For as dismal of a season as Maryland is in the midst of — the Terps are 3-6 (1-5 in Big Ten play) and are three weeks removed from firing their head coach — this roster isn't without talent. Far from it.

Wisconsin already knows all about what the Terps' starting quarterback, Malik Washington, can do. Last season, in his first career Big Ten start, he cruised into Camp Randall Stadium and carved the Badgers up to the tune of 265 passing yards and three total touchdowns.

Maryland also has a handful of dangerous receivers, most notably Wyoming transfer Chris Durr, who has the third-most catches in the Big Ten with 62 and the sixth-most yards with 765.

However, the player that strikes the most fear into my heart as I evaluate this game from the Badgers' perspective? True freshman pass-rusher Zion Elee.

Maryland's dangerous young pass-rusher

Elee is just a true freshman, but he's no ordinary true freshman. The five-star recruit from Baltimore immediately earned a rotational role with the Terps, and while he's technically not a starter, he's Maryland No. 3 edge defender by snap count and he's averaging 32 snaps per game over his last three games.

He's the Terps' top sack artist, as he already has six on the season to go along with 19 total pressures. Last week, against a hapless Purdue defensive front, he racked up seven pressures and three sacks in that game alone.

Simply put, Elee is a wrecking ball. His sacks are often quite productive, as he also has three forced fumbles, none more impressive than his relentless effort on the below play to strip-sack Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin:

Why Elee is a bad matchup for the Badgers

With starting left tackle Kevin Heywood set to undergo surgery and officially done for the year, Wisconsin had to turn back to much-maligned tackle PJ Wilkins against Rutgers. The Ole Miss transfer has struggled this season, particularly in pass protection. However, head coach Luke Fickell said that Wilkins had his best week of preparation yet in the lead-up to the Rutgers game, and indeed, he had arguably his best game yet in the Cardinal and White, allowing just one pressure across 19 pass-blocking snaps.

Still, Wilkins didn't face any pass-rushers like Elee last week. The Scarlet Knights simply don't have that kind of talent up front. It'll be crucial for Wilkins to stack good performances and hold his own against Elee, as otherwise, Maryland has a great shot to make true freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins uncomfortable and throw a wrench in this offense's down-to-down operations.

Overall, Maryland's defense leaves a lot to be desired. But there's a handful of dangerous players, Elee chief among them, that Wisconsin absolutely must contain Saturday morning in College Park.