, which lost us those games, I feel like. I think this week you will see a better tackling game from the defense.”
Briefly
Although it rained off and on in Provo on Friday, forecasters are calling for partly cloudy skies and just a 15 percent chance for rain on Saturday. Temperature at kickoff is expected to be in the low-60s. … BYU will retire the No. 6 jerseys worn by quarterbacks Marc Wilson and Robbie Bosco and running back Luke Staley during halftime on Saturday.