Nobody knows what to expect at Camp Randall Stadium for Saturday’s game between Wisconsin and Ohio State. Not the players, not the coaches, not the university officials and certainly not the fans.
Nobody has been down this road before. Wisconsin has gone through a dizzying array of emotions since the final seconds ticked off its victory over Michigan last Saturday and a postgame victory celebration turned tragic.
In an instant, the campus went from euphoria to shock and horror. Then the school spent a confusing, troubling week trying to sort it all out.
“Nothing can compare to something like this,” said Wisconsin Athletic Director Pat Richter. “There’s nothing you can fathom that could prepare you for something like this.”
It might have been easier if Wisconsin had a chance to relax after last week’s incident, a couple weeks to erase the demons that still linger in the minds of many students and players.
Instead, an even bigger game looms, the biggest on this campus in 30 years, one with Rose Bowl implications.
That means everyone has to file back into the stadium with the wounds and memories still fresh.
Obviously, the biggest concern is avoiding a repeat of last week’s melee. University officials have stepped up security and will take precautions, such as eliminating overcrowding in the student section.
However, even Richter concedes there will be a segment of the crowd “more subdued.” Some students even are planning to stay away. There have been reports of students’ selling their tickets.
Aimee Jansen, a sophomore from Antigo, Wis., who barely avoided serious injury in the crush, said she wouldn’t go Saturday. And if she ever does return to Camp Randall Stadium, “I’m going to sit in the top row or leave in the third quarter.”
Richter knows there might be some trepidation, but he also knows students.
“Students and young people are more resilient,” he said. “An overwhelming number of people won’t be affected. As you go through the week, it gets flushed out of their system.”
The players are hoping the students recover quickly.
“Our students are going to be into the game, no matter what,” said nose guard Lamark Shackerford.
And what of the players? Several of them were shaken after coming to the aid of the injured.
Offensive tackle Joe Panos was one of them. He insisted the Badgers will be ready.
“Everybody has their heads on straight,” he said. “We know what we’re playing for. Everybody is focused. We’ve never been more focused.”
However, coach Barry Alvarez admits he might not know how the events affected the players until Saturday. He noticed that some of them were carrying “a serious, sullen face” this week.
“I go back to the principles I started the season with,” Alvarez said. “The first thing that came out of my mouth was that our approach would be to eliminate outside distractions and focus on the job at hand. Believe me, we’ve been tested on that.”
Alvarez, though, wants to put one thing to rest. If the Badgers lose, he won’t use the tragedy “as an excuse.”
Even without any outside distractions for the Badgers, No. 3 Ohio State (8-0, 5-0) still would be tough to beat. The Buckeyes are on track to make their first Rose Bowl trip since the 1984 season.
Wisconsin (7-1, 4-1) is also thinking Rose Bowl. If the Badgers win their last three games, they will travel to Pasadena for the first time since the 1962 season.
In other games, Illinois seeks to keep its Rose Bowl hopes alive with a home game against Minnesota, while Northwestern, playing at Michigan State, tries to break a five-game losing streak.
Indiana (7-1, 4-1) could really shake up the Big 10 by winning at Penn State. With Wisconsin’s emergence and Penn State’s coming into the league, the Hoosiers have gotten lost in the shuffle. A victory would open some eyes.
Notre Dame has the week off to get ready for the Nov. 13 showdown against Florida State. For the Irish, the most important game this week will be in Maryland, where their scouts will focus on Florida State.
