Washington State vs. Wisconsin: Five story lines to follow Saturday

It shouldn't take long to notice that UW sophomore tailback P.J. Hill looks leaner and faster this season. He lost 12 pounds and is playing at 223, which he hopes will help his durability over the course of a grueling season. A year ago, he rushed for 1,569 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. P.J. Hill faces a .jpgf test in the Cougars, who ranked 34th nationally against the run in 2006. Only three players topped the 100-yard mark against Washington State, and two of them -- Auburn's David Irons (Bengals) and California's Marshawn Lynch (Bills) -- were selected on the first day of the NFL draft.

It's Gabe-time

Not only is Gabe Carimi now in charge of protecting Tyler Donovan's blind side, the former Monona Grove standout's role requires filling some big shoes. Carimi, a redshirt freshman who had a great preseason camp to win the left tackle job, replaces Outland Trophy winner and first-team All-American Joe Thomas.

Return to sender

When it comes to special teams, the buck stops with UW coach Bret Bielema, who took over responsibility for coaching those units this season. The areas that will gain the most scrutiny are kickoff and punt returns; the Badgers ranked last out of 119 teams in the former category (15.0 yards per attempt) and 96th in the latter category (6.6).

Rosy outlook

The Badgers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games against Pac-10 Conference teams, including victories in three Rose Bowls. The run includes victories over UCLA (three times), Stanford (twice), Arizona (twice) and Oregon. The only loss in that span came at Oregon in 2001.

Season (opener) on a Brink

Quick quiz: Who led the Badgers in sacks in 2006? Give yourself a pat on the back if you chose linebacker DeAndre Levy, who finished with six. Defensive lineman Jason Chapman was next with five. The Badgers will need to generate a pass rush against Washington State quarterback Alex Brink, who threw for 2,891 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2006.

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