SB Nation - John Moffitt

All-Big Ten Awards Announced, Swept Once Again By Toto

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:45 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Northwestern won 17-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Good news, everyone!* The Big Ten announced its picks for the all-conference teams. Naturally, the offensive and defensive player of the year are both Terrelle Pryor. Okay, not true; he's not even honorable mention.

But there's plenty of actual good news. First, the devil media named Kirk Ferentz coach of the year, and here he is reminding them that they can go suck it and he hasn't forgiven them for the slights of the regular season.

Such language, Kirk!

As for the players, here's the link to the voting results. The media named Bryan Bulaga to the first team on offense, while the second team featured four of his friends from the line: Rafael Eubanks, Dace Richardson, Kyle Calloway, and Tony Moeaki.

On defense, the first team had a little more Iowa representation; Adrian Clayborn, Pat Angerer, and Tyler Sash all received their no-brainer merits. On the second team, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey. Iowa put eight players on the media's honorable mention team: Ryan Donahue, Broderick Binns, A.J. Edds, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Karl Klug, Daniel Murray, Adam Robinson, and Ricky Stanzi.

Not surprisingly, the coaches had a slightly higher opinion of the Hawkeyes; here's the link to their voting results. Bryan Bulaga was named their offensive lineman of the year(!!!), an award the media doesn't give out. Bulaga is joined on the first team by Moeaki and Richardson, both of which are worthy selections. Calloway and Eubanks didn't make the second team--not sure why on Calloway--but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos snuck in on a three-player tie for second-team WR.

On defense, the coaches agreed with the media in putting Sash, Clayborn, and Angerer on the first team roster. They also added Amari Spievey; as coaches, they're more likely to know that the reason Spievey didn't have a ton of picks wasn't that he's not good at football, but that there's just no hope in throwing at him; Spievey was a machine this season, and we're starting to lose hope that he's got more than one game left in an Iowa uniform. A.J. Edds is the lone Hawkeye on the defensive second team.

For honorable mention, it's as follows:Christian Ballard, Kyle Calloway, Ryan Donahue, Brent Greenwood, Karl Klug, and Adam Robinson.

Full All-BXI teams and a few thoughts are after the break.

MEDIA

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	JOHN CLAY, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Tandon Doss, Indiana	Blair White, Michigan State
WR	Keith Smith, Purdue	Zeke Markshausen, Northwestern
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa
G	Justin Boren, Ohio State	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Dace Richardson, Iowa
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Kyle Calloway, Iowa
T	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin	Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin	Tony Moeaki, Iowa
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan State	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	GREG JONES, Michigan State	Josh Hull, Penn State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Brent Greenwood, Iowa
DB	Donovan Warren, Michigan	Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern	Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

COACHES

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	John Clay, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Eric Decker, Minnesota	Tandon Doss, Indiana*
WR	Blair White, Michigan State	Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa* Keith Smith, Purdue*
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa* Joel Nitchman, Michigan State*
G	Dace Richardson, Iowa	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Justin Boren, Ohio State
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Rodger Saffold, Indiana
T	Dennis Landolt, Penn State	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE	Tony Moeaki, Iowa	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Jared Odrick, Penn State	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa Linebacker	A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB	Greg Jones, Michigan State	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Donovan Warren, Michigan*
DB	Amari Spievey, Iowa	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern*
DB	Brad Phillips, Northwestern	Brandon King, Purdue*
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue* Jay Valai, Wisconsin*
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

Okay. While we're quite happy that Bulaga got such high accolades for the season, we can't be alone in thinking that he was hardly the best lineman in Iowa City, much less the Big Ten. He was either on the sidelines or out of sorts for the majority of the season, and we still haven't seen the elephant-tusk-covered road grader from last season on display. He totally would have deserved a preseason OL of the year, but his performance over 2009 didn't merit such superlatives.

This is hardly a new development from these postseason lists, however; generally, the lists are crafted off of the preseason lists, and anybody whose knee blew out with more than four games left was excised and replaced by someone else. After all, Bulaga was only a second-team All-BXI player last season, even though he was by far the best lineman on the team in 2008. Seth Olsen, meanwhile, had the good fortune to be a first-teamer to start the year, so he was on the first team after 2008, despite a relatively blah senior campaign; we'd have put him about fourth on the list of Iowa linemen for 2009, behind the two bookends at tackle and Rob Bruggeman at center.

Essentially, Bulaga won the award in 2009 for his play in 2008.

At the end of the day, this comes down to stats; there aren't any for linemen, despite the ill-fated attempt to get the "pancake" introduced about a decade ago (for this, we blame Orlando Pace). It's assumed that linemen are sure things, and that as long as they stay healthy, the narrative has stayed true. After all, without stats, most scribes have no time (or no idea) how to watch linemen individually.

Frankly, though it's a subjective stat, we'd love to see how linemen grade out per play (remember that Blake Larsen famously graded at 100% during his senior season at Atlantic; lord, had those knees survived...) Without having the means to undertake such an activity ourselves, we'd imagine that if you graded each Iowa offensive lineman, Kyle Calloway or Dace Richardson would probably be at the top.

If they're not, which is possible, then it would probably be the guy who didn't even get an honorable mention: Riley Reiff. He was stout in relief of Bulaga--hell, we're pretty sure O'Brien Schofield would not have batted Reiff around like a catnip mouse, unlike some Iowa linemen--and he basically forced his way into the starting lineup even before Big Dace went down. But since he wasn't even a projected starter, to say nothing of a preseason honoree, Reiff didn't have much of a chance for postseason mention. Shame, really; dude is legit, and he hasn't even filled out his frame yet.

As for the skill players, it's a little disappointing that Stanzi only made one honorable mention team. But we get how that can happen. Spievey only making second team in the media is flatly ridiculous. If he'd put together that same season in an Ohio State uniform, he'd be getting All-American talk.

Other than that, we don't have a ton of beef; Stanzi killed himself by leading the conference in interceptions when he went down to injury, and the rest of the offensive skill players were far too inconsistent or hurt to merit much consideration. Jeremiha Hunter not getting any honorable mention love is a little disconcerting, but the BXI was lo-ho-hoaded at linebacker this season; we're not quite sure whom we'd place him above. He'll get some love in 2010 if he stays healthy. Also--given the play of Jeff Tarpinian in relief--if Hunter stays healthy between now and next September, there's no position battle at weakside backer next season, right?

So, all in all, a fair list, even if the voting on offensive linemen is basically a year behind schedule. It's a year behind for everyone else, after all. Anybody else that you folks think got shafted? Did Marvin McNutt deserve a nod, or is he still a year away from recognition?

*/Farnsworth'd

Monday Film Session: The wide receiver "pick" play

Adam Hoge — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:21:38 -0000

More photos » by Tom Strattman - AP

Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland (44) graded out well after UW's 31-28 win over Indiana. How did the rest of his team do? (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

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Don't look now, but after the UW offense failed to score a touchdown in two straight losses against Ohio State and Iowa, the Badgers have responded well with a total of 68 points in two straight wins over Purdue and Indiana.

Still, while the points and yards continue to pile up on that side of the ball, there have been a few red flags. For instance, Saturday against Indiana, the only ones who could stop the UW offense was the UW offense itself.

After going back and reviewing the film from Saturday, two sequences of events in the first half stood out as Wisconsin left at least 7 points on the board in the first 30 minutes of play.

The first came when Wisconsin had a 10-7 lead at the start of the second quarter and a first and 10 at the IU 1-yard line. Like we have oddly seen before this season, Paul Chryst called a passing play on first down and the intended pass for Garrett Graham fell incomplete after being tipped at the line of scrimmage. On second down, Scott Tolzien fell down after his feet got tangled with center Peter Konz and on third down Issac Anderson was flagged for offensive pass interference (more on this in a minute), which wiped out a touchdown pass to Lance Kendricks. Wisconsin settled for a field goal, leaving four points off the scoreboard.

On UW's last drive of the half, Tolzien rolled out to his right and hit a wide open Garrett Graham down the field at the 25 yard line. The only problem? Graham started running before he secured the football and he dropped it for an incomplete pass. The completion would have at least put UW in field goal range, but it's very possible Graham could have scored on the play. He was that open.

All in all, UW left at least 7 points (maybe 10) off the scoreboard in the first half. To make matters worse, after Graham's drop, Anderson dropped one on third down that would have kept the drive going. Instead, IU went 80 yards and scored a touchdown. Now, to their credit, the Badgers managed to come back with a touchdown of their own before the half was over, but they could have been up as much as 34-14 at the half, instead of only 24-14.

Now, let's go back to the questionable pass interference call on Anderson on the first missed opportunity. This was very simply just a bad call. And I'll show you why.

If you look at the tape, Issac Anderson picks his own guy. The whole definition of the illegal "pick" play, is that while running a crossing route, you make contact with the defender covering your teammate, creating space for your teammate to catch the pass. Let's take a look at the tape:

Anderson is lined up at the top of your screen and is covered by cornerback Adrian Burks. Strong safety Austin Thomas is covering Kendricks.

Here's how the play unfolds:

Anderson simply runs forward and jams with the corner covering him. In no way is he "picking" the guy who is covering Kendricks. Now you can argue that IU was in a zone and Burks was going to go out to cover Kendricks, but at this point he has made no attempt to move towards the sideline and Thomas appears to be trying to go behind Burks the entire play. This is a mix up in coverage, not offensive pass interference.

Understandably, Anderson and Bielema weren't too happy about the call. After looking at the rest of the game film, they probably weren't too happy that Indiana got away with an actual pick play later in the game on their first touchdown of the second half.

Here's how the illegal pick play is actually run (and when offensive pass interference should be called):

Belcher is the wide receiver lined up to the outside, while Terrance Turner is in the slot. Belcher is going to run inside and pick free safety Chris Maragos who is covering Turner. Turner then runs an out-route underneath. Here's how the play unfolds:

As you can see, Belcher clearly runs into Maragos as Turner begins his cut to the sideline where he is wide open for the touchdown.

If the officials are going to be "picky" and call the pass inteference on UW when they shouldn't have, then they could at least be consistent with the call. Of course, it wasn't same official on that side of the field.

After watching the rest of the film, here's how I grade out the Badgers after their 31-28 win over Indiana:

Quarterback: B+
Scott Tolzien's numbers weren't fantastic (11-of-20 for 194 yards and one touchdown), but Graham and Anderson each dropped wide open passes and I thought he did a great job of managing the game. He didn't turn the ball over and he made great decisions all day long, specifically on his touchdown pass when he passed on a wide open Garrett Graham who was open right in front of him and went to Anderson instead, who was open in the end zone for the score.

Running backs: A+
267 yards, three touchdowns and no fumbles. It can't get much better than that. John Clay continued to dominate the Big Ten with 134 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries before a head injury put Montee Ball in the rest of the way. All Ball did was pick up 115 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries and take over the final drive of the game to run out the clock and secure the win.

Wide receivers: B
Nick Toon was outstanding with five catches for 123 yards. Four of those catches came on crucial third downs, including a 17-yard gain on 3rd and 8 with 2:28 remaining in the game. Anderson had a good game with three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown, but his drop on third down late in the second quarter killed UW's momentum and put the ball in the hands of Ben Chappell who marched down the field in only three plays to keep IU in the game before halftime.

Tight ends: D
The blocking was fine, but Graham was virtually invisible in the passing game and dropped a pass on what could have been a 50-yard touchdown play in the second quarter. Kendricks caught one pass for seven yards and had a touchdown wiped out on the "pick play".

Offensive line: A
The run blocking was beautiful all day long, exemplified on John Moffitt's key block in the first quarter that sprung John Clay on a 47-yard run into IU territory. The line didn't allow a sack and Jake Bscherer actually made the line better when he came in for Josh Oglesby after the right tackle went down with an apparent left knee injury with 8:18 left in the second quarter. You have to feel for Oglesby because you could hear him scream on television when the injury happened, but he was struggling against Jamie Kirlew and Bscherer shut the talented defensive end down the rest of the game.

Defensive line: C
The run defense was stout, only allowing 2.4 yards per carry, but the line didn't put much pressure on Chappell who was able to pick apart the secondary for 323 yards and three touchdowns while completing 25-of-35 passes. O'Brien Schofield still managed two TFLs and he forced an interception when he hit Chappell on a throw in the third quarter. He didn't get much help from his fellow linemates, however.

Linebackers: B+
Chris Borland gets an A as the true freshman continues to play like a veteran out there. He led the team with nine tackles, added an interception and a TFL, while his blitzes wreaked havoc all day. Blake Sorensen got a good amount of reps at middle linebacker and he played well with five tackles, although he gave up a big pass play in the second half when he went for the ball instead of playing the man.

Cornerbacks: C-
Niles Brinkley continued to struggle, most notably on Indiana's touchdown late in the second quarter when he gave up a 33-yard pass to Terrance Turner and then two plays later gave up a 46-yard touchdown to Tandon Doss. Devin Smith played very well although he gave up a few tough plays on IU's final scoring drive. Antonio Fenelus was the nickel corner and looked average at best. Aaron Henry was nowhere to be seen and practiced at free safety during the week.

Safeties: C
Chris Maragos made a nice interception on underneath coverage, but both he and Valai looked confused at times in zone coverage. Both of them were having communication problems with the cornerbacks, specifically Valai and Brinkley who were caught covering the same guy a few times while the other receiver was busy catching the pass.

Special teams: D
Bret Bielema's unit continues to underachieve. The head coach's stubborness with David Gilreath cost the Badgers a touchdown in the first quarter when No. 85 muffed the punt at the 12 yard line. Gilreath should have lost his return job weeks ago, but Bielema still had him in there later in the game. Ironically, Borland had the best return of the day, a 32-yarder late in the second quarter that set Wisconsin up for a touchdown before halftime.

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

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.

Balanced attack leads to big win over MSU

Adam Hoge — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:48:46 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Wisconsin running back John Clay (32) leaps past Michigan State's Jeremy Ware (9) and Chris L. Rucker (29) during the second half of the Badgers 38-30 over Michigan State Saturday.. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Calm down Wisconsin. The Badgers' running game is back.

During the UW football team's 3-0 start, the Badgers used a potent passing attack to average 35 points per game, while the running game looked very average, despite putting up 199 rushing yards per game.

Saturday, the Badgers used a very balanced offensive attack, passing and running all over the Spartans, during a 38-30 win that wasn't as close as the scoreboard suggested.

John Clay rushed for 142 yards on 32 carries, while Scott Tolzien threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns while completing 19-of-31 passes.

"John knew he had to get it right," head coach Bret Bielema said, referring to the sophomore's three fumbles against Wofford last week. "And he knew the only person that was going to do that was him. So he went through it and didn't put the ball on the ground during practice all week."

He didn't put the ball on the ground during the game either. And when Zach Brown fumbled in the third quarter, Bielema told Clay he had to bring the team home.

"He told me, 'We got to finish this game out mistake free and limit our turnovers," Clay said.

The defense held Michigan State to a field goal and went to Clay to start running out the clock. Wisconsin went on a 17-play, 50-yard drive that took 7:33 off the clock and resulted in a Phillip Welch 41-yard field goal to take a 24-10 lead. Clay received 10 carries on the drive and accounted for 33 of the 50 yards.

"I'm just happy the coaches gave me a chance to go out there and prove they count on me and need me as much I need them. I feel very honored by that," Clay said.

While the running attack gained some momentum Saturday, the passing game didn't lose any. Tolzien continued to impress, completing big pass plays to Issac Anderson and Nick Toon, while also finding tight end Garrett five times. Three of Graham's catches went for touchdowns.

Wisconsin's offense is starting to look like a legitimate balanced attack. Most importantly, it only committed only one turnover, resulting in a plus-three turnover margin for the Badgers on the day.

"It doesn't matter who is going to get the ball," Clay said. "We know that whoever touches it, something big is going to happen."

Another late comeback

It appeared Wisconsin was set to blow the Spartans away when it held a 38-17 lead with the ball in Michigan State territory mid-way through the fourth quarter. Instead, the Spartans forced a punt and scored two late touchdowns to keep it a one-score game.

In fact, Michigan State had the opportunity to recover an on-side kick with 15 seconds left, but the ball bounced to David Gilreath who secured it for the win.

The opportunity came after backup quarterback Keith Nichol hit Keshawn Martin for a 91-yard touchdown pass on the first play after a UW punt. Nichol and Martin had hooked up for another score just two minutes earlier.

"We made it a little more difficult there at the end," Bielema said. "We had a busted coverage that resulted in a big play that got us in the that little tense situation the last 15 seconds. But I am not going to let that take away from something that we can easily correct as coaches."

It appeared Antonio Fenelus had a mix-up on what coverage the defense was playing. He let Martin go by him and Chris Maragos was not expecting it.

"Fenelus, he comes up and slaps me on the backside and said, "No need to worry coach." You know there at the end of the game and I look at the little devil, I wanted to slap him upside the head," Bielema said. "But he knows what he is talking about."

And while Bielema said the coaches can get the mistakes corrected, he added a positive spin on Michigan State's mini-comeback.

"The good thing is, the score ended up a lot closer than it really was and that will help us keep quietly creeping along," he said.

Henry: Finishing is the final goal

On the doors of the UW weight room, the five team goals for 2009 are listed: 1) Daily preparation to win, 2) Re-establish Wisconsin football, 3) Relentless toughness, 4) Win for each other, and 5) Finish.

It could be argued that Wisconsin succeeded greatly in accomplishing the first four goals Saturday, but failed miserably at the fifth.

"I think as a secondary we played very very well in the first half and we just need to finish our last goal and that's finish," Aaron Henry said after the game.

Henry was very hard on himself this week after a mediocre first three games that included a number of pass interference penalties and a bad flu bug.

"Nobody is going to be harder on me and than me," he said. "I definitely think I took a step forward. I did have some plays made on me and I made some plays too. The thing is as a cornerback, you have to be short minded. Things are going to happen."

One of the plays Henry gave up was a second quarter 14-yard touchdown to Mark Dell that tied the game at seven. Henry had good coverage on the MSU wideout, but his turn to the ball was late and Dell made a tough catch to pull in the touchdown. The play proved that Henry is making strides, but just isn't quite there yet.

"[Cornerbacks coach Kerry Crooks] wants me to open and turn towards to the reciever and not open up towards the ball," Henry said. "I actually opened up away from the receiver. It's still something I got to work on but it's a whole lot better than pass interference."

Extra points

Wisconsin was 11-of-18 on third down while Michigan State was only 3-of 10... UW dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 37:29 as opposed to MSU's 22:31. The Badgers appeared to escape any major injuries. John Moffitt twisted his left ankle in the fourth quarter but was fine after the game... Bret Bielema is now 16-0 in 11 AM CT starts at home. "Oh, I'm well aware of my 11 o'clock record," he said after the game.

Badger Bits: Gasser takes Taylor's scholarship

Adam Hoge — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:08:12 -0000

It didn't take long for Bo Ryan to fill Diamond Taylor's vacated scholarship.

Just a little over a week after Taylor withdrew from the University of Wisconsin after alledgedly burglarizing several campus dorm rooms, Port Washington's John Gasser told Ryan he will accept UW's scholarhsip offer and join the Badgers next season.

As we noted last week, Taylor's legal problems had a good chance of hurting Northwestern, which appeared to have the upperhand on Gasser, a sleeper-recruit who averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds as a junior.

Rob Schultz -- who covers the UW men's basketball team for Madison.com -- spoke with recruiting analyst Van Coleman who had good things to say about Gasser.

Among the topics discussed with Coleman was a possible backcourt of Gasser and Vander Blue, the Madison Memorial senior who backed out of his verbal commitment to the Badgers this summer, but still holds the final scholarship offer for next season.

Coleman said a Gasser-Blue backcourt could be better than the Kirk Penney-Devin Harris backcourt that led UW to two Big Ten titles.

On to some more links:

UW football notes: Moffitt moves to guard - Madison.com

Camp Randall security measures detailed - JSOnline
Recent security concerns have most college football stadiums on alert this weekend and Camp Randall is no exception. UW released a list of items that will not be allowed in the stadium Saturday. Just in case you were wondering, "weapons" is among those items banned from Camp Randall (right next to noisemakers and balloons).

A Michigan State writer's take on Saturday's game - Madison.com
Jim Polzin talks to Michigan State beat writer Joe Rexrode from the Lansing State Journal.

UW's Halloween football game vs. Purdue an 11 a.m. start

Finally, Bret Bielema continues to encourage students to show up to Camp Randall on time -- I have failed numerous times -- and today he send out a message via Twitter that said:

We have had a good week of preparation and getting healthier. Trying to encourage early student arrival for a great gameday environment.

Good luck.

Flu bug aside, Badgers have a lot to work on

Adam Hoge — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:56:44 -0000

The UW football team deserves a ton of credit for the way it battled through a flu-ridden week that severely limited its preparation for Fresno State. With that said, there's no epidemic that can hide some of the deficiencies that hamper the 2009 Badgers.

Head coach Bret Bielema was quick to bring up the flu in his post-game press conference -- and rightfully so, as it was the biggest story of the week -- but he also blamed some of the team's shortcomings on certain players having to play special teams and others battling through injuries.

What happened to the "next man in" philosophy? Apparently that doesn't apply when there is no next man in as is the case in the UW secondary. Aaron Henry was struck by the flu early Saturday morning and Niles Brinkley is battling a "messed up hammy," as Henry put it.

That left Devin Smith and Antonio Fenelus out there to play every special teams down and most defensive downs. Both were beat for touchdowns in 1-on-1 coverage.

Wisconsin insisted on playing well off the wide receivers and gave up a number of first downs when Fresno State went with a quick slant pass on third down.

"We were pretty much playing Cover-3 most of the time and a lot of times in some of the those coverages you give up the short routes so you don't get beat on some of those deeps ones," Henry said. "They nickeled and dimed us down the field and they came back down the field with the slant-go's and the double-moves and you just had to play football."

It worked. Wisconsin gave up four passing touchdowns while Ryan Colburn completed 22-of-36 passes for 289 yards.

"The first half was horrible," Henry said. "It was ridiculous. All the points we gave up was because of the secondary."

That includes Fresno State's first touchdown in which Henry was beat four times on slant routes, including the 13-yard touchdown pass from Colburn to Chastin West. Ailing, Henry left the game and never returned.

But it can't all be blamed on the secondary. The defensive line failed to get to the quarterback as often as it did last week against Northern Illinois and that may be where the flu bug affected UW the most. Defensive end J.J. Watt was among those hit hardest by the virus and it showed on the stat sheet as he only finished with two tackles and one pass break-up.

O'Brien Schofield seemed determined to pick up the slack, however. In the most complete effort of his career, Schofield finished with 11 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack.

"I left it all on the field. I'm empty. I have nothing left," Schofield said.

The senior defensive end and free safety Chris Maragos did enough to save their defense and allow the offense to outscore Fresno State 24-3 before the end of regulation -- enough to erase a 21-7 deficit and make it to overtime.

The Bulldogs actually put up more yardage in the second half (241 yards) than they did in the first half (227) but scored 18 less points than they did in the first two quarters.

Those numbers are a result of a defense that allowed Fresno State to convert 11-of-18 third down conversions, but managed to come up with big plays to win the game.

The biggest of those plays was Maragos' interception in overtime that set-up Phillip Welch's game winning field goal.

It's a good sign that Wisconsin is making plays in key situations to win the game, but it's alarming that for the second straight week the defense put the opposing team in position to do the exact same thing.

Flu count

Bielema admitted after the game that about 40 players were out Tuesday with flu-like symptoms. With so many guys suffering, it was easier to find out who never had the flu and that list included running back John Clay and Schofield.

Because their game preparations were interrupted by the flu, the Badgers practiced Friday when they usually only have walk-throughs.

Offensive tackle Gabe Carimi said they had to pretend Wednesday was Tuesday, Thursday was Wednesday and Friday was Thursday. Luckily, they only treated Saturday like Friday during the first half.

Running game makes an appearance

Should Badger fans be worried about the running game? Clay had a 72-yard touchdown run but only had 71 yards total on his other 20 carries. In fact, outside of that big run, UW running backs only had 107 yards on 30 carries.

The reality is that Fresno State loaded the box a lot like Northern Illinois did last week and it allowed Tolzien to complete some tough passes in 1-on-1 coverage when blitzes came.

Clay proved on his long touchdown run that he still has breakaway speed. He made a believer out of Carimi who admitted he was surprised Clay made it all the way to the endzone.

Tolzien gives himself a "B/C"

Last week Tolzien gave himself a "B" grade in his solid debut as Wisconsin's starting quarterback. This week he actually gave himself a worse grade, saying it was a "B/C" performance. The junior finished with 225 yards and one touchdown while completing 17-of-28 passes.

Once again Tolzien showed confidence and poise in situations when his offensive line failed to pick up a blitz. He was only sacked twice when in reality, he could have been sacked as many as five or six times.

Injury report

Travis Frederick left the game in the first half with a right ankle sprain and Peter Konz filled in nicely as the backup center. Bielema said Jake Current would have been the third string center. He said he expects John Moffitt to be ready next week but did not guarantee his return... Fullback Bradie Ewing suffered a concussion during the game but "was smiling at the end of the game," according to Bielema. He did not expect it to be a serious injury... Finally, Issac Anderson played through cramps as a result of the flu. He finished with four catches for 44 yards.

Breaking it down: Wisconsin's Offense vs the Huskie D

Mike Breese — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:45:10 -0000

Will RB John Clay have a day against the Huskies? (via assets.espn.go.com)

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The Backfield

Wisconsin Head Coach Brett Bielema can't decide who to put where in this mix of players. Both quarterbacks came out of nowhere in camp and look to see playing time in the opener. Doesn't Bielema realize that playing 2 QBs in games simply never works? It seems like he can't seem to decide on a starter, rather than using a 2-QB system. Zach Brown is the current pick to start in front of all-world John Clay in another unusual choice. An underrated aspect is that the Badgers lose their fullback from last year in Chris Pressley, currently with the Bengals.

QB - Scott Tolzien: Jr, 6'3" 205, pocket passer. Previous accolades: Played in 3 games last year and went 5 for 8 with an INT!.

QB - Curt Phillips: RS Fr, 6'3" 228, dual-threat. Previous accolades: Scout team player of the year (WHOO!) and stud recruit coming out of high school.

RB - Zach Brown: Jr, 5'10" 210. Previous accolades: Has played 24 games the last 2 years, averaging 5.0 ypc

RB - John Clay: So, 6'1" 248, freak of nature, Preseason All-Big 10. Previous accolades: Being a human wrecking ball, placing 7th in the Big 10 LY with 884 rushing yds averaging 5.7 ypc (YIKES).

FB - Bradie Ewing: So, 6'0" 231. Previous accolades: Mostly special teams

The Receivers

Wisconsin has been stockpiling highly touted wide receivers through recruiting and this corps has tremendous potential. If they choose to stop running the ball and pass it....and if one of the new quarterbacks can actually get them the pass. Face it, Wisconsin is just going to stick two tight ends in there, run the ball and occasionally throw in the play action pass to one of these threats.

WR - Nick Toon: So, 6'3" 212. Previous accolades: Played in 12 games LY...17 rec for 257 yds and 1 TD, came on strong late. Think Landon Cox clone. Super-recruit.

WR - Issac Anderson: Jr, 5'10" 177. Previous accolades: Started 8 games LY...21 rec for 286 yds, also came on strong late in the season.

WR - David Gilreath: Jr, 5'11" 170. Previous accolades: Started 9 games LY...2nd on team with 31 catches for 520 yds and 3 TDs. Biggest deep threat and mainly a kick and punt return specialist.

TE - Garrett Graham: Sr, 6'3" 250, Preseason All-Big 10. Previous accolades: Started 10 games LY...Led team with 40 catches for 540 yds and 5 TDs.

TE - Lance Kendricks, Jr, 6'4" 236. Previous accolades: Played in 8 games LY...6 catches for 141 yds

The Offensive Line

This has been the meat and bones of the Wisconsin offense for years. The success of the team starts up front, run blocking. The uglies have been through a lot of turnover and a couple of guys are beat up, but make no mistake that these guys are HUGE and talented.

LT - Gabe Carimi: Jr, 6'7" 325, Preseason All-Big 10. Previous accolades: Has started at LT 23 games the last 2 years

LG - Jake Bscherer: Jr, 6'7" 310. Previous accolades: Played in 24 games on special teams the past 2 years. Super-recruit.

C - John Moffitt: Jr, 6'5" 320. Previous accolades: Started 19 games the past 2 years. As I type this, Moffitt still hasn't returned to practice because of a pec strain.

C - Travis Frederick: Fr, 6'4" 336. Previous accolades: True freshman.

RG - Kevin Zeitler: So, 6'4" 317. Previous accolades: Played in 3 games last year. His backup Bill Nagy looks to miss the opener because of a heel injury.

RT - Josh Oglesby: So, 6'7" 330. Previous accolades: Played in all 13 games LY, starting 3. Super-recruit.

Important Matchups

RB John Clay vs Everybody

At 6'1" 248 the gameplan against Clay is to get as low as possible and take out his legs. May God help our defense. Our linebackers actually have pretty good size this year with the 6'2" 229 Pat Schiller anchoring the middle. Gang-tackling will have to be the key and look for the Safeties to step up big.

Wisconsin's Paul Bunyan O-Line vs NIU's Defensive Line

The Badger offensive line averages over 320 per guy. Let me just rattle off some players on NIU's D-Line: DJ Pirkle: 6'0" 285, Brian Lawson: 6'3" 272, Adam Coleman & Ron Newcomb: 6'3" 265. The key will be getting low and speeding past these big bodies to get to the running backs and the quarterbacks. Look to defensive ends Brandon Bice & Jake Coffman 6'4 250, 6'5" 255 respectively to cause a lot of pressure off the edge, relieving some of the guys in the middle.

TE Garrett Graham vs WLB Cory Hanson/SLB Alex Kube

Usually the weakside linebacker lines up away from the tight end, but that isn't going to matter in this game where they will be constantly be on both sides. Either one of these guys is going to have to stop Graham from being the outlet for any of the Badger QBs that end up playing in the game. Kube is only 6'0" 212, but has extreme quickness while Hanson is a little bigger at 6'2" 220. Somebody is going to have to give up 30 lbs facing the 6'3" 250 pass-catching threat.

CB Patrick George vs WR Nick Toon

With all the running that Wisconsin is going to be doing in this game, the corners are going to be pretty much left on an island to defend for themselves against the Badger receivers. Our best CB in George is only 5'11 190 going up against a 6'3" 212 Toon. It should be an interesting matchup to see if the speedy PG can keep Toon at bay.

Wisconsin looking to use both Phillips, Tolzien at QB against the Huskies

Mike Breese — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:22:48 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

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Wait, haven't we heard this story before?

Michigan fans went all bonkers earlier this week with the rumor that three Michigan QBs would ALL be in the rotation for the Wolverines in their season opener against Western Michigan. However, the Doc intervened and swiftly tossed away this myth:

On that note, beware the extreeeeemely misleading headline hitting all the wires Sunday that suggests Rich Rodriguez may rotate three quarterbacks in the Wolverines' opener against Western Michigan. That header is based on a teasing throwaway line -- "Maybe we’ll have three starting quarterbacks," Rodriguez said. "That would be neat." -- from the bottom of an obligatory media day story whose first 23 paragraphs focus exclusively on freshman's Denard Robinson's totally quirky habit of playing with his shoelaces untied.

But wait, there's another Big 10 team out there that isn't shying away from ACTUALLY rotating quarterbacks.

The Culprit: The Wisconsin Badgers.

This is what Badger HC Brett Bielema had to say after practice today:

Madison – No matter who is named Wisconsin’s No. 1 quarterback – junior Scott Tolzien or redshirt freshman Curt Phillips – UW fans should expect to see both play in the Sept. 5 opener against visiting Northern Illinois.
"I really believe we’ll see multiple quarterbacks," coach Bret Bielema said after practice Wednesday. "I like the way our guys are playing."

Tolzien worked with the No. 1 offense ahead of Phillips on Monday and Tuesday. UW held an extended scrimmage Wednesday, which was closed to the media.

There's no beating around the bush with this statement.

What does this mean for NIU?

I don't think it means much actually. Coach Kill's boys need to focus on their own play against Wisconsin. They need to focus on stopping the run game, which looks to be their strength this season.

Curt Phillips is a mobile QB, something you don't see (ever?) in Wisconsin. Keep in mind that our defense has to play against two mobile quarterbacks in Chandler Harnish and DeMarcus Grady every single day in camp. Tolzien is more of the pocket guy. Hey, we still have Ryan Morris to play that part on the scout team. More Coach Speak on the situation:

"Scott Tolzien has got more maturity than Curt, so he has a better understanding of the entire playbook," Bielema said. "The thing Curt brings, he is a guy that can turn something that’s not very good into a positive because of his athleticism."

Bielema didn’t sound like a coach who wants to lock himself into a full-time, two-quarterback system. Rather, it appears the offensive staff wants to utilize the talents of both players.

"It’s not like we’ve got a situation where we don’t know who we are putting in there," Bielema said. "We’re trying to find the best fit…

"I’m comfortable with what helps us win. Asked last spring if I’d ever play a two-headed monster at quarterback I said no. That pretty much would be my preference.

"But when you have (multiple) players playing well – and I’m not saying we’re at that point – but if that is what it is, then that’s what it is and you move forward."

I just don't see how this can be a positive for Wisconsin. First of all, this is going to cripple their offensive play-calling. Won't it be painfully obvious that Phillips is going to try and make plays with his feet when he enters the game? Secondly, rotating two quarterbacks is no good if you want any sort of a consistent offensive flow. This technique for QBs hardly ever works outside of something like a Chris Leak/Tim Tebow combination.

What does this say about the coaching decisions of Bielema lately? He's been talking about starting RB Zach Brown in front of man-beast John Clay and suspended a duo safeties that are threatening to sue him.

This is all while their best offensive lineman in LT Gabe Carimi is currently out with a strained MCL. He SAYS he'll be ready for the opener, but will he really be 100% on September 5th?

All of these Wisconsin O-Linemen are day-to-day with their respective injuries:

Center John Moffitt (pectoral muscle), Bill Nagy (heel) and tackle Gabe Carimi (knee) did not practice Monday. However, Carimi showed improved mobility while working with the training staff on the sideline. Carimi insists he will return in time for the Sept. 5 season opener.

Wisconsin is set to release their official depth chart today (Thursday)

Previewin': Wisconsin

Beauford — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Maize n' Brew mercilessly drifts through yet another preview; this one long overdue. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Wisconsin Badgers.

Previously: Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State

Explanation and indemnifications found: here

For as much press as the "Rodriguez is on the hot seat" concept has gotten this off season, in my e-pinion, it's Bret Bielema who might be running short on rope. Entering the Michigan game last season, Wisconsin was 3-0, and the number 9 team in the country. The admittedly fluky and...well...weird loss at Michigan set Wisconsin into a downright Sparty-esque tailspin, and they lost the next 4 consecutive games. By the time they regrouped to win the last three (one against Cal Poly in OT), the team had already massively underachieved. A loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports bowl capped a 7-6 season in which only 3 Big Ten games were won.

This isn't meant to be a "slam Wisconsin" type preview, but last season, with PJ Hill and Allan Evridge returning, the expectations were pretty high in Madison; expectations that were not met. Looking to atone for that, Dustin Sherer returns after going 4-3 as Evridge's replacement last season. John Clay, a sophomore, will take over the tailback duties. However, the offense returns only 6 starters, while the defense returns just 5. They are young, and might be due for a rebuilding-type year that I'm not sure Bielema has room for.

More Previewin' Dead Ahead. Click Below

2009 Schedule

September 5	Northern Illinois	7:00 PM ET
September 12	Fresno State	12:00 PM ET
September 19	Wofford	12:00 PM ET
September 26	Michigan State	TBA
October 3	at Minnesota	TBA
October 10	at No. 6 Ohio State	TBA
October 17	No. 22 Iowa	12:00 PM ET
October 31	Purdue	TBA
November 7	at Indiana	TBA
November 14	Michigan	TBA
November 21	at Northwestern	TBA

One thing the media will harp on that is off base

The defense is young and suspect, but to me that's not the biggest concern for this team. Despite the fact that Dustin Sherer is a returning starter (of sorts) his number don't point to being anything other than pedestrian.

Sherer 2008

Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	INT	TD
191	104	54.5	1389	5	6

Dustin Sherer via espn.com

That's not the most consistent stat line from what figures to be your starting quarterback. Add on to this the fact that Bielema isn't 100% sold on Sherer, and you've got a quarterback situation that could see a marginal but experienced starter being replaced by a young but maybe more athletic backup. Meanwhile, the offense is going to have to put some points on the board because, as mentioned previously, the defense is young and will take some time to get things together. O'Brien Schofield returns as a senior at Defensive End, but the other 3 members of the defensive line are getting their first starts this year. At linebacker, the team returns leading tackler Jaevery McFadden, and Culmer St. Jean and Blake Sorensen are seem to be serviceable. Both juniors were 3-star types with St. Jean being perhaps a little more athletic. The quarterback situation is never going to be solved this year; but it could implode given the right situation. In that case, this Wisconsin team is probably not going to be able to lean on their defense against the top-level teams in the Big Ten.

One thing the media will completely ignore that is integral to this team's success:

John Clay

There are two things here that I feel will be extremely beneficial for this Wisconsin team. First, the schedule sets up nicely with 4 games at home to start, including the Big Ten opener against Michigan State. Fresno State may be a test for this young team, but they could easily start the season at 3-0 and roll into conference play with some confidence. They travel to Ohio State, but miss Penn State this season. If you're going to have a rebuilding year, it's nice to have the majority of your tough games at home and miss a team projected to battle for the conference championship.

Second, the secondary is actually pretty experienced, returning both safeties and one corner. Also, cornerback Aaron Henry returns after missing the entirety of last season with an ACL injury. If Wisconsin can go on one of those crazy turn-over fueled runs ala Minnesota a few years back, they could sneak into contention for the Big Ten.

Most important contributors on each side of the ball:

Offensively, Wisconsin features, once again, a huge white-guy-farm-bred type offensive line anchored by left tackle Gave Carimi. John Moffitt, a junior, also returns at center. John Clay might be the scariest running back in the league, and the combination of blocking and running might allow Wisconsin to lead the conference in rushing like they did last year.

Defensively, it's going to be that secondary, particularly Niles Brinkley who led the team in INT's last year.

Area that scares you as Michigan Wolverines:

Wisconsin's ground attack will again be the team's strength. The good news is that they're definitely just going to throw rock. The bad news is that they throw it harder, stronger, and with more dairy than any other team in the Big Ten. If they start rolling on the ground, any QB concerns will be a moot point.

Area that makes you salivate as the Michigan Wolverines:

A young-ish front seven against a complicated spread n' shred attack will be fun to watch. The game this year is at camp Randall, which is always tough, but will be played November 14th. By this time, hopefully, the offense will be at as full of capacity as it's going to get. Provided there are no injuries, Wisconsin will catch the Michigan offense, hopefully (again! say it with me! hopefully!), at its peak.

Overall Record:

7-5

Final Big Ten Standing:

5th

Bowl Destination

I can't seem to keep this stuff straight...where does the 5th place Big Ten team go? Citrus Jr. Was the Citrus ever big enough to warrant a son? Who did it mate with? Will Citrus Jr. ever leave the nest of Orlando and settle in, like, San Francisco?

I smell a sit-com.