Barry Alvarez: Badgers have to be explosive, 'knuckle-up' with Rutgers

Alvarez likes Wisconsin's trio of receivers in Will Pauling, Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kekahuna.

Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Tawee Walker (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Rutgers and Wisconsin are preparing for a street fight in New Jersey and Badgers Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez says it's time to "knuckle-up."

"They've been physical. [Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano] has brought that hard-nosed brand of football. The defense is going to be very physical, so we're going to have to knuckle-up with them and be just as physical," Alvarez said on The Great Dane Huddle on ESPN Radio.

The Scarlet Knights (4-1) are favored by 2.5 points for the 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

"I think [Wisconsin is] a better team," Alvarez said. "I do, the oddsmakers don't. They are taking the home-field advantage. That's the difference in that spread."

One of the big signs of momentum the Badgers have to be thrilled about is quarterback Braedyn Locke getting hot after throwing two interceptions within the first 21 minutes of the game against Purdue.

"All of a sudden things start perking, working and clicking and here we go," Alvarez said of Locke's turnaround. "You get rhythm and confidence and there's the difference."

Lock was 5-of-13 with a touchdown and two interceptions midway through the second quarter. After that, he completed 15-of-18 passes for more than 250 yards and two more touchdowns, both to redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna, who won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award for his six-catch, 134-yard performance.

"He's got explosion and he's got vision. He makes things happen after he catches," Alvarez said of Kekahuna. "He's going to run through tackles, he's going to make people missed. I was really impressed with him."

Rutgers began the season with easy wins over Howard and Akron before turning heads with victories over Virginia Tech and Washington. Their momentum was ground to a halt in a 14-7 loss at Nebraska last Saturday, setting the stage for a big-time showdown against a Badgers team that is hungry to move to 4-2 after blasting Purdue 52-6.