SB Nation - Zach Brown

Packing up for the trip to Mad-town

BoilerTMill — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:03:19 -0000

At the very least, this matchup has gotten a lot more interesting in the last few weeks. Purdue has been the hotter team of late, though Wisconsin has a pair of losses to league heavyweights Iowa and Ohio State. There is no doubt that this is a different Purdue team than the one we saw in its last road trip. The landmark win over Ohio State is certainly cause for confidence. I am more encouraged, however, that we needed a less than perfect effort to win against Illinois.

Beating the Illini may not seem like much, but it is a major step forward for this team. Now that we know how to win games the ugly way, we can work on winning games the more aesthetically pleasing way. There is no time like the present with a visit to Madison on the schedule next.

This is also the week for the Hammer & Rails road trip. Last year's trip to Michigan State saw the official end of Purdue's bowl hopes in Tiller's final season, but we had a lot of fun anyway. I'll be documenting this game again travel journal-style like last year's Michigan State trip. Departure time is around 5:30 Friday evening from Indy, so I am hoping that this is a preview of a fun weekend. My previous road could use some work for sure:

At Cincinnati: 1-0

At Indiana: 2-2

At Rose Bowl: 0-1

At Illinois: 2-1

At Northwestern: 1-0

At Michigan: 0-1

At Michigan State: 0-1

At Minnesota: 0-1

At Ohio State: 0-1

At Hawaii: 0-1

TOTAL RECORD: 6-9

Many of these losses (Illinois 2002, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota 2005, Ohio State 2003) have been of the heartbreaking variety, so it would be nice to change things up a bit this week.

2008 Record: 7-6, 3-5 Big Ten

2009 Record: 5-2, 2-2

Bowl Result: Lost to Florida State 42-13 in Champs Sports Bowl

Blog Representation: Bucky's 5^th Quarter

Series with Purdue: Wisconsin leads 39-29-8

Last Purdue win: 10/18/2003 at Wisconsin 26-23

Last Wisconsin win: 10/21/2006 at Purdue 24-3

Wisconsin has had a season that would do Joe Tiller proud so far. They have five wins over mediocre teams in Fresno State, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Wofford, and Minnesota. In their other two games they have double digit losses to ranked teams. The win total is far from expected, but the Badgers are lacking a signature win over anyone. If you go on previous opponents it is hard to predict the outcome of the game. Wisconsin has beaten two teams (Northern Illinois and Minnesota) that Purdue lost to, but Purdue's 26-18 victory over Ohio State came a week after the Badgers dropped a 31-13 game to the Buckeyes. In my preseason preview, Adam of Bucky's 5^th Quarter said he wasn't worried about this game. He is probably at least a little worried now.

Wisconsin offense:

As usual, Wisconsin is a strong running team. They average almost 185 yards per game on the ground, so continuing to play strong against the run is paramount. Leading the way is John Clay with 716 yards and seven touchdowns. Clay has been over 140 yards three times this season, so we must key on him. He is a big back at 6'2" 247 pounds, making him a pretty heavy load to stop. Zach Brown (217-3) should see some time as more of a speed back, but he has good size at 5'11" 208 lbs. Wisconsin will likely try to wear us down with a combination of both Brown and Clay.

The Wisconsin passing game has been relatively effective at times, but has struggled in the last two games. Scott Tolzien has a good completion percentage at 63.6% per game. He has thrown for 1,436 yards and nine touchdowns against eight interceptions. The last two games have been particularly bad, with five picks coming against no scores.Ohio State managed to return two picks for scores.

Scott Tolzien has struggled of late, being sacked 10 times and throwing five interceptions in the past two games.

Tolzien has been successful with three solid receivers to spread the ball around to. Nick Toon (29-357-2), Isaac Anderson (22-347-1), and Garrett Graham (29-331-4) are quality targets that will open up the running game for Clay and Brown. Tight end Lance Kendricks (15-153-2) is also a solid receiving option, especially in short yardage. We should be concerned if Tolzien can get the passing game going, because a two-dimensional Badger offense will be difficult to stop.

Heading into the Ohio State game Wisconsin's offensive line had given up just two sacks in five games. The Buckeyes got to Tolzien six times, then Iowa got him four more times. This should make things interesting when you consider that our defensive line has been dominant of late. They will need to be again. Wisconsin's offensive line is simply massive with Gabe Carimi, Josh Oglesby, John Moffitt, Kevin Zeitler, and Peter Konz all standing 6'4" or better and weighing more than 315 pounds. It is one of the biggest lines we will see this year.

Wisconsin defense:

At lot has been made about how good our offense is, but I still see struggling. We're generating yards, but we're not putting tons of points on the board. We still haven't topped 26 points since the Oregon game, but we've been over 20 each time. It will be imperative for us to take advantage of every opportunity to score against a pretty good defense.

Wisconsin will be hurt by the loss of linebacker Mike Taylor. Taylor was lost for the season with a severe knee injury against Iowa. Since he saw extensive time as a redshirt freshman, depth could be an issue. True freshman Chris Borland will start in his place. Culmer St. John and Jaevery McFadden man the other two linebacker spots.

Wisconsin's secondary has picked off nine passes on the season, with safety Chris Maragos among the league leaders with three picks. Jay Valai at the other safety position is also a threat for interceptions.

Wisconsin's defensive line has been dominant all year long. The Badgers have 19 quarterback sacks on the season, which is two fewer than Purdue's 21. O'Brien Schofield leads the team with 6.5 sacks, meaning he is a forced to be reckoned with as a defensive end. Schofield also leads the conference with 16.5 tackles for loss. The rest of the sacks have been spread around the defense fairly evenly, so Schofield is far from the only guy we need to stop.

Wisconsin Special Teams:

Because of Phillip Welch, the Badgers are a feast or famine team on offense. Welch has hit on just eight of 14 field goal attempts, but he did have a long of 57 yards against Fresno State. It is the second longest field goal in the country this year other than the 59 yarder by Carson Wiggs. He has also missed an extra point. He doesn't have much of a leg on kickoffs with five touchbacks, so we should be able to take advantage of a kick return coverage unit that gives up over 25 yards per return. That kick return coverage also gave up a touchdown to Ray Small against Ohio State, so we shoul dhave very good field position and may even be able to break one with Al-Terek McBurse.

Brad Nortman is one of the conference's better punters, averaging more than 43 yards per kick. Neither return game does much of anything, though Borland does have one 25 yard return.

Intangibles:

The category seems to be about even. Purdue is playing well, but Wisconsin has had a week of rest. Wisconsin played poorly in its last two games on offense, but Purdue's defense just seems overdue to be gashed by a running game. Purdue is playing with a ton of confidence and has renewed optimism for a bowl, but Wisconsin has already handled the two teams that most soundly beat Purdue.

If we're going to get to a bowl game we have to win at least one of these next two road games. I would like to get it this week rather than rely on a win in Ann Arbor, where we haven't won in 43 years. We have also played well in Madison of late. This has been a strange series in that Purdue has not beaten Wisconsin at Purdue since 1997, but has a pair of wins in Madison (2000, 2003) in that time.

This is not a great offense if we can slow down the running game. The defense is pretty good, but it is hardly a brick wall. I certainly want to give the Badgers and edge since they are playing at home, but Purdue is due for a big road win. Of the big four road venues (Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State) Purdue has had the most success in Madison.

Keys to the Game for Purdue:

Limit Turnovers
Slow down the Wisconsin running game
Hassle Tolzien with the defensive line
Establish the running game with Bolden, Taylor, and McBurse
Make Tolzien throw the ball

Replay and React: The good and bad from Saturday's loss

Jbharris87 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:23:53 -0000

More photos » by Andy Manis - AP

2 months ago: Iowa defensive tackle A.J. Edds holds up the football and celebrates an interception with teammates Shaun Prater (28), Pat Angerer and Jeff Tarpinian during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Iowa won 20-10. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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This was huge. Wisconsin had an opportunity to split the toughest two-game stretch of its schedule by protecting a ten-point lead on Homecoming. Win this game against Iowa and the Badgers would more than likely have been favored in each of their remaining games, which would have meant a reasonable shot at an 11-1 season and a bid in a BCS game. But as the Badgers have done so often under Bret Bielema, they folded like a portable beer pong table and blew the lead because of turnovers and sloppy play.

This was one of Wisconsin's few opportunities on the 2009 schedule to make a statement. Iowa came in 6-0 and ranked 11th in the country. Even if the Badgers now run the table, their remaining games are against mediocre teams, and we won't know how good they really are.

This game was eerily similar to one between the same teams at Camp Randall Stadium in 2005. That year, Iowa beat Wisconsin in what was Barry Alvarez's last home game as head coach. Then, too, the Badgers built a 10-0 lead only to lose 20-10.

Let's take a look at some of the positives and negatives from this go-around:

The Good

Running Backs - A bit of a surprise that we would single out this unit for praise after the team accumulated only 75 net rushing yards, though the running backs really did all they could. John Clay got things going early and was the main reason the Badgers built a 10-0 lead. After literally getting bent over backwards and spending several minutes down on the field, Clay was not the same. The fact he even walked to the sideline, let alone returned to the game, is testament to his character. It is tough to blame Clay for losing some of his burst after that kind of injury. Montee Ball made the most of his four carries, averaging 4.2 yards per, and scored his first career touchdown in only his third career game. Wisconsin was without the services of Zach Brown, who suffered a concussion against Ohio State but seemed as though he was itching to play. Clay also caught three balls. Given the circumstances, the running backs held up well in the face of adversity.

Defensive Line - O'Brien Schofield continues to operate in another world. The senior defensive end added two more tackles for loss to his NCAA-leading total and recovered a fumble that should have led to Wisconsin points. His counterpart, J.J. Watt, atoned for a critical offside penalty by recording four tackles for loss and a sack. The line helped limit the Hawkeyes to 65 net rushing yards.

Linebackers - When starter Mike Taylor went down with an injury, true freshman Chris Borland continued his phenomenal debut season by leading the team with ten tackles, recording a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss and forcing a fumble that should have been a lot more significant than the Wisconsin offense made it. Jaevery McFadden and Culmer St. Jean turned in solid performances, though McFadden giving up a catch to Hawkeye tight end Tony Moeaki, even while committing a pass interference penalty, was ugly.

The Bad

Quarterbacks - Scott Tolzien has now thrown five interceptions and no touchdown passes in his last two games. His three picks Saturday changed the momentum of the game and ended the Badgers' comeback attempts before they could even get going. Tolzien is not balancing his mistakes with big plays, as only one of his pass completions went for over 20 yards against Iowa. Curt Phillips did not prove to be the spark Bielema was looking for when he put the redshirt freshman in the game, getting stuffed after a one-yard gain on third down.

Secondary - The Badgers never found an answer for Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who made eight catches for 113 yards. While Wisconsin held star tight end Tony Moeaki to only three catches, two of them resulted in huge plays. One he hauled in for a long touchdown over Antonio Fenelus and another kept a Hawkeye drive alive on a third-and-17, leading to a dagger of a field goal. Jay Valai's personal foul penalty when it was clear the game had started to slip away from the Badgers didn't do his team any favors.

Coaching - Bielema likes to talk about his teams' outstanding home record and, while it is impressive, it is also overrated. The last three genuinely tough opponents the Badgers have faced in Madison have all walked away victorious. The lack of in-game adjustments this season has been puzzling to say the least, with teams generally outplaying Wisconsin in the second half. Stubbornly sticking to a script by putting Phillips in the game on the third offensive series, after Tolzien had driven the Badgers 92 yards for a touchdown, killed momentum. Anytime a team blows a ten-point lead and is shut out in the second half at home, the coaching could have been better.

-Jake Harris

Everyone Is So Not Who I Thought They Were: Wisconsin Loses to Iowa 20-10

hmlee — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:36:03 -0000

More photos » by Andy Manis - AP

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Well, except for Northwestern. But that's a story for a different post. You know, if you only look at the first half of the Ohio State game and the first half of the Iowa game, then Wisconsin is 7-0. Wait... I'm not allowed to do that?

Aw, shucks.

So, maybe this glass isn't half full. The Badgers, once again, managed to play 30 minutes of great football before utterly collapsing. Except, this time the collapse came at home at Camp Randall and not on the road in a tough game in the 'Shoe. Today's game against Iowa really was a game of what ifs...

What if Bielema hadn't subbed Curt Phillips in for Scott Tolzien in the 2nd quarter and seemingly killed Wisconsin's offensive momentum for the rest of the game?

What if Tolzien hadn't thrown three more interceptions - one of which eventually resulted in 7 points for Iowa, and two which killed crucial 4th quarter drives?

What if Garrett Graham hadn't suffered a head injury in the first half?

What if John Clay hadn't also suffered an injury, which seemed to slow down his run game in the second half?

What if Nick Toon hadn't dropped a catchable pass at about the five yard line on third down?

What if Philip Welch hadn't subsequently missed a 38 yard field goal, leaving the score tied?

Finally, what if the Badger defense hadn't completely dissappeared for two quarters, allowing Iowa to put up 20, yes, 20, unanswered points?

In the end, though, the really great teams find a way to win despite all the what ifs on any given Saturday and the kinda-sorta-good teams, well, don't.

Seems like the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers are a kinda-sorta-good team, huh?

Graham takes a look at the Big 10 match-up of the week...

I replay the tough loss against Ohio State in week 6...

If you noticed, the top of my post is titled "Everyone is so not who I thought they were..." I'll get more into Wisconsin below, but I'd like to briefly talk about Iowa and Ohio State. As much as it kills me to write this, maybe Iowa is the best team in the Big 10. I was rather bruatlized by Iowa fans earlier this season for ranking them below OSU and Penn State. At the time, I said, "Show me more." Well, they have, and with OSU's shocking loss to Purdue today, I think I'm ready to change my mind.

Iowa, I've concluded, is the res ipsa loquitur team. You don't really know how it happened, but they keep on winning against good teams, and you know that usually undefeated teams are great so, like with res ipsa loquitur, you're kind of forced to conclude that they are a great team. It's odd, though. They don't have a run game. Their QB can be good, but he also has an alarming propensity to throw interceptions at crucial moments. Their defense is obviously very, very good but usually that by itself is not enough to win a conference. Really, they shouldn't be this good. But they are. And that's all that matters.

Ohio State... well, after today they look like a great team that is going to be fatally undone by the very mediocre play of the quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Their defense is amazing. The front seven completely brutalized Tolzien and the Bucky offense last week. Their linebackers find ways to intercept balls and then score touchdowns off of them. Their special teams is consistently good, and has the ability to break off the great type of plays that define a conference champion. But... they too, don't have a running game. And their QB isn't nearly as capable as Ricky Stanzi.

Where does this leave the conference, then? Iowa still has a date at the 'Shoe, which they could easily lose. But, unless they also get upset by one of Michigan State, Indiana, Northwestern, or Minnesota they are going to win the Big 10. I don't think that they will go to the BCS championship game, but that says more about the BCS voters than it does the Iowa team. So, that means they'd be ticketed for the Rose Bowl, likely against USC. If, on the other hand, they lose to OSU, get upset in one of their other four conference match-ups, AND Ohio State doesn't lose another game, the Buckeyes would head to the Rose Bowl via the tiebreak rules.

Okay... back to Wisconsin. Wisconsin is not who I thought they were. They are worse. I was very happy about the road win at Minnesota, and, while the Ohio State game was painful to watch, I understood the loss. It is true that in both of those games they looked a bit shaky... but I chalked that up to a young team playing on the road. It's starting to look more like this play is endemic to the team itself, and not just a factor of being on the road.

So, here are the takeaways from today's game:

Offense:

I still love Scott Tolzien, despite his sudden rash of interceptions. He's having a lot more pressure put on him because of failures of our offensive line, and that plus a few bad decisions is causing the turnovers. It is important to note that these turnovers have come against the two best defensive units in the Big 10. If he can avoid doing that against lesser defenses, then Wisconsin can still finish this season strong.

Despite my detractors last week, I still love John Clay. He is a feature back. Starting because Zach Brown was out due to a concussion, Clay managed to rack up 70 rushing yards in the first half. He suffered a leg injury of some kind in the second quarter, and it might have been that or fatigue that made him ineffective in the second half. I also have to give credit to Montee Ball, the freshman, for stepping in admirably after that injury to Clay. He had some great carries, including a 10 yard TD run. It is my hope that Clay's injury is not serious and that he'll be ready to go for next week, because if he's out, the Wisconsin offense is in trouble.

Defense:

I think that the defense is still a great unit - for the first half of the football game. I have no idea where they go after the half, and that is something that needs to be addressed. They are a young unit with great capacity for improvement over the next two years, but they need to learn to play for 60 minutes. They tend to come out strong - forcing both OSU and Iowa to 3 and outs in the start of these past two games, but then they fade. They have the ability to force turnovers - today's fumble recovery was their 17th of the season - but the secondary is weak and our cornerbacks get beat on pass plays far too often.

Special Teams:

The special teams is merely okay. Philip Welch had a great middle of the season.. after going only 2/5 in FG attemps in the first two games he had three straight perfect weeks. Then, he missed two last week and one this week. One of the missed ones against OSU was an absurdly long 57 yarder, which is excusable, but the other was a 33 yarder. Today's missed FG was a 38 yarder. Those two misses are not okay. His job as a kicker is to come on and put up points on the board when asked. If the offense is forcing him into extremely long situations, then it's understandable that he would miss a few, but he can't be missing chip shot or routine field goals. Our kick returns today were not nearly as bad as last week, but they still weren't good. David Gilreath really doesn't look comfortable out there. I'm not sure if the special teams mediocrity is because of the players or because of Brett Bielema. Maybe after this season he should hire a full time ST coach.

Coaching:

Our offensive playcalling was fine for the first half... Clay was performing well and Tolzien threw the ball when he needed to. The second half? Not so much. Time after time, Iowa stacked eight players and shut down the Wisconsin run game. Time after time, we continued to run on first down. The one time that we threw on first down in the fourth quarter we threw to the running back! I'm not sure why the versatility in the Badgers' offense disappeared, but the coaches need to remember that interceptions and receiver drops aside, Tolzien is a good QB - if you give him plays to throw on.

I'm reluctant to blame the performance of the defense on the coaching. Our blitzes were getting picked up too easily in the late game, but a lot of the other defensive issues can be blamed on missed tackles, idiotic penalties, and a secondary that just gets beat. I feel like if the coaching were to blame, the defense wouldn't be good at all, not good for a half and then non-existent for the second half.

So... After the bye, Wisconsin next gets Purdue at home. Purdue is not a good team. Yes, they did just beat Ohio State, but I think we can all agree that was completely unexpected. Wisconsin needs to take a hard look at the film from the last two weeks and figure out where things have gone so wrong. The season and a good bowl bid can still be saved. Let's start now.

On to game 8, On to getting back on track, and ON WISCONSIN!!!

There's A Game On Saturday?: Bitchconsin

Oops Pow Surprise — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:35:47 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Please let us not lose to this man. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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The title of this one is about all the woofing we'll do at the Badgers, because we are completely unenthusiastic about this game and the task in front of Iowa. In fact, we'll eschew the typical matchup approach we usually do and just focus on a few problems, one at a time.

Iowa's rush defense has quite a challenge in front of them. We're mighty big fans of both Karl Klug and Broderick Binns, who are pass rushers nonpareil and some of the most tenacious d-fenders on the team. The problem is that part of the reason that Iowa's rush defense has been so underwhelming this year is because Klug and Binns can't move a line of scrimmage on run plays. It's not really a matter of poor technique, necessarily, but being that they barely combine to break five bills, they can be moved by a talented lineman. Sure, they might shed a block, but unless it directly results in a tackle, all they're doing is letting the lineman get to the next level and harass a linebacker.

Some pundits think the fact that Wisconsin doesn't run a spread or design runs for the quarterback works in Iowa's favor. Maybe, but probably not as much as they think. If Iowa has any success against the run, it'll be because Zach Brown isn't there to keep John Clay's legs fresh for four quarters and their third string tailback is Jamelle Notonthedepthchartforareason.

Iowa has won all six of their games, yes, but in five of them, the defense was tasked with stopping a big drive late in the game. In four of those five games, the defense failed. Against UNI, the special teams bailed Iowa out twice. Against Arizona, backup quarterback Nick Foles shredded Iowa with disturbing ease en route to pushing the game within 10. Against Penn State, okay, watching Clark's confidence self-immolate was cool. Against A-State, the Red Wolves cut a lead to three by converting third down after third down. Against Michigan, Denard Robinson put together a not-that-difficult 4th quarter drive to cut the lead to two after standing on the sideline the entire game. This is not a good fourth-quarter pattern. Do you really trust Iowa to slam the door on Wisconsin with the game on the line? We kind of don't.

At the very least, we can point to the fact that Iowa's linebackers and safeties are experienced, returning starters; it's going to take more than a simple playfake to get someone wide open, in other words. So the good news is that Tolzien probably won't shred Iowa's pass defense. The bad news is that he probably won't need to.

A magnificent bastard is still a bastard all the same. Oh, Ricky Stanzi. Heismanzi has now rang up over 280 yards of passing in each of his last two games, each with some sweet long balls (LOL). He has also given away a touchdown in those games. That's fine to do against a creampuff pushover like A-State or just Michigan, but it's going to be horror if Iowa finds itself down 7-3... then it turns into 14-3 because Ricky tried to out-STANZIBALL himself (though it'll be hard to ever top his last two achievements, each stunning in their ineptitude).

At the same time, it's easily possible that DJK gets a little bit more with the program and the vaunted Iowa wideout corps actually puts together a good game and Iowa gets a few touchdowns. But considering nobody on the team averages at least 50 yards of receiving a game, this would be, ahem, unexpected.

Clogging rushing lanes like so many local fans' arteries. As Hlas pointed out in yesterday's chat, Wisconsin hasn't allowed 100 rushing yards to a Big Ten opponent yet this season. Okay, granted, OSU spent the entire day scoring without letting Pryor even take a snap, and Minnesota and Michigan State are pretty miserable. Buuut then you look at Iowa's backfield and it's two guys splitting carries--neither of whom are named Jewel or Jeff or Shonn or LaDainian (hey, we can dream). They've been somewhat productive and they don't suck, but Brandon Wegher has been largely bottled up by good defenses, and Adam Robinson is just begging for a disastrous strip from behind with the way he runs the ball. They'll probably get to that 100-yard mark, just based on the way Iowa approaches a game, but 150 seems more than a little iffy. Also, their three combined first downs in the entire Michigan game are another disconcerting omen).

At the same time, Ferentz is still juggling his line, which is historically a bad omen for success, and Bryan Bulaga doesn't look like even an approximation of his dominant 2008 self. Whether it's his thyroid still bugging him or just rust or some nagging injury--whatever--he's not blowing guys off the ball anymore. NFL scouts can't be impressed--and, we're guessing, neither are Ferentz or Reese Morgan.

All of which is to say there isn't a ton going right for Iowa in this game. Scott Tolzien struggled mightily against OSU and their tough front seven, which bodes well for Iowa, but the odds that Sco-Tolz (we just made that nickname up, believe it or not) is going to throw a pick-six in another game in a row are probably so remote that... well, we'll probably have to call up George Wine for this one.

And why does it have to be an 11:00 a.m. game? Seriously, damn it guys. And it's at the same time as the Red River Shootout. Such bullshit.

Prediction time: The Hawks are going to have to be as stout as ever on defense, because the offense isn't likely to give them a ton of help. That's not to say there's no chance Iowa gets to 27 or 28 points, but it's far more likely that they struggle to get to half that total. And really, any team would struggle to put 13.5 points on a scoreboard.

Nearly every independent pundit is giving Wisconsin the win in a close game. We--okay, I--think it'll be something closer to 27-16. It's tough to trust Iowa to get into the end zone and make the most of their red zone opportunities, and this smallish defensive line is the perfect target for the line-em-up and run-straight-ahead John Clay attack. It makes us sick to write all that and we hope we're wrong.

Grading out the Badgers: A midterm report card

Adam Hoge — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:49:08 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

The fire under Bret Bielema's seat has cooled down a bit this season, but he, his coaching staff and team could still grade out better . (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

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With six games in the book, it's amazing that we are already halfway through the 2009 regular season schedule. At 5-1, it's safe to say the Badgers are playing a little bit above expectations, but one could easily argue they still have a lot to improve on.

Wisconsin's six opponents are a combined 18-15 so far this season, which is not a bad number when you consider its opponents have played tough schedules (Fresno State lost to two Top-15 schools, Minnesota lost to California and Ohio State lost to USC).

If the Badgers can get by Iowa this weekend, an 11-1 regular season record would not be out of the question with the remaining schedule. Not including the Hawkeyes, UW's remaining opponents are only 14-15. But if that is going to happen, UW will have to improve in some areas.

Here's a unit-by-unit report card for the first half of the season:

Quarterback - B

Scott Tolzien has yet to give himself an "A" performance this season even though I might have after a couple of his efforts. He's at least been a B+ at home and more like a C+ on the road, but when you consider the prospects for UW's quarterbacks coming into the season, it's hard not to give a B grade here. Wisconsin is still only ranked seventh in passing in the Big Ten, but Tolzien still ranks third in passing effeciency with a 139.60 rating.

Running back - B

Expectations for running backs at Wisconsin have gotten so high that most fans would be shocked to know UW leads the conference rushing despite it being a struggle at times this season. John Clay is the conference's leading running back (106.8 yards per game) and has only started one game. When's the last time that happened?

Still, fumbling has been a problem and while Clay came up big with a 72-yard touchdown run at Fresno State and singlehandedly took over the second half of the Minnesota game, the rushing attack could still be more consistent.

Receivers - C+

Don't get me wrong, the receivers have improved and while a tight end (Garrett Graham) still leads the team in catches and touchdowns, Nick Toon leads the team in receiving yards (322) and averages 53 yards per game. But the reality is that UW's receivers are still not great. They only have three touchdowns on the season and Issac Anderson hasn't caught a touchdown pass since the first offensive play of the season when he caught an 80-yard bomb from Tolzien. David Gilreath, Maurice Moore and Kyle Jefferson have a combined 13 catches.

Tight ends - A-

What more can you ask for from Garrett Graham? With 27 catches, he ranks third in the nation for catches among tight ends (the leaders have 28) and he has four touchdowns on the year, including three in one game. Meanwhile, Lance Kendricks is fourth on the team in receptions and has two touchdowns himself. That's right, UW's tight ends have double the touchdowns than the receivers. What's new?

Offensive line - B-

Roughed up by injuries, the line has been better, but still inconsistent. Ohio State called the UW offense line "the best we've seen all year" and that included USC. But that was before the game. Tolzien was sacked six times, and while the line had only given up two sacks all year in its first five games, the reality is that it really hadn't been tested yet. The return of John Moffitt helped the running game, but in the first four games, John Clay and Zach Brown found few holes to run through.

Defensive line - B+

O'Brien Schofield continues to perform like an All-American. That's right, I said it. He leads the country in tackles for loss with 14.5 and is twelfth in sacks with 6.5. His TFLs add up to 74 yards lost. That's 12 yards more than David Gilreath has accumulated on all his end-around rushes combined this season. After a hot start, J.J. Watt has cooled off a bit, but he, Dan Moore, Patrick Butrym and Louis Nzegwu have all been key contributors this season.

Linebackers - B

The linebackers have been solid all season. None of them will be first-team All-Big Ten, but you can't complain about the performances of Mike Taylor, Jaevery McFadden and Culmer St. Jean. They certainly haven't made any major mistakes. And you have to be happy that redshirt freshman Taylor leads the team with 43 tackles and has contributed 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.

Defensive backs - C-

This would be a "D" if were not for free safety Chris Maragos' 28 tackles, three TFLs, one sack and three interceptions. Otherwise, Jay Valai has made no one miss Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant, who were kicked off the team in August, but the cornerbacks have not been good.

Who would have thought sophomore Aaron Henry would have zero interceptions and only three pass break-ups halfway through the season? All four cornerbacks have been beat deep and given up touchdowns they could have stopped with easy fundamentals. For the most part -- save the first half against Fresno State -- the corners have put together solid games. Unfortunately, they consistently give up two or three big plays a game that put the entire team in a hole or allow the other team to dig out of one.

Special teams - D

Here's a trivia question for you. How many total yards does David Gilreath have on punt returns this season? The answer? An astonishingly low 29 yards on seven returns. That's 4.1 yards per return. And seven returns is also a low number because he has played head games with himself all season long, calling fair catches in situations where he could have returned the punt and not called a fair catch in situations where he should have.

Meanwhile, Bret Bielema replaced Gilreath on kick returns -- where he is actually averaging an OK 21.5 yards per return -- instead of on punt returns. Bielema's coverage teams have not been good either. While UW's punt coverage team ranks a very average 51st in the country, its kickoff coverage team ranks 120th out of 130 FBS teams, giving up 26.28 yards per return. Maybe its finally time the head coach gives up his special teams duties.

Coaching - B-

There's no question the players bought into a new mindset this offseason that encouraged focus, physicality and commitment. But UW is still averaging six penalties per game (No. 42 in the country) and that is costing them 52.5 yards per game.

The game plans have been better this year, but there is still a void in execution (see Ohio State game). Baby steps, my friends.

Halfway Home: Wisconsin fails to upset Ohio State, 31-13

hmlee — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

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The word of the day, readers, is "half." Half is the word for two reasons - after this week we are halfway through the season, and, also, the Badgers managed to play only half a decent game against Ohio State. It's hard to believe, but we have been through six games already. The halfway mark in College Football always sneaks up on me. The non-con games that load up the first half are usually against teams that I've either never heard of or heard of but don't care about. Ideally my team knocks off the cupcakes in games that were never in doubt. Then come a few conference games and, before you know it, the back end of the schedule has snuck right on up.

Even when your team goes six and.. er... ahem... five and one, the first half of the schedule always feels unsatisfying because of the dearth of conference action. The second half is always better, though, as teams shake out in the conference standings and bowl bids begin to take shape. And, frankly, after yesterday's loss, the second half can't come soon enough.

I had the (dubious) pleasure of watching this game on Wisconsin soil. I spent my afternoon on the way to my cousin's wedding in a sports bar in Milwaukee. The place was thick with fans in the right type of red shirts enjoying spotted cows and fried things. A good environment, I thought, to watch the Badgers upset the class of the Big 10.

Yeah, that didn't go so well.

To be fair, the Badgers had half of a good game yesterday. I didn't really expect a win - but I thought there was a chance of one if they came into the 'Shoe and played their best game. The Buckeyes are always tough opponents, but when the Badgers roster is largely comprised of, as it is this year, younger players, it requires even more than good play to beat them.

Unfortunately, Bucky only managed stellar play for 30 minutes on Saturday...

Graham offers his own thoughts on the Week 6 action in the conference...

I take a look at Wisconsin's thrilling road win at The Bank in week 5...

The Milwaukee Brewers Sausages at my cousin's wedding were certainly happier than I was...

Despite one large mistake in the last minute of the first half, Wisconsin played pretty well for the start of this game. The defense came out ready to go, and managed to force 3 and outs or only short gains for the first four Buckeye drives. The offense wasn't nearly as consistent.

Coming into this game, I thought that the Badgers would have to be worried about Terrelle Pryor. Turns out, Pryor wasn't really a factor in this game, throwing for only 85 yards and 1 TD. Rather, the real trouble for the Badgers were the offensive forces of Kurt Coleman, Jermale Hines, and WR / kick returner Ray Small. Er... what? That's right, 21 of the Buckeye's 31 points were scored by players from the defensive or special teams squads. Yikes. So, if the Badgers hadn't managed to shoot themselves in the foot, they would have won this game 13-10.

The biggest of the foot shooters was one Scott Tolzien. Sigh. Tolzien Tolzien Tolzien... I've sung his praises more times than I can recall on this site, but yesterday was just not good. He made two horrid decisions during this game that resulted in 14 points for OSU. On both occasions he attempted to force passes into areas of the field that were completely dominated by red jerseys. He really had no business making throws on both of these plays. At the same time, as frustrated as I am with his poor decision making, it's not entirely his fault. All of the Wisconsin receviers - Isaac Anderson, Nick Toon, David Gilreath, and Garrett Graham - dropped passes that they easily should have caught. Those are the plays that need to get made to beat a good team. If the receivers are dropping easy balls, can you really blame Tolzien for trying to force plays in response?

The Good:

Gilreath actually had a relatively good game, as he was part of several early end-around plays run by the Wisconsin offense that seemed to catch OSU off guard. John Clay, the ever dependable back, was another bright spot on the offense yesterday. He continued to bulldoze his way through defensive lineman and, while not as dominating as against Minnesota, showed why he is a huge key for Wisconsin this season. The only problem with Clay was one of playcalling. Why did he not make an appearance until the final few minutes of the first quarter? Why did Zach Brown get all of the early carries, even though he couldn't make any headway? Clay is a great offensive weapon for Wisconisn, and he needs to be used early and often. Also, special recognition should go to Culmer St. Jean who (along with the rest of the young Bucky D) continued his stellar play from the last few weeks with a 2nd quarter interception of Pryror that set up Wisconsin's first TD.

About that first TD... Chris Maragos made an amazing leap into the end zone on that play. The leap came on a fake FG try towards the end of the second quarter. The ball was snapped and Maragos took the hand off and ran towards the left side of the end zone. A timely block and an acrobatic leap allowed Maragos to stretch the ball just inside the pylon and put six on the board. The play came out of nowhere and after it I felt the best that I have about Wisconsin football all season. Thank you Chris Maragos!

The Bad:

As for the bad... beyond Tolzien and the WRs, a few other culprits contributed to this ugly loss. First off, where on earth was the kick return coverage on Ray Small? It's bad enough when you get burned by an opposing kick return for a TD - it's even worse when that kick return was for 96 yards and largely straight up the middle. The missed tackles on that play were simply inexcusable. I hope that Coach Bielema makes the ST have extra practices or run laps this week in response.

Also, the coaching. It seemed that the coaches upstairs were either asleep or taking a bathroom break during the second quarter, as they missed an easy challenge that could have led to the Badgers heading into halftime with the lead. With just under two minutes left in the half, Pryor threw to TE Jake Ballard for a first down. The only problem was, Jake Ballard did not catch the throw. Rather, he caught on a hop after the nose of the ball grazed the field. Had Wisconsin been paying attention, a challenge would have overturned the call and perhaps the next several incompletes thrown by Pryor would have ended the OSU drive with a punt instead of a TD.

Looking ahead...

As painful as the second half of this game was to watch, it's only one game and one game in which I expected the Badgers to lose. Next week Wisconsin gets an undefeated Hawkeye team at Camp Randall. As good as the Hawkeyes have been this year, their two past wins against Michigan and Arkansas State both came down to the final minutes, and that's in front of a home crowd. The Badgers will certainly have their hands full, but hopefully the more forgiving confines of Camp Randall can help them pull off the upset. Tolzien seems to be more consistent at home, so I have high hopes for this game. In fact, I'm going to call it right now. I say Wisconsin hands the Hawkeyes their first defeat next week and wins by a TD. Hopefully, I'm right.

So...

On to week 7, On to the second half, and ON WISCONSIN!!

'09 Badgers more disciplined, opportunistic

Jbharris87 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:04:38 -0000

More photos » by BATTAGLIA PAUL - AP

2 months ago: Wisconsin defensive back Devin Smith recovers a fumble by Minnesota running back Duane Bennett during the first half of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in Minneapolis. Wisconsin won 31-28. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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For the most misguidedly optimistic of Wisconsin football fans, here is a way to convince yourself that the Badgers have every reason to win big Saturday against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes lost to USC, who lost to Washington, who lost to Notre Dame, who lost to Michigan, who lost to Michigan State, who lost to Wisconsin.

That such a chain of reasoning exists is more a testament to the unpredictable and illogical nature of college football, rather than any rational argument for a Wisconsin victory.

Still, there are three reasons the Wisconsin Badgers of 2009 head into Saturday's Big Ten showdown 5-0 and with a legitimate chance to upset the Buckeyes, while the 2008 version most likely would not have enjoyed such odds.

The first is that, as you might have heard, Wisconsin is getting better play at the quarterback position than it has in any season since 2006. But the second and third factors are less tangible: discipline and opportunism.

Last year's team displayed a remarkable lack of discipline, which is unusual for any Wisconsin football team, but especially bizarre for a squad loaded with seniors. By the time the Badgers lost to Michigan State on a last-second field goal November 1, they had already accumulated more penalties than any of Barry Alvarez's 16 teams from 1990 to 2005.

The undisciplined behavior a year ago extended to all areas of the team, from the defensive personnel's inability to follow their assignments when facing an option attack to the offense's perpetual problem with turnovers to unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and boneheaded clock management decisions by the coaching staff.

Aside from fumbling issues, the Badgers have been a much more disciplined team this season. Not only has the frequency of the penalties decreased, but the nature of the Badgers' infractions has been much more palatable. Didn't it seem like last year you were just waiting for Matt Shaughnessy to get called for roughing the passer in a key spot in the fourth quarter? Or for a reversal of a missed field goal by the opposing team because Wisconsin ran 12 guys out onto the field? Those types of costly errors have diminished.

This year's young Badger defense handled Wofford's option offense infinitely better than last year's veteran group did Cal Poly's last year, when it took three missed extra points and an overtime period just to put the Mustangs away. And how refreshing to see methodical, efficient, high-percentage passes on come-from-behind drives against Fresno State a few weeks ago, as opposed to watching Allan Evridge literally throw the game away on the first play of a potential game-winning drive against Ohio State last October.

While there are still occasional breakdowns in the secondary and minor mistakes have been made by almost every unit, it has been easier to tolerate this season because this is a much more inexperienced team, the blunders have been less unintelligent and the team has atoned for its errors by making just as many significant positive plays to get off to a 5-0 start. When Chris Maragos bats down a Northern Illinois pass on 4th-and-3 and then records interceptions against Fresno State and Michigan State to seal three victories, you can live with Devin Smith getting burned for a long touchdown. When O'Brien Schofield and Chris Borland combine for a sack, forced fumble and recovery on Minnesota's potential game-winning drive, it makes Zach Brown's turnover that led to a Gopher touchdown a bit more bearable.

As long as Scott Tolzien continues to make good decisions and the rest of the team plays disciplined football and matches each mistake with a big play, fans will continue to enjoy watching this Wisconsin team. And, oh yeah, the Badgers will continue to be in a position to win football games.

Bucky Coronary: Wisconsin Hangs On Against Minnesota, 31-28

hmlee — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:57:07 -0000

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The college football gods seem to have it out for me. They would love nothing more than to fell me with a heart attack before bowl season even rolls around. I mean, okay, I know that all that beer and sausage isn't good for the organ in my chest (to say nothing of my liver), but do the Badgers really have to pile on too? I knew this game wasn't going to be a complete cakewalk (though I did have the spread at 14 - oops) - conference games never are. But, after seeing the Wisconsin secondary manhandle Blair White last week in the Sparty game, I thought that maybe they could do the same against the Minnesota duo of Adam Weber and Eric Decker. And, really, what is the Minnesota offense except for Eric Decker and 10 other supporting actors?

Well, it seems I got that one wrong too. Decker's line for the game:

140 yards receiving and 1 TD.

He had more than half the total receiving yards for the entire Gopher team. Ouch. It really should have been more too, except Decker uncharacteristically couldn't hang on to a few throws from Weber into tight coverage. It's almost funny, in a way. If any other receiver in college football fails to make those plays, the reaction is usually a shrug of the shoulders and a, "It's okay, it wasn't a good throw anyway," type of comment. But if Decker fails to make them? Well, after watching him make ridiculous catch after ridiculous catch, those types of grabs are almost expected and it's kind of a let down when he fails.

Despite the efforts of Decker and the Gopher offense (and their newest player, Zach Brown), however, Bucky managed to leave the Twin Cities the same way he entered - with Paul Bunyon's Axe still in the hands of its rightful owners.

This was largely due to the wonderful, absolutely marvelous play of Big Bad John Clay.

After the jump, I break down the game by unit.

Graham previews the Michigan - MSU game and explains the upset in East Lansing in the Big 10 game of the week...

My coverage of Wisconsin's domination vs. Michigan State in week 4....

Since my recap of last week's action by unit was followed by a Badger win, I decided to go with that format again this week. I'm not superstiious really, but if it works, why change it?

Offense:

Almost all of the Wisconsin offense this week came from Mr. Clay. He wasn't too active in the first half, aside from his 2-yard TD run, but in the second half he really broke out. I don't know why, but the Gopher D just didn't seem to be able to adjust to him. The Wisconisn offense looked almsot typical with run play after run play called... though, unlike typical Wisconsin teams, most of these run-happy drives resulted in points on the board instead of punts. Clay shook tackles and bounced off of defensive linemen almost like a human pinball. It was great to see him execute the fundamentals so well. He kept the ball secure and managed to keep his legs churning for the entirety of his runs, resulting in quite a few extra yards that managed to secure at least three third down conversions. If he keeps playing like he has in the last few games, I expect to see his name show up in the December balloting.

Scott Tolzien had a decent game, throwing for 159 yards and 1 TD. Most of his receptions came on mid-range throws to Garret Graham and Nick Toon, but he also managed to sneak a few into the arms of Lance Kendricks and Isaac Anderson. He did have some poor decisions, though, which resulted in 1 INT and a few other near-INTs. I chalk this up to playing in a road environment for the first time this season. I sincerely hope that it was just a result of such first-time jitters and not an indication that he is only effective as a QB at Camp Randall. If Wisconsin wants to succeed in the rest of their conference play, they need him to play like he has in the first few home games.

Finally, a message for Zach Brown.

Dear Mr. Brown, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT IN THE UNIVERSE, LEARN HOW TO HOLD ON TO A FOOTBALL!

Brown had some decent runs in the first half but, for the third game in a row, fumbled the ball on a routine play. In this particular instance, it resulted in a nearly 90 yard TD return by Minnesota CB Marcus Sherels. It really could not have come at a worse time, as it let Minnesota back into a game that the Badgers were about to put away. Brown was just lucky that John Clay was able to bail him out with a touchdown on Wisconsin's next possession. I touched on this a little last week, but I'm going to bring it up again. If Wisconsin's run game is going to be effective, BOTH of the starting backs need to be able to hold on to the ball and make plays when called upon. The Badgers cannot be forced to rely solely upon John Clay (freshman Montee Ball is pretty much a non-entity right now) for the rest of this season and expect to have it go as well as it did today. I don't care if takes carrying a football everywhere including the john for a week, Zach Brown has got to get his shoddy play under control. If he doesn't, the trip to the 'Shoe next week will not be a pretty one.

Defense:

After the stellar play by the D last week, my remarks about them in this recap are going to seem slight by comparison. The D was not nearly as solid as they were in the Michigan State game, but this is a young unit playing in an extremely hostile environment. I was glad to see that even though they were a bit more porous than usual, they made the critical stops when they had to. I'd like to single out the third quarter intercepion by Patrick Butrym, the fourth quarter sacks by Louis Nzegwu and Blake Sorenson and the subsequent fumble recovery by Chirs Borland as the defensive plays of the game. If the D can make plays like that for the entire game next week, the Badgers might, just might, have a chance against a slightly more anemic than usual Ohio State offense.

Special Teams:

I didn't cover the ST last week, but I would like to touch on it now as it was really was the Jekyll and Hyde unit.

First off, holy moly is our kickoff return coverage bad. Here are the returns by Troy Stoudermire in chronological order:

Kickoff return for 41 yards
Kickoff return for 33 yards
Kickoff return for 26 yards
Kickoff return for 38 yards
Kickoff return for 10 yards (this one was not returned by Stoudermire)
Kickoff for a touchback

In sum, the only way that the Badgers were able to keep the Gophers from reeling off a 20+ yard return on a kickoff was when they either booted it into the end zone or when the ball was caught by the backup return man Jay Thomas. Yikes.

Stoudermire is one of the more dangerous return guys in the Big 10, but special teams cannot continue to spot our opponenets field position at midfield and expect the defense to come out and clean up their mess.

So, if the kickoff return coverage was Mr. Hyde, then who on the ST was Dr. Jekyll?

That honor would go to the punter, Brad Nortman, and the punt return team, with a special mention for Nick Toon. The few punts, aside from an early touchback, were good by and large, with one downed at the 13 and the other at the 5 yard line. Both of the Minnesota drives that followed those punts - one at the end of the first half, and the other at the conclusion of the game - were stopped without points going on the board, which just goes to show how important winning the battle of field position can be.

The special mention for Nick Toon is for his awareness and great handling of the last gasp onside kick attempt by the Gophers. Eric Decker had a hand on the ball, but Toon managed to corral it on the rebound. Had Toon not been there to grab it, I would likely be writing about a heartbreaker of a loss instead of a thrilling win.

From here, the Badgers continue the road festivities with a trip to the Horseshoe and an afternoon battle with Ohio State. I am hoping for, though not expecting, a victory. The realist in me says that such an occurrence is unlikely, but even if Bucky drops the upcoming game, the win against Minnesota will have positioned them very well in the conference. Until time runs out in the 4th, I will hold out my hope for an upset. I thus conclude my recap with:

On to the 'Shoe, On to 6-0, and ON WISCONSIN!!!

Clay wears down Gophers as UW keeps Axe for sixth straight year

Adam Hoge — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:38:09 -0000

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema was so excited after Wisconsin's 31-28 win at Minnesota Saturday he wanted to stay and talk to the media a little longer than usual.

"We can go a little bit [longer]. Wanna go a little bit?," he said to Director of Athletic Communications Brian Lucas when the allotted time was up.

That's new. But can you blame him?

The Badgers survived another late comeback from an opponent, but this time from their bitter rivals who were hosting their first conference game at brand new TCF Bank Stadium. John Clay ran for a career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, and once again took over a game that had been opened back up by a key Wisconsin fumble.

With Wisconsin settling for a field goal by running on 3rd and 10 with an 11-point lead with just under seven minutes to go, it looked like the Badgers would take a very comfortable 14-point lead. Zach Brown gained eight yards on the carry but coughed the ball up as he fell to the ground and Minnesota cornerback Marcus Sherelsreturned it 84 yards for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion sealed an 11-point swing and cut UW's lead to three.

Clay and Tolzien picked up their teammate, however, and drove 74 yards in 3:50 to put Wisconsin back up 10 on Clay's third touchdown run of the game. The sophomore running back ran for 17 yards on the drive, but his 176 yards up to that point helped set up a 47-yard naked bootleg run for quarterback Scott Tolzien.

"We're like a family, man. We're here for each other," Clay said. "One of us messes up and then we're always there to pick each other up."

That includes the defense, who picked themselves up after allowing 78 yards on two pass plays after Clay's touchdown. Duane Bennett's one yard touchdown run made it a three point game again, but the defense got redemption when O'Brien Schofield forced a fumble and Chris Borlandfell on it to preserve the UW win with 30 seconds to go.

New stadium or not, it was another crazy finish to the longest standing rivalry in the football bowl subdivision.

"I thought it was supposed to be only in the Metrodome," Bielema said. "Every time we come up here it seems to be one of these types of games."

Early stops count late

Twice in the first half the Badgers defense held Minnesota to a field goal in situations where a touchdown appeared imminent.

The Gophers' first drive of the game took up 6:10 on the clock and encompasses 12 plays, but it stalled on 3rd and 7 from the 11 yard line when Adam Weber's pass to Nick Tow-Arnett fell incomplete.

Then on a similar 12-play drive in the second quarter, Minnesota drove 76 yards to the UW 4-yard line before settling for a field goal.

"That was critical. To be put in those situations and hold them to a field goal, there's a big difference between this year and last year in that department."

Secondary does enough on Decker

On paper, Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker -- the Big Ten's leading receiver -- had another typical big day, catching eight passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Almost all of his catches came in 1-on-1 coverage and UW was forced to bring double-coverage in an interesting scheme that used safety Jay Valailike a cornerback, with the actual cornerback stacked five yards behind Valai.

"We had some calls to basically try and put two people on him," Bielema said. "Beat him up at the line of scrimmage. I don't know, as long as I've been in this league, if I've ever seen a guy that can make the plays that he can make ... Anytime we were able to get two on him we were able to get success."

Decker got his yards, but he only scored once and that was good enough for Wisconsin to win.

Turnover battle determines game

Turnovers decide almost any close game and Saturday was no different. In the end, both teams turned the ball over three times and scored 14 points off turnovers, but Minnesota's final turnover was a fumble by Adam Weber in the closing seconds that sealed the game for Wisconsin.

"I don't know who forced it, but I saw the ball on the ground and I was contemplating picking it up but I knew all we needed was the possession so I just dove on it," Borland said. "It was a great play by whoever knocked it loose. It was a great rush."

O'Brien Schofield forced the fumble, his second forced fumble of the season.

Borland enjoying every second

Wisconsin's 5-0 start can be attributed to a number of new faces filling the voids of last year's 7-6 team and true freshman linebacker has been among those key new contributors in all five games.

On top of his fumble recovery to seal Wisconsin's win, Borland was also credited with half of a sack and had another great game on special teams.

"I really didn't anticipate it," Borland said in regards to his playing time on defense. "I thought I would be doing some things on special teams but I didn't anticipate making such a splash on defense. It's been a thrill to play on base and defense."

Extra points.

Wisconsin did not appear to have any major injuries, although Nick Tooncame off limping after blocking on a long-run by John Clay in the second half but returned and appeared to be fine... The Badgers dominated third-down again, converting 8-of-13 conversions while the Gophers only converted 6-of-14... UW won the time of possession 34:41 to 25:19, holding the ball for over 21 minutes in the second half... Wisconsin has now won six straight games against Minnesota and 12 of the last 14 meetings.

No Doubt In My Mind: Wisconsin Rolls Michigan State, 38-30

hmlee — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:10:25 -0000

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I want a brat. Maybe a spotted cow too, now that I think about it. This recap was unfortunately delayed by the mountain of legal reading I found myself under this weekend. I say unfortunately for two reasons. First, because I don't particularly enjoy my civ pro work - really, rule 12(b)(6) can go pluck a duck for all I care. And, second, because this was a big game for Wisconsin, which definitely deserved an immediate recap.

I don't think there is any doubt this week that the Iowa / Penn State game was the most significant in the conference, but, I think I would nominate the Wisconsin / Michigan State game as the runner-up. I suppose if Michigan had actually lost to Indiana, that would have been a big deal too, but, they didn't, so the point is rather moot. In this game, though, we really saw just how far both teams are from their pre-season expectations.

I have to say, when I was looking at the Badgers' schedule in the pre-season, I wasn't exactly looking forward to the opening week of the conference. Much like the 2008 season, I saw three very tough games with one easier opponent to start the conference play. Then, it was OSU, Penn State, and Iowa, with a completely beatable Michigan team (though, every Badger fan knows how that one went.) This year, it was OSU, Iowa, and Sparty first up with a beatable Minnesota team sandwiched in between. It seemed as though the Badgers were doomed for a clone of the 2008 season - race out to 3-0 against non-con opponents and then get dragged down when they actually got to the meat of their schedule.

My fears of this happening only intensified after the six fumbles the Badgers had in the course of their Wofford win, and I really thought that after Saturday I'd be singing along to the classic Foundations song... To wit:

Why do you build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup baby just to
let me down (Let me down)
And mess me around...

Instead, I find myself in an entirely different sort of mood this week. Yes, loyal readers, I'm a believer!

After the jump, I dispense with the 1960s song references and talk about why what I saw in the MSU game makes me think Wisconsin could take the Big 10 by surprise this season...

The SB Nation Big 10 bloggers give a boost to the Badgers in our Post Week 4 Power Poll...

My coverage of Wisconsin's nail-biting win against Fresno State...

I have to say, this game was a real pleasure to watch as a Wisconsin fan. Beyond some early jitters on the Badgers first possession, the team really played as a complete unit, firing on all cylinders, for perhaps the first time this year. Because the game flowed so well from start to finish, I'm going to break down my commentary to the two different sides of the ball.

I'll start with the defense, as I was really impressed by their play in this game. Going into the season, I had been a bit concerned that the Wisconsin D was largely comprised of sophomores and freshman. It's not necessarily true that a young team will play poorly, but having a team dominated by younger players does act as sort of a wild card. In this game, the Badger D looked like they had been playing together for years. They combined as a unit to put a great deal of pressure on Kirk Cousins - forcing him to make quite a few harried, poor decisions. As they were doing this, they also managed to hold the line against the running attempts that Sparty tried to turn to. Their run defense wasn't the most consistent in the game, but they got the job done and made the stops when they needed to, in particular several third down situations which kept State out of the end zone.

Also, the secondary did a fantastic job of essentially removing Blair White as a threat. It was great to see the coaching staff recognize White's talent and game-changing play ability and really work to make sure he didn't burn the Badgers for deep catches.

There are a few players on the defense who made plays that I think are worthy of special recognition:

Patrick Butrym, sophomore DT, for his great hit on Larry Caper for a loss in a 3rd and 1 situation which killed Sparty's second drive of the game.

Mike Taylor, freshman LB, who intercepted Kirk Cousins at midfield and successfully halted MSU, after they had managed to march 22 yards in only a little under two minutes.

Chris Borland, freshman LB, for his recovery of Sparty's late-game on-side kick attempt.

Finally, Chris Maragos, senior CB, for his not one... but TWO INTs on the day. One came in the second off a bad throw by backup State QB Keith Nichol, and the other in the 4th quarter in the end zone to keep Michigan State from cutting down the Badger lead.

Among this excellent play, there are really only two issues I have, and they are minor at best. After the half, the defense came out and initially looked a bit sluggish, but they recovered their footing quickly enough, and managed to hold State to just a field goal after they recovered Zach Brown's fumble (more on that later) in Wisconsin territory. The only other quibble is with the final two and a half minutes of this game. The Badgers had been up by 21 when the D let State back into the game. I don't really have much to complain about regarding State's first TD of the fourth quarter... Wisconsin had managed to stop State enough times in the game previously that seeing State score when they were supposed to wasn't too upsetting. Buuut... that last Hail Mary pass that led to MSU's final TD of the game? Yeah, I didn't like that one too much. Granted, by then, MSU was out of time-outs and probably wasn't a huge threat, but, still, I hope that was just a tiny late-game mental lapse and not something suggestive of a larger problem.

On the offensive side of the ball, Wisconsin looked excellent as well. John Clay was like some sort of unstoppable force of nature. He may not be the speediest RB, but it sure is pretty to watch him bounce off tackles and bulldoze defensive lineman. His play this weekend really did make up for his turnovers against Wofford, and showed that he really is the type of player who recognizes his poor play and works hard to correct it.

Zach Brown on the other hand.... well, I have to say that in general, I think he's played well this year. I did not like watching him fumble a simple hand off in the backfield today, though. Wisconsin's two-RB system is a good one. It might be nice, of course, to have a feature back and a decent second, but having two good primary guys (especially with different skill sets) is useful for keeping the opposing defenses guessing. That being said, the only way for this system to actually work is for BOTH of the RBs to be consistent and sure handed with the football. The opposing defenses won't be kept guessing if they think Bielema can't trust one of his backs to not have butterfingers.

As for Scott Tolzien... well, the more I see this kid play, the more I love him. So much for that notion of him as a career backup. He has really come out of the gate this season and commanded the field in a way that I did not expect at all. He made some great deep throws to Nick Toon and Isaac Anderson, as well as quite a few quick, short plays to the TEs Garrett Graham and Lance Kendricks. He may not be Darryl Clark or Tate Forcier, but he is the type of QB that can go out there and make the plays necessary to open holes for Bucky's running game and still remain a threat himself. Wisconsin hasn't had this type of quarterback play since at least 2005/2006.

So, where do we go from here? I think that if the young defense can put together more games like this one, and John Clay / Scott Tolzien can continue their solid offensive play, the Badgers will be a serious threat in the conference this year. I'm not dreaming of a trip to Pasadena by any means, but I don't think a good bowl game is at all out of the question if they keep this up.

This weekend, at Minnesota, I foresee a win. The game against Northwestern not withstanding, the Gophers don't really have much of a running game. They do have Eric Decker, but, if Wisconsin can contain Weber and Decker like they contained Cousins and White... the Badgers should be rolling out of the Twin Cities with Paul Bunyan's axe still securely in tow.

So, until next time,

On to week 5, On to The Bank, and ON WISCONSIN!!