All season, Wisconsin’s specialty has been racking up yards and controlling time of possession.

Tight end Travis Beckum and his Greg Olsen-type of NFL appeal, along with running back P.J. Hill, have been key to Wisconsin’s offensive attack. Beckum, a 6-foot-4 inch, 224-pound junior, is the Badgers’ leading receiver and causes a mismatch whenever he’s on the field.

“We are going to know where he is on every play,” said Joe Novak, head coach. “He’s really a wide out that they line up at some tight end positions. He can run, he can catch, he’s a really good athlete. We are going to try and lean his way more than we would in just an average situation or against anyone else.”

Beckum’s 10 receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State on Sept. 29 was the key to Wisconsin escaping with a 37-34 win earlier in the season.

In only his second season at tight end, the Milwaukee native already has 1,458 career receiving yards. He also leads the nation in receptions and receiving yards among tight ends with 46 catches for 555 yards.

If opposing defenses are able to successfully key in on Beckum, there is always P.J. Hill. The redshirt sophomore from New York is 15th in the nation in rushing and is a bruising tailback.

“He’s big, big, big,” Novak said. “He’s a load and is going to be hard to bring down.”

With his size, Hill is able to wear down opposing defensive lines, which doesn’t bode well for NIU’s young and beat-up D-line. But even with all his size and strength, Wisconsin has two other capable running backs to hand the ball off to. Freshman Zach Brown and sophomore Lance Smith have been called upon this season and are expected to see some action Saturday.

“The other two guys are really good, too,” Novak said. “They are a little upset with Hill because he fumbled, so we’ll see all three of them. All three of them are very capable and it’ll be a challenge for us.”

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