Maryland's win at Purdue snapped a 13-game Big Ten losing streak and a 6-game skid overall. It took a lot to get there. The Terps were sluggish in the first half, scored 27 points after halftime, and only sealed it when Purdue's Ryan Browne was sacked on the final play. The win was real. So were the problems it covered up.
Look at where Wisconsin's results came from. The wins over Michigan State, USC and Rutgers were all at Camp Randall, and the defense gave up 3, 7 and 10 points in them. The 2 losses in that stretch were both on the road: 7 points at UCLA and a 30-0 shutout at Iowa. Linebacker Cooper Catalano has been the constant, with 15 tackles against Rutgers and 90 on the season. The defense hasn't been the problem away from home. Scoring has.
That makes this a good test for Maryland's defense, which hasn't stopped many people this fall. The Terps gave up 48 to Nebraska, 45 to Ohio State and 37 to Rutgers, and their 3-point loss to Illinois is the closest they came to a stop-the-bleeding game. Wisconsin's offense has been stuck in neutral on the road. Something has to give.
Early forecasts for College Park call for temperatures in the 30s with a chance of snow. A week out, that's a guess, not a plan. Maryland is 3-6, so its path to a bowl is narrow and runs straight through this game. Wisconsin is trying to prove its road form isn't who it is. A cold 11 o'clock kickoff in November is exactly the kind of game where that question gets answered.
