While most UW students are dressed in costume out on state street, a small segment of the student body is in attendance tonight at the Kohl Center, many of whom also donned costumes for the event.

It's Halloween in Madison, but the Badgers aren't scared of UNH. They are ready for their first sweep of the young season and will be ready for a big win tonight.

Herald Sports Editors Max Henson, Adam Holt and Jordan Schelling are in attendance and will provide unparalleled coverage of all of tonight's on-ice action.

Scroll down for the live blog:

Fall is in the air on Halloween weekend here in Madison.

We're set for another Big Ten battle between Wisconsin and Purdue on a chilly, cloudy day at Camp Randall. The weather won't affect us up in the press box, however.

Join Herald Sports Editors Michael Bleach and Jordan Schelling as they provide unparalleled coverage live from the oldest stadium in the Big Ten. And as always, we hope to be joined by BH alumni commenting as they watch from home.

If you're not already out on State Street in full costume for Halloween, check out the Herald Sports live blog with associate sports editors Adam Holt and Jordan Schelling.

Scroll down for the blog.

Games of the week:

#3 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma State

This is it for the Longhorns. Defeat the Cowboys and the schedule sets up perfectly for a trip to the Big 12 title game, and a shot at the national championship. Oklahoma State has some firepower on offense, but without the talents of suspended Dez Bryant, an upset seems pretty unlikely. Look for Colt McCoy to put up some big numbers as he eye's a championship, and a heisman trophy.�

#5 USC @ #10 Oregon

After "the punch" early in the season, few thought the Oregon Ducks would recover. But they have done just that, and they now host the Trojans in a battle for Pac-10 supremacy. The winner of this game is in the driver's seat for a trip to�Pasadena, and something tells me we're going to see the Trojans there once again.

Georgia @ #1 Florida

The Bulldogs have had a pretty�disappointing�season, but the game against Florida is always fun to watch. The Gators and quarterback Tim Tebow have been very unimpressive in recent weeks, and there is�definitely�the�possibility�of an upset on a�neutral�field against a bitter SEC rival.�

Player to watch:

Noel Devine, West Virginia�

Devine displayed his remarkable speed last week against UConn, and he'll get another chance to wow the country on national television tonight against South Florida. With Pittsburgh and Cincinnati sitting at the top of the conference, West Virginia needs this win to stay in the hunt for the Big East title.

Earlier in the week, the Wisconsin coaching staff received a verbal commitment from class of 2010 kicker, Kyle French.

French is regarded as one of the top kickers nationally and Rivals.com lists the Menomonee Falls native as the seventh best kicker in the country.�

Last year at this time, UW felt very comfortable with it's kicking situation thanks to the impressive play of freshman Philip Welch. But this season, the former Groza award finalist has, to put it lightly - struggled. The coaching staff is clearly not happy with Welch's play, and they are demanding improvement from the sophomore. �

French should compete for playing time the minute he steps on campus and�If he can prove to be a reliable kicker next season, Welch may not have much of a future as a specialist here for UW.�

It's a beautiful October day outside, but inside the Kohl Center, basketball season is in full swing!

Join Badger Herald sports editors Michael Bleach and Jordan Schelling as they provide live in-game coverage of the Badgers' annual Red-White Scrimmage.

See below for the live blog:

Games of the week:

#8 TCU @ #16 BYU

This a tremendous matchup between two programs from non-BCS conferences. The TCU Horned Frogs have had an outstanding start to the 2009 season, but Saturday's matchup with Max Hall and the rest of the BYU Cougars is their first true test. A loss to Florida State pretty much ruined BYU's chances at a BCS bowl, but TCU's hopes remain alive if they can get a win over the Cougars this weekend.

#14 Penn State @ Michigan

The Nittany Lions have struggled in Ann Arbor, and this weekend's game against the Wolverines will tell us a lot about both teams. Penn State's only loss is to an undefeated Iowa team, but that was the only tough game on their first-half schedule. A win at Michigan would keep PSU very much alive in the Big Ten title race. Michigan, on the other hand, cannot afford a loss if they want a shot at the Big Ten crown, for three conference losses this early is just too much to overcome.

Auburn @ #9 LSU

The battle between the Tigers is always a phyiscal, defensive-minded football game. Auburn looked great after a 5-0 start, but back to back losses have taken the wind out of their sails. LSU, whose offense has continued to struggle is coming off a tough loss to Florida. This game will really come down to whichever defense can make the most plays. LSU needs to win this one if they want a shot at a BCS bowl game.�

Player to Watch:

Mark Ingram, Alabama�

The Crimson Tide sophomore running back has had an amazing year and he is currently one of the top candidates for the Heisman trophy. Alabama plays host to Tennessee this week in a classic SEC mathcup. Look for Ingram to carry the load against a tough UT defense and further cement his Heisman�candidacy�in the process.�

Some good news finally came for Badger fans as Robby Havenstein, an offensive lineman from Frederick MD., committed to UW earlier in the week.�

Havenstein is a 6-foot-7, 345-pound lineman who had offers from Penn State and West Virginia. Maryland tried to keep the talented lineman in-state, but the Badgers won out and secured a commitment from an intriguing prospect.�

WIth his tremendous size, Havenstein looks to have all the physical tools to succeed as a guard in UW's system, and a couple years in the UW strength program will only make him more powerful.�

For the Badgers, this is the second commitment from the state of Maryland as Havenstein joins safety prospect, Frank Tamakloe, on the 2010 commitment list.�

What looked to be a promising season for the Wisconsin football team took another turn for the worse today as head coach Bret Bielema announced redshirt freshman linebacker Mike Taylor would not return this season after injuring his right knee Saturday against Iowa.

"The good thing for us is that Mike's only a redshirt freshman," Bielema said on the Big Ten coaches' weekly teleconference. "He'll have three quality years in front of him. But we'll help him get through this difficult time."

Taylor, a starting outside linebacker, was the team's leader in tackles with 43 and solo tackles with 20, as well as being second behind defensive end O'Brien Schofield with 6 1/2 tackles for loss.

Though the team did not appear to miss Taylor much after he went down Saturday, the loss should prove significant down the road, especially with his replacement, freshman Chris Borland, being banged up with shoulder and groin injuries.

Borland led Wisconsin with 10 tackles against Iowa, including 2 1/2 for loss.

The injury is the third major injury of 2009 for Taylor, who fought through a neck injury in the spring and hamstring issues during fall camp.

Sorry Badger fans, but some recent basketball news is about to make your already disappointing weekend that much worse.

Reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and NBC 15 in Madison indicate that Vander Blue has committed to Marquette University.

The Madison Memorial star finally ended a dramatic saga that included a de-commitment from UW by giving a verbal commitment to the Golden Eagles over the weekend, as well as attending the Golden Eagles' "MU Madness" event.

Blue is a five-star prospect according to Rivals.com and is regarded as one of the top point guards in the country. His scoring ability attracted attention from some of the nation's elite basketball programs such as Arizona, Florida, and UCLA.

This news is devastating for the UW basketball program. Blue is exactly what this team needed - an athletic guard who can score at will. Come to think of it, any program would love to have Blue and all that he brings to a backcourt, but the Badgers have a particular need for someone who can carry the scoring load. Blue could have been that player for this program.

The Badgers historically have almost always gotten the in-state recruits they want, but this time it was rival Marquette who nabbed the most coveted prize in recent memory, which is almost certain to add to the already heated instate rivalry between the schools.

It feels like we've been on the road for months, but it's only been two weeks since we've been here in the friendly confines of Camp Randall.

Once again we'll be bringing you unparalleled coverage of today's Big Ten matchup between Wisconsin and Iowa.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg is in the house, so you know it's a big game today.

See below for our live blog featuring Sports Editors Michael Bleach and Jordan Schelling.

And as always, we hope for some guest appearances from former Herald Sports editors, but they many of them are in attendance for today's game, so we'll see if we can find any who are not.

Games of the week:�

#20 Oklahoma @ #3 Texas

I'll be honest, this is one of the most exciting games to watch year in and year out in college football. The red river rivalry is as good as it gets, and this year's matchup should produce another classic. Texas has shown some vulnerability in the last few weeks, but the Longhorns have continued to remain in the top three. Oklahoma will be�ecstatic�to welcome back Sam Bradford as the Sooners look to salvage their season. �

#4 Virginia Tech @ #19 Georgia Tech

This battle between the two ACC tech schools will go a long way in deciding this conference race. The Hokies have been�unstoppable�since losing to Alabama in week one, and the Yellow Jackets have rebounded nicely following a tough loss to Miami. Georgia Tech's flexbone offense will be a test for the Hokies who look to stay near the top of the rankings.�

#6 USC @ #25 Notre Dame

It's the ultra-talented Trojans taking on the overrated Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend. USC has dominated this rivalry as of late, and it would be a giant step forward for Charlie Weis and the Irish if they somehow conquered Pete Carroll's Trojans. I just don't see that happening.�

Player to Watch:�

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma�

It has to be last year's Heisman trophy winner. The Sooner quarterback has had an unfortunate 2009 season due to injuries, but despite the early losses, Bradford can make this season somewhat meaningful if he comes back and defeats the rival Longhorns. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of this game and that of the Texas defense.�

By Jackson Dargan

Dezmen Southward is not your traditional Wisconsin recruit. He wasn't the massive kid who could run faster, jump higher, and throw further than any other kid, he wasn't the kid who had a giant growth spurt his freshmen year, in fact he didn't even step onto a football field as a kid. Dezmen played basketball throughout high school, and thought that's where his future lay, and stayed away from the physical contact of football.

"I didn't get the offers I was hoping for in basketball, so I decided to give football a chance," Southward said.

He decided to join the football team after years of begging by friends and family to join the powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School football team that went onto an eventual national championship.

After only a year of playing football at the High School level, he began to receive offers from college teams. However, it wasn't until his classmate, and fellow badger recruit Conor O'Neill signed and informed the UW coaching staff about the highly athletic safety on his team that UW came calling. After a fairly short recruiting period, Dezmen committed.

Only being on campus since late may, Southward is quickly learning, and experiencing what football is like at a Big Ten program.

"I've played more football here than I have in my entire life...I'm light years ahead of where I was last year at this point, but im still learning," Southward said.

His abilities and gains aren't going unnoticed by the UW coaching staff.

"Dezmens one of the most, if not the most athletically gifted athletes on the field," UW defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks said.

Although he is redshirting and not seeing the playing field on Saturdays, Southward is still facing a starting UW offense on a daily basis that has looked potent throughout the first few games.

"Dezmen is one of our most physically talented defensive backs, and I cant wait until he gets the mental part of the game down," Cooks said.

A problem that has arisen is finding where exactly Southward will play. Standing at 6-foot-2, 210-pounds Southward is a big kid, and still has a lot of weight to put on which begs the question if he could move to safety.

"Dezmen is talented enough to play nearly anywhere on the field, linebacker, safety, corner, receiver. I think if he puts his mind to it he could be a star corner, but he would be a great safety. I think he's a defensive back," Cooks said.

Right now Southward's biggest concern is the cold, something he isn't exactly used to.

"Its cold here, it doesn't get like this in Florida"

The Badgers are coming off a tough road-loss to a powerful Ohio State team, but the schedule does them no favors, as the upstart Iowa Hawkeyes ready themselves for a trip to Camp Randall.�

Iowa is ranked no.11 in the AP poll, largely due to a huge win in Happy Valley earlier in the year. The Hawkeyes have been tough to figure out though, considering they squeaked by Northern Iowa and Arkansas State. Some close calls may have many second-guessing Iowa, but overall, this is a tough football team that plays a physical brand of football.

Here is my scouting report on the Hawkeyes.

Offense:�

Shonn Greene's departure left a huge whole in the Iowa offense, and many in Iowa wondered if backup running back Jewel Hampton could handle the load. Well, when Hampton went down with a new injury in camp, Hawkeye nation went into panic mode. Adam Robinson, a redshirt freshman, was the next man in line and he has done a fine job. He may be�inexperienced, but�Robinson is a powerful runner who has yet to fumble.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has benefited from the solid rushing attack, but the Junior has been inconsistent all year. Stanzi has thrown a lot of interceptions and he tends to be very hot and cold. To his credit however, he continues to find ways to win.�

Defense:

Iowa has an abundance of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and they have been making their presence know all year.

Adrian Clayborn leads an aggressive defensive line that has been outstanding against the run. Despite losses due to graduation, Iowa's d-line just always reloads.�

As far as linebackers go, its hard to find one who has been more productive than Pat Angerer. The senior linebacker is always around the ball and he leads the team with 59 tackles.�

In the secondary, opposing offenses always have to be aware of safety Tyler Sash. It seems like he records an interception every week as the sophomore already has five picks on the year.�

Well, Wisconsin is no longer undefeated, and Saturday's loss to the Buckeyes taught the upset-minded Badgers a thing or two about Big Ten football at the Horseshoe. Here is what we learned from a humbling week six:

1. Defense wins in the Big Ten

At the end of the day, a good defense is going to upend a good offense in the Big Ten. It's that simple. Iowa proved that when they shut down Penn State, and now OSU has shown once again that a top defense, even without much help from it's own offense, can lead to victories. The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage, and that athletic d-line wreaked havoc throughout the game.

2. Wisconsin also knows how to play solid D

The Badgers had a strong defensive performance on Saturday as they frustrated Terrelle Pryor. The defense was barely on the field due to OSU's three non-offensive touchdowns, but UW showed that they have an above-average defense. The UW d-line had another solid performance, and O'Brien Schofield continued to be a force off the edge.�

3. Special teams are still an issue

The poor special teams play finally caught up to the Badgers as they gave up a kick-return for a score. It was only a matter of time. Wisconsin is going to need to find a coverage unit that works - especially with the no.11 Iowa Hawkeyes coming to town next week. Special teams is often a deciding factor in close games, and right now UW is at a distinct disadvantage.�

4. For the first time all season, the O-line was overwhelmed�

Ohio State might have the best defensive line in the nation, so it's understandable that UW would struggle in pass protection. But it won't get any easier next week, for Iowa's d-line is almost that good. It was tough for the O-line to stand tall when there was no longer the threat of the run, but UW is going to need to protect�their�QB better if they want to score some points on these stout defenses.�

Wisconsin may be on national television this week, but no Badger football game is complete without commentary and analysis from Herald Sports. This week, current sports editors Michael Bleach and Jordan Schelling are in the press box at The Horseshoe for today's matchup between Wisconsin and Ohio State. We also expect commentary from our fellow editors Jonah Braun, Max Henson and Adam Holt, who will be watching from home on ABC.

Games of the week:�

#1 Florida @ #4 LSU

Will Tebow play? That is the big question, but even without Tebow, the Gators have enough talent to play with anyone. LSU has been inconsistent, especially on offense, but that defense is keeping the Tigers at the top of the rankings. LSU is awfully tough to beat at home, and the crowd will certainly make it's presence known under the lights. If the Gators find a way to win, they should be set to make an appearance in the SEC championship game.�

#3 Alabama @ #20 Mississippi�

Another SEC battle, but this one isn't such an even matchup. The Crimson Tide have been incredibly consistent and Nick Saban's team looks to have a championship caliber defense. Ole Miss and quarterback Jevan Sneed, on the other hand, has been very inconsistent and that has caused the Rebels to drop in the rankings. Mississippi needs a big win at home if they plan on playing in a meaningful bowl game.�

Michigan @ #12 Iowa

Iowa is a tough team to figure out. They beat Penn State on the road, but barely beat Northern Iowa and Arkansas State at home. The Hawkeyes have a great defense, but the offense has had its struggles. Michigan is looking for a big road win following an overtime loss to Michigan State.�

Player to watch:

Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

Arkansas has played two ranked SEC teams so far this season and they lost both. Alabama made Mallett very uncomfortable, but the Razorbacks QB bounced back with a strong outing against Texas A&M. Mallett will have his hands full this week as an undefeated Auburn team comes to town.�

�

By Ian McCue

The University of Wisconsin football team is known for its talented running backs and this year the Badgers added yet another talented back: freshman Montee Ball.

Recruited out of Timberland High School in Wentzville, Mo., the four star recruit was highly touted coming out of high school. Ball set various records in the Wentzville School District and was one of the top running backs in the country.

Transitioning to the college game is no easy task, and Ball admits it has been harder than he expected.

"I came in here expecting for the defense to be a lot faster and everything to be a lot more fast-paced," Ball said. "Everyone's great, everyone's a good player."

When asked about the adjustment, Ball was quick to mention the elevated speed of the game.

"I kind of expected for it all to be, faster, you know the intensity way higher," Ball said. "But I think I'm pretty much over the freshman head-spinning thing."

As a true freshman, Ball will play a backup role this year but he will have an impact on the Badgers' running game.

"He's a guy we're looking at to come in and give John a break here and there, " running backs coach John Settle said.

Settle sees a lot of potential in Ball, as he has already seen a great set of skills in the freshman running back.

"The thing that he's shown us so far is that he has a quick burst to the line, he runs the ball hard, he's able to get behind his pads, and surprisingly he has pretty decent speed," Settle said.

Ball had the first carries of his college career last week against the University of Minnesota, taking five for four yards. The freshman running back learned quickly how intense college football, and it's longest rivalry, really is.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking, rival game, you know, hostile environment. I was just mainly focused on protecting the ball," Ball said.

Now that his first college plays are out of the way, Ball is looking forward to the upcoming game against Ohio State. As for expectations for the next game, Ball remains modest.

"Whenever they call my number, I'll be ready to go in and do my job," Ball said. "As long as we're winning, I'm happy."

It was another wild finish in the annual battle for Paul Bunyan's axe, but for the sixth year in a row the Wisconsin Badgers used it to chop down the goal posts. UW won it's first road game of the year and in the process, moved to 5-0 on the season. Here is what we learned from an�exhilarating�week five victory:�

1. Tolzien can handle adversity

Wisconsin's quarterback didn't have his best day on Saturday, but he kept things under control and never seemed phased by the hostile environment. Tolzien threw a terrible interception early, and coughed up a fumble, but he was able to bounce back with a strong second half. Tolzien showed his toughness by lowering his shoulder on a few QB keepers and he showed off some speed on a wide open naked boot leg late in the game.�

2. The O-line is coming together

The offensive line has done an outstanding job protecting their quarterback all year, but the run-blocking has been inconsistent. After a strong performance in the Big Ten opener, the UW line continued their impressive play, opening up some huge holes against the Gophers. This group has shifted around a bit with Moffit moving to guard and Konz replacing him at center, but they are getting better each week, and the running game is putting up big numbers as a result.

3. Schofield is one of the best players in the Big Ten�

We knew this already, but Saturday's performance made it clear that O'Brien Schofield is one of the best defensive players in the conference. The senior captain and the national leader in tackles for loss had a couple sacks and forced the fumble that sealed the win for the Badgers.

4. Special teams need to improve

UW was horrendous on kick return coverage Saturday and it nearly cost them. It seemed like the Gophers were set up with good field position to start every drive and that gave Weber and company a short field to work with. On punt and kick returns, David Gilreath struggled once again. Even the punt unit had some issues, as Nortman had one of his punts partially blocked. Luckily for UW, these poor performances didn't result in a loss, but the special teams play is going to need improve quickly if the Badgers want to upset the Buckeyes.�

For those of you who didn't make the 4-hour trip to Minneapolis for today's game, we'll be providing live coverage of the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.

Featured on the blog today will be current sports editors Michael Bleach and Jordan Schelling. We also hope to be joined by former Herald sports editors Tyler Mason and Aaron Brenner.

Games of the week:�

#4 LSU @ #18 Georgia

Les Miles leads a hard-hitting LSU team down to Georgia to take on the Bulldogs in what has all the makings of a classic SEC showdown. The Tigers have a tremendous defense once again, and they have gotten consistent quarterback play from Jordan Jefferson. The Bulldogs on the other hand, have struggled on defense, and they will need to elevate their play to beat LSU.�

#7 USC @ #24 California

This game would look a whole lot better if USC took care of business against Washington and if California earned a win at Oregon. Regardless, this is still a huge matchup that could go a long way in deciding the PAC 10. USC needs to get it's swagger back with a big road win, while Cal is looking to prove that they are better than that embarrassing performance they put out last week in Eugene.�

#8 Oklahoma @ #17 Miami (FL)

Despite an early loss and an injury to Sam Bradford, the Sooners are still alive. Oklahoma has played well in recent weeks and they are hoping to get Bradford back next week. The Hurricanes are going through a brutal stretch in their schedule and it ends with a visit from the Sooners. Miami needs to bounce back from a tough loss to ACC rival Virginia Tech, and a win over OU could carry them through a relatively easy remaining schedule.�

Player to Watch:

Daryll Clark, Penn State

The Nittany Lions quarterback is coming off a�forgettable�outing against Iowa and he and his teammates are going to look for a rebound against a reeling Illinois squad. Penn State is �going to let out some frustration against the Illini so you can expect Clark to put up big numbers. �