Big Ten Championship Game: 5 most important players
By Brad Weiss
The Penn State Nittany Lions and Wisconsin Badgers will do battle Saturday night for the Big Ten Championship. Here are the five most important players.
The 2016 Big Ten Championship Game will feature two unlikely teams, though both are more than deserving of playing in the big game. Penn State had to navigate a division that features Ohio State and Michigan, two teams who were ranked in the top-5 to begin the season. Wisconsin had to wrestle the West from Iowa, who dominated that division last year.
On Saturday night, these two 10-2 teams will do battle to see who will leave Lucas Oil Stadium with the crown. It has been a fantastic year for both schools, who appeared on zero ballots in the preseason to be where they are. With that said, here are the five most important players in the game.
5. LB T.J. Watt, Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers defense is loaded, boasting some of the best talent the Big Ten has to offer. Linebacker T.J. Watt was mostly known for being J.J.’s brother to start the season, but he has etched out his own place in Wisconsin history in 2016. The younger Watt was a dominant force on the Badgers’ defense all season long, finishing the regular season as a First Team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media.
Watt loves to get after the quarterback, and that is going to be especially important on Saturday night. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley loves to make something out of nothing, so it is going to be Watt’s job to make sure broken plays do not go for big gains. He is one of those linebackers who can work sideline to sideline, and he has a knack for disrupting plays behind the line of scrimmage.
The biggest task for the Badgers on Saturday night is going to be avoiding the big play, which all starts with McSorley. If he is given time to throw the ball to his big receivers, it could be a long night for Wisconsin. Watt is a high energy guy who led the Badgers in quarterback hurries this season, but he is going to have to make sure he corrals McSorley if he does get his opportunities on Saturday.