Wisconsin vs. New Mexico State: Three matchups to watch

A look at three potentially important matchups for this weekend's game between Wisconsin versus New Mexico State.

The Wisconsin Badgers (1-1 overall) are back on the football field this Saturday for an afternoon contest with the New Mexico State Aggies (0-3 overall). 

The game represents an opportunity for the Badgers to get back on track from a week ago and gain some needed momentum early in the season.

In preparation for this weekend's battle, here is a look at three key matchups to watch this Saturday.

New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill speaking with media members ahead of the 2022 season.  :: Meg Potter/Sun-News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Head Paul Chryst vs. Jerry Kill

Former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill will be back in Madison this weekend as the head coach of New Mexico State. During his time with the Gophers, he was unable to beat Wisconsin, and he will look to play spoiler this Saturday with his new team.

While Kill's squad is a big underdog coming into the matchup, he is very familiar with the Wisconsin football program Paul Chryst.

Coming off of a tough loss a week ago, there is a subsection of the fanbase that is upset with Chryst and the direction of the program based on the team's performance against Washington State. This is a big game for Chryst to fire his team up and quiet some of the outside noise happening around the state.

While a win against New Mexico State would not silence the doubters by any stretch, improved play across the board would go a long way in helping his case and raise confidence for his team and fans heading into a matchup with Ohio State.

Chryst was hard on himself after the loss against Washington State because of some coaching decisions, and the hope is that the staff and team will put together a better overall performance versus the Aggies and Jerry Kill. 

Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Tippmann leading the way as a lead blocker against Washington State.  :: MARK HOFFMAN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin's offensive line vs. New Mexico State's front seven

One of the biggest questions heading into the game this weekend is whether the Wisconsin offensive line will clean things up in the run game.

However, I will be specifically watching how much movement the offensive line can generate against a lackluster New Mexico State rush defense. The Aggies rank No. 111 in the FBS against the run and are only averaging one sack per game.

For a Wisconsin offensive line that had several backbreaking penalties and some missed assignments in the first two weeks, a solid performance could provide a stepping stone towards fixing some of their issues. The Badgers should have a decisive advantage up front, but it is now about execution. Wisconsin made some significant changes to their run blocking scheme in the off-season under the leadership of new offensive line coach Bob Bostad, and the results have been fairly mixed thus far.

It will be important for the offensive line to get their groove back with Big Ten play on the horizon, and that process starts this weekend. 

Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo running with the football against Washington State.  / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin versus themselves

Head coach Paul Chryst, and most head coaches for that matter, will note that the game of football is far more about playing your best than worrying about the opponent. 

For Wisconsin, this is especially true this weekend against a struggling New Mexico State team. The Aggies are already 0-3 and were blown out by Minnesota in Week 1. 

The Badgers need to focus on playing technically sound and get back to the brand of football that Wisconsin fans expect. 

A week ago, Wisconsin beat itself in a lot of different ways. The Badgers had an uncharacteristically high number of penalties, special teams miscues, turnovers, and also lacked energy at times. 

Heading into Week 3, those same types of mistakes can't happen. There is sometimes a tendency for Power 5 teams to play down to competition against perceived lower competition, but that can not be the case against New Mexico State. The Badgers need to look better in all phases of the game this Saturday. 

Grinding. pic.twitter.com/CXDrPCNGu4

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) September 16, 2022

Related links:

• WATCH: Wisconsin cornerback Max Lofy talks about his first career interception
• Wisconsin's Week 3 depth chart and injury report for New Mexico State
• Three questions for Wisconsin versus New Mexico State, Week 3

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