Clay had a nice game. So did Kendricks. And Tolzien.
MVPs were the offensive and defensive lines. It's a team sport, and the guys in the trenches -- as a team -- won that game.
That is all.
On Wisconsin!
(and now back to my regularly scheduled absence)
Postponed
Taking a break for a while. For those who are interested, I like Scott Tapa's blog, Badgercentric, and I think Adam Hoge does a nice job at Buckys5thQuarter.
Road Trip: Warning! Columbus, Ohio
You've heard the rumors. Profanity-laced tirades, showers of beer, bottle throwing.Notre Dame 1995. Michigan 2002 (and every year?). Texas 2005. You call your colleague to verify it's better now, but . . . USC 2009: beer showers and profanity. The home crowd at Ohio Stadium has earned an ugly reputation.
And yet? We could only just have had a nicer reception than we received. Ok, so it wasn't quite "Welcome to Ohio State, good luck," a la my first visit to Notre Dame wearing the opponent's colors, but it wasn't far off.
Maybe it was because we all wear the same color? Maybe OSU doesn't fear us (most of their fans seem to respect our program)? maybe we were well-behaved and gracious so they returned the favor? Whatever the reason, other than a mild comment at the gas station in Dayton and some mild (and deserved) post-game ribbing more associated with my own stone hands, the home crowd was gracious and welcoming.
From the walk across the Olentangy river to the woman on the jet way also returning home through DFW, our interaction with fans of the Ohio State University was universally positive.
Prologue:
We got the rain out of the way on Friday, which provided a muni golf course in Dayton to us all to ourselves. Saturday began with a beautiful, crisp fall day in the Midwest. Partly cloudy, sunny, and alternately warm and slightly chilly depeneding on whether the sun was behind a cloud.
We began the day with the drive into Columbus on I-70. We listened to Jim Tressel graciously dealing with callers looking for retribution against Jay Valai ("we can't spare any energy to waste on that; we need to go play a solid, fundamentally sound football game.") and questioning the team's fashion ("if brining gray sleeves back is really all we'll need to win those BCS games, I'll take a look into it!"). We arrived at our hotel at Capitol Square in time to watch the Badger players stroll through the lobby on their way to the game.
Then we caught a cab down to campus. Not wanting to get stuck in traffic, the cabbie dropped us off on the north side of the Schott. That gave us a chance to walk through some tailgating. We crossed the Lane Avenue and walked over to Woody Hayes Drive to cross the Olentangy over to the hulking north side of Ohio Stadium with its dome edifice.
The Tailgate:
Within a few minutes we reached our gracious hostess on the phone who guided us past the old basketball stadium to her Ford Expedition parked at the base of the Lane Avenue Bridge still on the stadium side of the river. While we helped her set up some tables and food (lots of food!), her father returned with appropriate technical support and the missing coax cable to get the satellite dish and TV up and running.
Under a Buckeye tent, beers in hand, and grill heating up, we settled into the Georgia @ Tennessee game. A party of four, fresh in from New York and decked out in Buckeye paraphenalia, arrived, introduced themselves, and added a bunch of beer and food to the already overstocked tables.
Over the next few hours (and beers) several more internet friends from the CFN Big Ten message board joined in the fun bringing along their guests. While everyone brought a nice contribution of beer, soda, and/or food, I cannot say enough about our hostess's hospitality. She and her dad provided brats, burgers, chips, potato salad, all the fixings, sweets, beer, an HD TV on a satellite feed, a shady tent, a lovely smile, and a welcoming attitude all to a bunch of strangers she "knows" from the internet.
You always wonder how such a meeting will go. Having never laid eyes on these internet personalities, you wonder what they will be like in person. Will you have anything to talk about? Will your non-CFN friends who don't know "the Board" and its personalities feel like outcasts? Will it all be very awkward?
As with CFN-inspired meetings past, this event once again fulfilled my high opinion of our little online community. In addition to our lovely hostess, every guest added something. We chatted, ate, watched football, drank (a little), laughed, and all got along very well. Not just well, but "next year in Madison" well.
After two-and-a-half quick hours, we were having too much fun to make it to the nearby "skull sessions," though I'm sure they would have been great. Despite the time we were having, my non-CFN friend and I decided to take a stroll around the campus to get a little feel for the place. What we saw reminded us of college in the Midwest. Nice old brick buildings with some gothic flair mixed with more modern [as usual, science] buildings and a scattering of drab 60s builds that probably everyone Midwest wide would love to see replaced.
Throughout our walk there was nary a nasty comment from the Ohio State fans. To the contrary, we received several well-wishes and welcomes. Returning to the tailgate after our stroll, we had time for a final bite and last pre-game beer before filing into the stadium for the main event.
The Show at the Shoe:
We walked up the stairs to the visiting section in the north-east corner of the Shoe (up diagonally from the "E" in the "Ohio State" end zone). Just walking around the Shoe is impressive. It is a giant and imposing tribute to one of college football's elites. Inside is no different. Emerging from the tunnel, the height and steep angles of the stadium are imposing. We climbed the steepest stadium steps I've ever walked to get to our towering seats.
As we walked through the tunnel out to Section 8C, TBDBITL emerged from their own tunnel, well below us and to our right. They whipped the crowd up with the Buckeye Battle Cry before the obligatory playing of the opponent's fight song, frankly, the oddest sounding rendition of On Wisconsin that I can recall (while forming a well-done Motion W on the field). Then Carmen Ohio before performing script Ohio, which just looks cool. I'm sure the sousaphone player who dotted the "i" loved doing it, and it was cool to see, but I was a little surprised at how understated it was, and how quickly it passed.
The school's Army, Navy, and Air Force cadets ran up a giant American flag for the national anthem, and as they say in baseball, "play ball!"
The Game:
I wrote more here, but I should add a couple of things. First, I held my head high at the end. There are blowouts where one team completely outclasses the other. Then there are blowouts where one team was better, but the final score resulted from a handful of unfortunate plays rather than a game-long domination in all phases of the game. This was the latter kind.
The Badgers can't make the mistakes Ohio State forced them to make and still survive against such a good team. Nonetheless, this young team can build from the experience and especially the defense can point to things they did very well.
Buckeye fans need to remember that in the first half, with the game still in doubt, Pryor led them 88 yards in just over a minute to take the lead and retake the momentum that Wisconsin had steadily built. The next time he touched the ball, the game was decided and it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to allow Pryor to air it out when nothing good could come of it, and plenty bad could. He's a work in progress. He's shaky (as I said before the game), but he didn't take a meaningful snap in the second half, so don't worry too much.
The crowd was solid throughout, though never really got deafeningly loud. Had the tight game that defined the first half carried through the second half, surely the crowd would have turned the volume up to 11, but as it was 9.5 was fine.
Post-Game:
After the beat down, we trudged back to the tailgate to help break down. We had a few more, and watched the first quarter of the Michigan/Iowa tilt. With the parking lot clearing out, we had time for a random toss-around of the old pigskin, where I flashed my stone hands, and took a little mild ribbing from some less-than-sober tailgaters nearby. It certainly wasn't nasty, and it was appropriate to compare my lack of skill to the Badgers given the outcome of the game.
We got everything more or less wrapped up and jumped in a cab to hit our post-game spot. On the way to German Village we had quite the colloquy with our east-African cab driver about whether we were headed to Blanks or Planks (imagine "who's on first"), which resulted in him hitting a traffic cone before he got his eyes back on the road (lesson: always wear your seatbelt in a cab!). It didn't do any damage, and my friend's sharp eyes caught Planks on South High before we rocketed too far past.
It was a solid end to the evening as we consumed plenty more, watched Florida beat LSU back, and Iowa hold off Michigan. Things slowly petered out and after last call our hostess gave us a lift back to our hotel to end the evening.
In the elevator on the way up to our room my friend turned to me and said, "that was a perfect day." And it was. Well, except for the Badgers losing. A few more beers (God only knows why), and we called it a night.
On Wisconsin!
And yet? We could only just have had a nicer reception than we received. Ok, so it wasn't quite "Welcome to Ohio State, good luck," a la my first visit to Notre Dame wearing the opponent's colors, but it wasn't far off.
Maybe it was because we all wear the same color? Maybe OSU doesn't fear us (most of their fans seem to respect our program)? maybe we were well-behaved and gracious so they returned the favor? Whatever the reason, other than a mild comment at the gas station in Dayton and some mild (and deserved) post-game ribbing more associated with my own stone hands, the home crowd was gracious and welcoming.
From the walk across the Olentangy river to the woman on the jet way also returning home through DFW, our interaction with fans of the Ohio State University was universally positive.
Prologue:
We got the rain out of the way on Friday, which provided a muni golf course in Dayton to us all to ourselves. Saturday began with a beautiful, crisp fall day in the Midwest. Partly cloudy, sunny, and alternately warm and slightly chilly depeneding on whether the sun was behind a cloud.
We began the day with the drive into Columbus on I-70. We listened to Jim Tressel graciously dealing with callers looking for retribution against Jay Valai ("we can't spare any energy to waste on that; we need to go play a solid, fundamentally sound football game.") and questioning the team's fashion ("if brining gray sleeves back is really all we'll need to win those BCS games, I'll take a look into it!"). We arrived at our hotel at Capitol Square in time to watch the Badger players stroll through the lobby on their way to the game.
Then we caught a cab down to campus. Not wanting to get stuck in traffic, the cabbie dropped us off on the north side of the Schott. That gave us a chance to walk through some tailgating. We crossed the Lane Avenue and walked over to Woody Hayes Drive to cross the Olentangy over to the hulking north side of Ohio Stadium with its dome edifice.
The Tailgate:
Within a few minutes we reached our gracious hostess on the phone who guided us past the old basketball stadium to her Ford Expedition parked at the base of the Lane Avenue Bridge still on the stadium side of the river. While we helped her set up some tables and food (lots of food!), her father returned with appropriate technical support and the missing coax cable to get the satellite dish and TV up and running.
Under a Buckeye tent, beers in hand, and grill heating up, we settled into the Georgia @ Tennessee game. A party of four, fresh in from New York and decked out in Buckeye paraphenalia, arrived, introduced themselves, and added a bunch of beer and food to the already overstocked tables.
Over the next few hours (and beers) several more internet friends from the CFN Big Ten message board joined in the fun bringing along their guests. While everyone brought a nice contribution of beer, soda, and/or food, I cannot say enough about our hostess's hospitality. She and her dad provided brats, burgers, chips, potato salad, all the fixings, sweets, beer, an HD TV on a satellite feed, a shady tent, a lovely smile, and a welcoming attitude all to a bunch of strangers she "knows" from the internet.
You always wonder how such a meeting will go. Having never laid eyes on these internet personalities, you wonder what they will be like in person. Will you have anything to talk about? Will your non-CFN friends who don't know "the Board" and its personalities feel like outcasts? Will it all be very awkward?
As with CFN-inspired meetings past, this event once again fulfilled my high opinion of our little online community. In addition to our lovely hostess, every guest added something. We chatted, ate, watched football, drank (a little), laughed, and all got along very well. Not just well, but "next year in Madison" well.
After two-and-a-half quick hours, we were having too much fun to make it to the nearby "skull sessions," though I'm sure they would have been great. Despite the time we were having, my non-CFN friend and I decided to take a stroll around the campus to get a little feel for the place. What we saw reminded us of college in the Midwest. Nice old brick buildings with some gothic flair mixed with more modern [as usual, science] buildings and a scattering of drab 60s builds that probably everyone Midwest wide would love to see replaced.
Throughout our walk there was nary a nasty comment from the Ohio State fans. To the contrary, we received several well-wishes and welcomes. Returning to the tailgate after our stroll, we had time for a final bite and last pre-game beer before filing into the stadium for the main event.
The Show at the Shoe:
We walked up the stairs to the visiting section in the north-east corner of the Shoe (up diagonally from the "E" in the "Ohio State" end zone). Just walking around the Shoe is impressive. It is a giant and imposing tribute to one of college football's elites. Inside is no different. Emerging from the tunnel, the height and steep angles of the stadium are imposing. We climbed the steepest stadium steps I've ever walked to get to our towering seats.
As we walked through the tunnel out to Section 8C, TBDBITL emerged from their own tunnel, well below us and to our right. They whipped the crowd up with the Buckeye Battle Cry before the obligatory playing of the opponent's fight song, frankly, the oddest sounding rendition of On Wisconsin that I can recall (while forming a well-done Motion W on the field). Then Carmen Ohio before performing script Ohio, which just looks cool. I'm sure the sousaphone player who dotted the "i" loved doing it, and it was cool to see, but I was a little surprised at how understated it was, and how quickly it passed.
The school's Army, Navy, and Air Force cadets ran up a giant American flag for the national anthem, and as they say in baseball, "play ball!"
The Game:
I wrote more here, but I should add a couple of things. First, I held my head high at the end. There are blowouts where one team completely outclasses the other. Then there are blowouts where one team was better, but the final score resulted from a handful of unfortunate plays rather than a game-long domination in all phases of the game. This was the latter kind.
The Badgers can't make the mistakes Ohio State forced them to make and still survive against such a good team. Nonetheless, this young team can build from the experience and especially the defense can point to things they did very well.
Buckeye fans need to remember that in the first half, with the game still in doubt, Pryor led them 88 yards in just over a minute to take the lead and retake the momentum that Wisconsin had steadily built. The next time he touched the ball, the game was decided and it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to allow Pryor to air it out when nothing good could come of it, and plenty bad could. He's a work in progress. He's shaky (as I said before the game), but he didn't take a meaningful snap in the second half, so don't worry too much.
The crowd was solid throughout, though never really got deafeningly loud. Had the tight game that defined the first half carried through the second half, surely the crowd would have turned the volume up to 11, but as it was 9.5 was fine.
Post-Game:
After the beat down, we trudged back to the tailgate to help break down. We had a few more, and watched the first quarter of the Michigan/Iowa tilt. With the parking lot clearing out, we had time for a random toss-around of the old pigskin, where I flashed my stone hands, and took a little mild ribbing from some less-than-sober tailgaters nearby. It certainly wasn't nasty, and it was appropriate to compare my lack of skill to the Badgers given the outcome of the game.
We got everything more or less wrapped up and jumped in a cab to hit our post-game spot. On the way to German Village we had quite the colloquy with our east-African cab driver about whether we were headed to Blanks or Planks (imagine "who's on first"), which resulted in him hitting a traffic cone before he got his eyes back on the road (lesson: always wear your seatbelt in a cab!). It didn't do any damage, and my friend's sharp eyes caught Planks on South High before we rocketed too far past.
It was a solid end to the evening as we consumed plenty more, watched Florida beat LSU back, and Iowa hold off Michigan. Things slowly petered out and after last call our hostess gave us a lift back to our hotel to end the evening.
In the elevator on the way up to our room my friend turned to me and said, "that was a perfect day." And it was. Well, except for the Badgers losing. A few more beers (God only knows why), and we called it a night.
On Wisconsin!
Bits and Pieces from Columbus
I'll get my road trip review up soon, but in the mean time, a couple of thoughts from this game (on top of these).
I think when Paul Chryst takes a look at the game tapes, he'll see that Zach Brown was often (maybe always) open for the outlet on passing plays when he left protect to go to the flat. Against a team that was dominating the line of scrimmage as much as OSU was, I would think we'd want to hit that pass a few times to slow them down just a little.
That said, I thought Chyrst called a solid game. Bielema's call to fake the kick was brilliant. There wasn't one person among the 108 thousand not on the Badger sideline who saw that coming. That's why it worked.
Doeren, too, called a nice game. The Badger defense came to play. After such a big blow, there's one sure bright spot: the play of the Badger defense. Now, some perspective: the last drive of the first half was unfortunate. I didn't think it was the tipping point (the second INT was, then the kickoff return was the nail in the coffin), but as Potrykus points out for the Journal Sentinel, fans are starting to wonder why we keep seeing these late rallies work. I actually called the "give up a long pass for a big play" defensive alignment to the folks around me in the crowd just before it happened. The Buckeye fan in front of me thanked me for making the call.
Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut.
The Buckeyes didn't do anything in the second half, but before everyone declares how bad Pryor is, consider that it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to let him open it up with a 15-point lead.
Nonetheless, solid effort by our defense. Particularly O'Brien Schofield who was rallying the troops even at the very end. That's leadership. And at least those of us up in section 8C appreciated his fire.
We knew we couldn't make the mistakes we made against Minnesota and win. We did, and lost.
Iowa is another opportunity and one I think we have a good chance in. But we'll need to limit the mistakes.
And if their line is dominating us in the passing game, Paul, look for Zach coming out of the backfield a few times. It was there on Saturday.
I think when Paul Chryst takes a look at the game tapes, he'll see that Zach Brown was often (maybe always) open for the outlet on passing plays when he left protect to go to the flat. Against a team that was dominating the line of scrimmage as much as OSU was, I would think we'd want to hit that pass a few times to slow them down just a little.
That said, I thought Chyrst called a solid game. Bielema's call to fake the kick was brilliant. There wasn't one person among the 108 thousand not on the Badger sideline who saw that coming. That's why it worked.
Doeren, too, called a nice game. The Badger defense came to play. After such a big blow, there's one sure bright spot: the play of the Badger defense. Now, some perspective: the last drive of the first half was unfortunate. I didn't think it was the tipping point (the second INT was, then the kickoff return was the nail in the coffin), but as Potrykus points out for the Journal Sentinel, fans are starting to wonder why we keep seeing these late rallies work. I actually called the "give up a long pass for a big play" defensive alignment to the folks around me in the crowd just before it happened. The Buckeye fan in front of me thanked me for making the call.
Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut.
The Buckeyes didn't do anything in the second half, but before everyone declares how bad Pryor is, consider that it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to let him open it up with a 15-point lead.
Nonetheless, solid effort by our defense. Particularly O'Brien Schofield who was rallying the troops even at the very end. That's leadership. And at least those of us up in section 8C appreciated his fire.
We knew we couldn't make the mistakes we made against Minnesota and win. We did, and lost.
Iowa is another opportunity and one I think we have a good chance in. But we'll need to limit the mistakes.
And if their line is dominating us in the passing game, Paul, look for Zach coming out of the backfield a few times. It was there on Saturday.
ROAD TRIP!!!
See ya in Columbus, suckas!
Cannot wait for this game. Should be a close fought, slugfest.
I wrote some more here.
On Wisconsin!!
Cannot wait for this game. Should be a close fought, slugfest.
I wrote some more here.
On Wisconsin!!
On the Road
The Badgers haven't been very good on the road the last two years (of course, they weren't very good anywhere last year). This battle for the Axe is going to be huge for both teams.
As if we didn't all know that without me writing it . . .
As if we didn't all know that without me writing it . . .
Keys to Sparty
Both teams will pass well against soft opposing defenses, but neither will make it through the entire game without mistakes in the passing games (drops, misses, INTs). The team that wins is the team that establishes the run and is able to control possession in the 4th quarter.
MSU has the better linebackers, but I think the Badgers have a better defensive line. Moreover, the Badgers offensive line is, I think, a better run-blocking line (though retarded in progress due to injuries). Finally, I'm confident the Badgers have the better tailbacks.
Slight edge to the Badgers.
BUT . . .
It could be wet tomorrow. Turnovers?
While the Badgers have the better +/- (+2 vs. even), we have also put the ball on the carpet much more than MSU (it's just that we've caused more turnovers, too). In a wet game ball security could be the determinative factor. That worries me. A lot.
PS. For those curious about my tepid enthusiasm for the Badgers on this one, look no further than Scott Tappa's write up this morning: http://badgercentric.blogspot.com/2009/09/2008-revisited-game-4-and-michigan.html
MSU has the better linebackers, but I think the Badgers have a better defensive line. Moreover, the Badgers offensive line is, I think, a better run-blocking line (though retarded in progress due to injuries). Finally, I'm confident the Badgers have the better tailbacks.
Slight edge to the Badgers.
BUT . . .
It could be wet tomorrow. Turnovers?
While the Badgers have the better +/- (+2 vs. even), we have also put the ball on the carpet much more than MSU (it's just that we've caused more turnovers, too). In a wet game ball security could be the determinative factor. That worries me. A lot.
PS. For those curious about my tepid enthusiasm for the Badgers on this one, look no further than Scott Tappa's write up this morning: http://badgercentric.blogspot.com/2009/09/2008-revisited-game-4-and-michigan.html
Michigan State Prediction
I fear a two-score loss, but see a win, 26-24.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/259692-wounded-warriors-michigan-state-at-wisconsin
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/259692-wounded-warriors-michigan-state-at-wisconsin
Football Season Starts Now
Michigan State: wounded warriors.
Minnesota: in their new home.
Ohio State: at the Shoe
Iowa: 'nuf said.
Play time is over.
Minnesota: in their new home.
Ohio State: at the Shoe
Iowa: 'nuf said.
Play time is over.
Quick Thoughts on Wofford
(1) See, we didn't overlook them. Good.
(2) Zach Brown is the best back on the team. Period.
(3) Good to see Moffitt and Nagy back in there. That bodes well for conference play.
(4) Gilreath was as bad as Clay hanging onto the ball.
(5) I liked what I saw from Phillips. He's a nice changeup. The problem is how to handle him in a close game where the offense is struggling. Do you put him in for the changeup, or does that risk ruining Tolzien's rhythm.
(6) I like the young players, but Schofield is by far the best player on our D. I think the best four are probably Schofield, Watt, Taylor, and Maragos, in that order. Maragos is a real leader.
(7) Toon is looking great.
(8) Still having penalty problems.
(9) Great to see Kendricks get involved. We have so many quality targets to throw to. Which leads me to . . .
Finally, is there any doubt that the player of the year in non-conference play is Scott Tolzien?
(2) Zach Brown is the best back on the team. Period.
(3) Good to see Moffitt and Nagy back in there. That bodes well for conference play.
(4) Gilreath was as bad as Clay hanging onto the ball.
(5) I liked what I saw from Phillips. He's a nice changeup. The problem is how to handle him in a close game where the offense is struggling. Do you put him in for the changeup, or does that risk ruining Tolzien's rhythm.
(6) I like the young players, but Schofield is by far the best player on our D. I think the best four are probably Schofield, Watt, Taylor, and Maragos, in that order. Maragos is a real leader.
(7) Toon is looking great.
(8) Still having penalty problems.
(9) Great to see Kendricks get involved. We have so many quality targets to throw to. Which leads me to . . .
Finally, is there any doubt that the player of the year in non-conference play is Scott Tolzien?
Why I've Decided To Overlook Wofford
That's just how it is. I'm overlooking Wofford. I have the September 26 date with Sparty circled. This weekend? Meh.
You can't overlook anyone, right? I can, and I will. I hope the Badgers don't.
And that's the thing. They won't. I'm fairly confident the Badgers have a 1-point escape over Cal Poly seared in their collective memory. And thus, the triple option will die a quick death at Camp Randall.
How did I get there?
The triple option works for teams like the academies and FCS squads because so few teams employ it. So you have one week a year to prepare for this crazy offense that just doesn't look like anything anyone else on your schedule is doing it.
But that's not all. The other thing that inevitably happens (and this should sound familiar) is that the BCS squad underestimates its competition. Those little Cadets/Middies, or Mustangs, as the case may be (or Terriers, sure, Terriers, too), the BCS squad just knows they will physically dominate them. (This is also what makes Paul Johnson's Georgia Tech such an interesting experiment; they don't have any drop off in talent and size.)
Then they don't. That scrappy, undersized teams comes out, survives the punch in the mouth, and starts scoring points. About the second quarter the BCS guys looks up at the score board, see they are really losing this game, and start taking their week-long coaching and preparation seriously.
And normally the BCS squad comes back and wins. But sometimes they need a kicker to miss three extra points to get there.
And that's where this year is different. The Badgers won't spend any time overlooking the Terriers. They don't want a repeat of Cal Poly and should come out in the first quarter to prove it.
Oh, and the Terriers' best back is out with an injury.
So anyway, I'll watch the game, but I'm overlooking it because I know our squad isn't. Go Badgers.
You can't overlook anyone, right? I can, and I will. I hope the Badgers don't.
And that's the thing. They won't. I'm fairly confident the Badgers have a 1-point escape over Cal Poly seared in their collective memory. And thus, the triple option will die a quick death at Camp Randall.
How did I get there?
The triple option works for teams like the academies and FCS squads because so few teams employ it. So you have one week a year to prepare for this crazy offense that just doesn't look like anything anyone else on your schedule is doing it.
But that's not all. The other thing that inevitably happens (and this should sound familiar) is that the BCS squad underestimates its competition. Those little Cadets/Middies, or Mustangs, as the case may be (or Terriers, sure, Terriers, too), the BCS squad just knows they will physically dominate them. (This is also what makes Paul Johnson's Georgia Tech such an interesting experiment; they don't have any drop off in talent and size.)
Then they don't. That scrappy, undersized teams comes out, survives the punch in the mouth, and starts scoring points. About the second quarter the BCS guys looks up at the score board, see they are really losing this game, and start taking their week-long coaching and preparation seriously.
And normally the BCS squad comes back and wins. But sometimes they need a kicker to miss three extra points to get there.
And that's where this year is different. The Badgers won't spend any time overlooking the Terriers. They don't want a repeat of Cal Poly and should come out in the first quarter to prove it.
Oh, and the Terriers' best back is out with an injury.
So anyway, I'll watch the game, but I'm overlooking it because I know our squad isn't. Go Badgers.
Calling All Badger Videographers
Ok, so how come the only highlight videos on youtube right now are from our vanquished opponents? I mean, it's not like we're packing 80K plus in every game, is it?
Seriously, some guy from NIU puts together a 10-minute deal of their loss, and a Fresno State fan puts together 5 minutes of the Bulldogs whuppin' up on us (I always like highlight videos showing all the great plays the losing team made).
Anyway, BigAlJeff has done some nice work, but can we get anyone on this game-by-game?
Seriously, some guy from NIU puts together a 10-minute deal of their loss, and a Fresno State fan puts together 5 minutes of the Bulldogs whuppin' up on us (I always like highlight videos showing all the great plays the losing team made).
Anyway, BigAlJeff has done some nice work, but can we get anyone on this game-by-game?
Doeren: Credit Where Due
The defense was getting shredded in the first half. At halftime Doeren made the adjustments needed. The secondary was still soft, and Fresno State's quarterback's mistakes contributed, but the bottom line is Fresno scored only three points in the second half. He couldn't do any more with the players he had. That was solid coaching.
Likewise, Chryst earned his money on Saturday. The setup and play to Anderson was spectacular, as was Clay's touchdown. Well played.
Likewise, Chryst earned his money on Saturday. The setup and play to Anderson was spectacular, as was Clay's touchdown. Well played.
Quick Hitters on Fresno State
Gratifying win. Team fought back, coaches made the right adjustments. Guys made plays. Team won against a quality opponent (I think; now don't go all Fresno State on us, Fresno State).
Some thoughts, in no particular order:
(1) Maybe it was the flu, but I remember thinking the secondary would be a strength for the defense. It sure wasn't today.
(2) Man, do I like Schofield. He's a player.
(3) Tolzien! He's also a player.
(4) Our running backs look good, but our line looks bad. And remember when I was worried about depth on the line? Yeah, how's that going?
(5) Clay ran with a lot more purpose this week.
(6) Still thinking about the line: I sure hope not having the flu, and having Moffit back in there makes the running game work better (though Konz did a phenomenal job, given what he was asked to do).
(7) If our line can start blocking for the run, this could be a special Badger offense. Seriously. And I think we only lose Graham and Turner next year (though those are big losses).
(8) The defensive line and the linebackers made the right adjustments. After looking like a seive in the first half, they looked good in the second.
(9) I loved the 57-yarder to finish the first half, but Welch still looked shaky; even his 22-yarder for the win was just inside the upright. He needs to spend extra time in the McClain center this week.
(10) Gratifying, if stressful, win. 2-0.
Some thoughts, in no particular order:
(1) Maybe it was the flu, but I remember thinking the secondary would be a strength for the defense. It sure wasn't today.
(2) Man, do I like Schofield. He's a player.
(3) Tolzien! He's also a player.
(4) Our running backs look good, but our line looks bad. And remember when I was worried about depth on the line? Yeah, how's that going?
(5) Clay ran with a lot more purpose this week.
(6) Still thinking about the line: I sure hope not having the flu, and having Moffit back in there makes the running game work better (though Konz did a phenomenal job, given what he was asked to do).
(7) If our line can start blocking for the run, this could be a special Badger offense. Seriously. And I think we only lose Graham and Turner next year (though those are big losses).
(8) The defensive line and the linebackers made the right adjustments. After looking like a seive in the first half, they looked good in the second.
(9) I loved the 57-yarder to finish the first half, but Welch still looked shaky; even his 22-yarder for the win was just inside the upright. He needs to spend extra time in the McClain center this week.
(10) Gratifying, if stressful, win. 2-0.
Fresno State, in Short
31-17, Badgers.
I've got a little more over here, but here's Fresno State in brief:
(1) Stop the run up the middle; contain the edges.
(2) Improve our running game to manage the clock (though rotating eight defensive lineman will help regardless).
(3) Improve in the kicking game.
(4) Stay out of the infirmiry.
Fresno State is pretty good, but Wisconsin is better. Put a stamp on the Bulldogs, a good tune-up for Sparty in two weeks.
Check the Bulldog Bounce to see what the Bulldogs think about this game (it's interesting).
I've got a little more over here, but here's Fresno State in brief:
(1) Stop the run up the middle; contain the edges.
(2) Improve our running game to manage the clock (though rotating eight defensive lineman will help regardless).
(3) Improve in the kicking game.
(4) Stay out of the infirmiry.
Fresno State is pretty good, but Wisconsin is better. Put a stamp on the Bulldogs, a good tune-up for Sparty in two weeks.
Check the Bulldog Bounce to see what the Bulldogs think about this game (it's interesting).
The Cynic: It's Only One Week.
It's a twelve game season, but man, people get so amped for football to start that they fall all over themselves to react when things finally kick off. Folks, it's been one week, and there haven't been that many truly interesting games.
Let's review:
Michigan is now about #30 in the AP poll as a result of beating Western Michigan. Ok, nice win, but it was Western Michigan. Decent MAC team, yes. Does it really erase a 3-9 season? I don't think so.
Speaking of which: Notre Dame's beat down of Nevada? Nevada, like Western Michigan, might be a decent non-BCS squad, and yeah, ND looked good, but isn't that what should happen in that game?
Week two is a lot more telling for both of those teams.
Miami at Florida State. They looked evenly matched, with good offense, but mediocre defense. Does that mean both teams are "back?" No, it means they were evenly matched. Let's see what happens.
Back to our league for a minute. Ohio State struggled with Navy. Guess what, lots of teams struggle with Navy. Pardon me if I don't all of the sudden think OSU is going in the toilet.
Speaking of which, Penn State destroyed Akron. Shouldn't they?
And Iowa struggled with Northern Iowa. That's not good, but it also doesn't make the season. Talk to me in a few weeks about the Hawkeyes. For now they are 1-0.
Minnesota struggled at Syracuse. Playing on the road is tough -- ask LSU about that (or Maryland). While I still question how good the Gophers are, like Iowa they are 1-0. Let's see how they handle Air Force and Cal in their new house.
MSU and Northwestern won big. Like Penn State, shouldn't they?
And the two remaining teams? Ok, I'll pile on on these two. (1) Juice has never been that good. Color me unsurprised by the Illini's loss to Mizzou. (2) Indiana is still Indiana. I'm prepared to live with both of those conclusions after one week.
Oklahoma State . . . solid win over Georgia, but I'm not sure either team is really that good.
Boise State . . . who is going to beat them? If ever there was a team with a one-game season, they are it. Here's hoping Fresno State and Nevada turn in good years and push the Smurfs.
But, kudos to BYU. If they are in the BCS hunt in November, they will have earned it, beating Oklahoma on the road, playing Florida State, and their decent conference foes Utah and TCU.
One last thing: the Boise player deserved it. I'm ok with suspending Blount for the rest of the season because he couldn't collect himself, but for the punch itself I think only a few games would have been enough. The Bronco in question got what he paid for.
Let's review:
Michigan is now about #30 in the AP poll as a result of beating Western Michigan. Ok, nice win, but it was Western Michigan. Decent MAC team, yes. Does it really erase a 3-9 season? I don't think so.
Speaking of which: Notre Dame's beat down of Nevada? Nevada, like Western Michigan, might be a decent non-BCS squad, and yeah, ND looked good, but isn't that what should happen in that game?
Week two is a lot more telling for both of those teams.
Miami at Florida State. They looked evenly matched, with good offense, but mediocre defense. Does that mean both teams are "back?" No, it means they were evenly matched. Let's see what happens.
Back to our league for a minute. Ohio State struggled with Navy. Guess what, lots of teams struggle with Navy. Pardon me if I don't all of the sudden think OSU is going in the toilet.
Speaking of which, Penn State destroyed Akron. Shouldn't they?
And Iowa struggled with Northern Iowa. That's not good, but it also doesn't make the season. Talk to me in a few weeks about the Hawkeyes. For now they are 1-0.
Minnesota struggled at Syracuse. Playing on the road is tough -- ask LSU about that (or Maryland). While I still question how good the Gophers are, like Iowa they are 1-0. Let's see how they handle Air Force and Cal in their new house.
MSU and Northwestern won big. Like Penn State, shouldn't they?
And the two remaining teams? Ok, I'll pile on on these two. (1) Juice has never been that good. Color me unsurprised by the Illini's loss to Mizzou. (2) Indiana is still Indiana. I'm prepared to live with both of those conclusions after one week.
Oklahoma State . . . solid win over Georgia, but I'm not sure either team is really that good.
Boise State . . . who is going to beat them? If ever there was a team with a one-game season, they are it. Here's hoping Fresno State and Nevada turn in good years and push the Smurfs.
But, kudos to BYU. If they are in the BCS hunt in November, they will have earned it, beating Oklahoma on the road, playing Florida State, and their decent conference foes Utah and TCU.
One last thing: the Boise player deserved it. I'm ok with suspending Blount for the rest of the season because he couldn't collect himself, but for the punch itself I think only a few games would have been enough. The Bronco in question got what he paid for.
Honestly? 9-3.
Struggling quarterback? Check.
New front seven? Check.
Nine-win season? Yeah, I think so.
Now, I'm a glass 3/4 full kind of guy, so it's always worth taking me with a grain or two of salt, but there's no reason this Badger team can't win nine games. The schedule is weak, and more than anything else people are overanalyzing last season.
It sucked. It happens. Get over it.
Brass tacks:
NIU is a decent MAC team and will put up a fight. But their defensive line and linebackers won't be able to handle our rushing game. 1-0.
Fresno State will throw a lot of runs at our front seven, but they aren't as good as they were last year, and our offense should be better than it was last year, on the running game alone. 2-0.
Wofford is a decent FCS team. Period. 3-0.
Michigan State -- hmm. This game is a toss up. It's in Madison. That's good. They have a new quarterback and a new running back. That's good. It's the week after they play a big game (also on the road) against Notre Dame. That's good. They don't have any more talent than we do. That's good. They are a well-coached team. That's bad. Toss up, but I lean win, and I don't think that's a big stretch. 4-0.
First road trip, to Minnesota. Sure, they return a whole bunch of folks and they'll be anxious for this game to showcase their new home. Good people, watch their last five games last season. They are an ok team, not any more than that. The only reason the game last season was close was poor ball security on the Badgers part. 5-0 (yes, this revises my earlier thoughts on this game).
Ohio State: 5-1.
Iowa: 5-2.
Purdue: 6-2.
Indiana: 8-2. Just kidding. 7-2.
Michigan: they will be a decent team by the time this game comes around, but still playing with a true-freshman quarterback (no, Sheridan won't be in the rotation by this time), no more than a decent offensive line, it's in Madison, and we won't have another epic collapse. We'll have to work for it, but 8-2.
Northwestern. Damn. Bielema hasn't proven to be very good on the road and their defense will handle our running game. While they aren't a great team, they are a good team. 8-3.
Finally, Hawaii. June Jones is gone. This team isn't that good. 9-3.
Basically, I'm finding myself not buying into Minnesota and thinking we'll split MSU and Northwestern. I think MSU is a little overrated right now. They have a couple of big holes to fill, and it's not like they are USC.
This Badger team should have a potent, if run-heavy, offense, and a decent defense. Not a great team, but a pretty good team. Just like 12-1 didn't make Bielema a genius, 7-6 didn't make him a disaster. Solid team, solid record, not a lot of frills.
New front seven? Check.
Nine-win season? Yeah, I think so.
Now, I'm a glass 3/4 full kind of guy, so it's always worth taking me with a grain or two of salt, but there's no reason this Badger team can't win nine games. The schedule is weak, and more than anything else people are overanalyzing last season.
It sucked. It happens. Get over it.
Brass tacks:
NIU is a decent MAC team and will put up a fight. But their defensive line and linebackers won't be able to handle our rushing game. 1-0.
Fresno State will throw a lot of runs at our front seven, but they aren't as good as they were last year, and our offense should be better than it was last year, on the running game alone. 2-0.
Wofford is a decent FCS team. Period. 3-0.
Michigan State -- hmm. This game is a toss up. It's in Madison. That's good. They have a new quarterback and a new running back. That's good. It's the week after they play a big game (also on the road) against Notre Dame. That's good. They don't have any more talent than we do. That's good. They are a well-coached team. That's bad. Toss up, but I lean win, and I don't think that's a big stretch. 4-0.
First road trip, to Minnesota. Sure, they return a whole bunch of folks and they'll be anxious for this game to showcase their new home. Good people, watch their last five games last season. They are an ok team, not any more than that. The only reason the game last season was close was poor ball security on the Badgers part. 5-0 (yes, this revises my earlier thoughts on this game).
Ohio State: 5-1.
Iowa: 5-2.
Purdue: 6-2.
Indiana: 8-2. Just kidding. 7-2.
Michigan: they will be a decent team by the time this game comes around, but still playing with a true-freshman quarterback (no, Sheridan won't be in the rotation by this time), no more than a decent offensive line, it's in Madison, and we won't have another epic collapse. We'll have to work for it, but 8-2.
Northwestern. Damn. Bielema hasn't proven to be very good on the road and their defense will handle our running game. While they aren't a great team, they are a good team. 8-3.
Finally, Hawaii. June Jones is gone. This team isn't that good. 9-3.
Basically, I'm finding myself not buying into Minnesota and thinking we'll split MSU and Northwestern. I think MSU is a little overrated right now. They have a couple of big holes to fill, and it's not like they are USC.
This Badger team should have a potent, if run-heavy, offense, and a decent defense. Not a great team, but a pretty good team. Just like 12-1 didn't make Bielema a genius, 7-6 didn't make him a disaster. Solid team, solid record, not a lot of frills.
This is a Passing Offense
Tolzien is the starter. Good news.
I don't have anything against Phillips, but it seems like fans get all amped about him more because of his recruit rankings than anything else. Yes, it's nice that he can run. That's a bonus. But in Chryst's offense delivering the ball on time is more important . . . much more important. So I was wrong about Sherer (outspokenly wrong; put me in my place wrong). But the bigger picture for me remains the same: our quarterback needs to be able to deliver the ball reliably.
When Phillips is described as "erratic" during good times (and throws four picks in eleven attempts during bad), that's not a good sign. Will he improve? Of course he will. But for now, Chryst needs a guy who can deliver the ball and with the player makers we have on the receiving end, Graham, Toon, Kendricks, Anderson, Gilreath, Appleton, etc., it's that much more important that we use them.
I don't have anything against Phillips, but it seems like fans get all amped about him more because of his recruit rankings than anything else. Yes, it's nice that he can run. That's a bonus. But in Chryst's offense delivering the ball on time is more important . . . much more important. So I was wrong about Sherer (outspokenly wrong; put me in my place wrong). But the bigger picture for me remains the same: our quarterback needs to be able to deliver the ball reliably.
When Phillips is described as "erratic" during good times (and throws four picks in eleven attempts during bad), that's not a good sign. Will he improve? Of course he will. But for now, Chryst needs a guy who can deliver the ball and with the player makers we have on the receiving end, Graham, Toon, Kendricks, Anderson, Gilreath, Appleton, etc., it's that much more important that we use them.
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