Jared Thomas, a former Northwestern All-Big Ten center and captain, analyzes Wildcat football for WildcatReport.

It's not difficult to guess Jared Thomas' best memory of playing against Wisconsin.

The former All-Big Ten center was a Wildcat from 2015-19 and went 2-3 against the Badgers, including his redshirt season.

But the one that stands out the most was a 31-17 whipping of the No. 20 Badgers in 2018. That was the win that put the Wildcats in the driver's seat for the Big Ten West title they claimed just two weeks later.

"We just handled Wisconsin at home," said Thomas, who was the starting center on that team. "That win gave us control of the West."

The win was the fourth straight for the Wildcats after a dreadful 1-3 start. More importantly, all four victories were in the Big Ten. They eventually won seven straight conference games to earn a spot in the Big Ten championship game against Ohio State.

More than just beating Wisconsin, though, what stood out was the way Northwestern did it. With Thomas and the offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage, the Wildcats ran for more yards than Wisconsin, one of the top rushing teams in the nation.

Isaiah Bowser, a true freshman, ran for 117 yards and a touchdown while the Wildcats limited Badgers star running back Jonathan Taylor, an early season Heisman Trophy candidate, to just 46.

Northwestern's defense forced three fumbles and held Wisconsin to just seven points in the second half to help deliver the knockout blow. It was Northwestern's largest margin of victory against the Badgers since a 35-0 beatdown during the 1995 Rose Bowl season.

"It was a big-time win," said Thomas. "A big confidence booster."

Can the Wildcats notch another big-time win over the once again 20th-ranked Badgers on Saturday?

Here are Thomas' keys to the game if Northwestern is to pull off the upset.