Hawai'i @ Wisconsin preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2009 ) Wisconsin 51, Hawaii 10

Wisconsin can expect a challenge when it hosts Hawaii on Saturday in its final non-conference tuneup before the rigors of Big Ten play begin. The No. 21 Badgers outscored Miami (Ohio) and Troy 86-3 after a season-opening 35-17 loss to No. 12 Alabama, but must be well-prepared for a Rainbow Warriors' team that hung tough with No. 1 Ohio State, trailing only 17-0 through three quarters two weeks ago before succumbing 38-0.

Wisconsin senior quarterback Joel Stave has completed 67.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and two interceptions - a big improvement from 2014 when he hit on 53.4 percent with nine TDs and 10 picks - while leading an offense which has clicked without injured running back Corey Clement. The junior, who rushed for 949 yards and nine touchdowns last season, hasn't played since the Alabama game and it was announced Thursday that he would miss 4-to-6 weeks because of a sports hernia. Hawaii tries to stop the Badgers' 34-game non-conference winning streak at home as it faces a Wisconsin defense led by Joe Schobert. The senior outside linebacker is third in the country with 7.5 tackles for loss and tied for fifth with four sacks.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Wisconsin -24.5

ABOUT HAWAII (2-1): Senior quarterback Max Wittek bounced back from a rough performance versus Ohio State (7-for-24, 67 yards, two interceptions) by throwing a pair of touchdown passes in last week's 47-27 victory over UC Davis. Junior wide receiver Marcus Kemp (12 catches, 19.8 yards per reception, two touchdowns) while junior running back Paul Harris (261 yards, TD) carries the load on the ground. Hawaii loves to blitz and recorded six sacks this season while senior cornerback Ne'Quan Phillips registered a team-best three tackles for loss without a sack.

ABOUT WISCONSIN (2-1): Stave has completed passes to 12 players this season with senior Alex Erickson (14 catches, 16.6 average, one touchdown) the most frequent target and junior wide receiver Robert Wheelwright (three TDs) and tight end Austin Traylor combining for five scores. Traylor recorded only three receptions last season, but an offseason regimen which included catching 100 passes per day has transformed the 6-4, 242-pound senior into a significant offensive threat. Junior Dare Ogunbowale (196 yards, two touchdowns) and redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal (143, two) are expected to continue carrying the load out of the backfield.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Stave has won 23 games - tied for third-most among FBS quarterbacks with Navy's Keenan Reynolds and trailing Michigan State's Connor Cook and Stanford's Kevin Hogan (26 apiece).

2. The Badgers have allowed 299.9 yards per game since defensive coordinator Dave Aranda took over in 2013 - the third-lowest total in the FBS during that span.

3. Wisconsin leads the series 5-1, including a 51-10 victory in the last encounter in 2009.

PREDICTION: Wisconsin 38, Hawaii 13