The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Wisconsin – INSIDE SLANT
Compared to last year, the 2012 Wisconsin season has been full of potholes and roadblocks.
Nothing has gone smooth for the Badgers in the first six games. But through all the turmoil, on and off the field, the Badgers remain in position to land a spot in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
Playing in the Rose Bowl the last two years, the Badgers had their sight set high again with the return of several talented players. But nothing has gone right for the Badgers this season, even the trusted offensive line and running game remain a work in progress.
But the Badgers have luck on their side this year with Ohio State and Penn State both ineligible to play in the postseason this year, leaving the Leaders Division wide open for Wisconsin. Penn State and Ohio State are atop the Leaders Division with 2-0 marks. Wisconsin is second with a 1-1 mark, while Purdue (0-1), Indiana (0-2) and Illinois (0-2) are fighting to move up. Wisconsin travels to Purdue this Saturday for a key midseason clash that might determine the winner of the Leaders Division. The Boilermakers suffered a blowout loss to Michigan last week.
“All the games matter, it doesn’t matter if they’re in the Leaders or the Legends — your overall record is of the utmost importance,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said Monday. “I get (the interest). Everybody knows it. But really, it’s a one-game approach. As coaches, as football players, you can’t take any other perspective other than that.”
The Badgers got some good news last week with the return of defensive ends Brendan Kelly and Pat Muldoon from injuries. Strong safety Shelton Johnson played for the first time after missing three games, and right guard Kyle Costigan’s return to practice this week might help steady the offensive line.
The Boilermakers were a trendy pick to win the Leaders Division a few weeks ago, but last week’s loss to Michigan slowed down that talk. Bielema said the Boilermakers rely on a tough defense to stay in games.
“Defensively, Purdue might have the best front four in our league right now,” Bielema said. “Short has got the ability to jump and explode and make big plays.”
The best news, other than the return of several injured players, from last week’s game was the Badgers putting together a strong effort for four quarters. Yes, Illinois is a not a good team to judge UW’s progress, not after the Illini suffered blowout losses to Arizona State, Louisiana Tech and Penn State. But progress is progress.
“It was a great performance for the defense because of the fact we finished the game, a full four quarters,” Wisconsin cornerback Devin Smith said. “And not just the defense, the whole team as well. We took a step forward.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Wisconsin – NOTES, QUOTES
–Wisconsin enters Saturday’s game with history on its side. The Badgers have won six straight games against the Boilermakers, and not lost at Ross-Ade Stadium since 1997.
–Dating back to the 2010 season, the Badgers have dominated the Big Ten with 14 victories in their last 17 league games.
–Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema can tie for second on the Badgers’ all-time wins list with 65 with a win over Purdue on Saturday. Bielema owns a 64-21 mark in his seventh season at Wisconsin.
–Wisconsin tailback Montee Ball’s back on track in one category this year. Ball has scored five touchdowns in the last two games to enter the weekend 10 touchdown shy of breaking the NCAA career record for touchdowns.
–Tailback James White doesn’t carry the ball much, but been productive in limited duty during his career. White averaged 5.80 yards per carry in his career, ranking second behind Ron Dayne’s school-best average of 5.84 yards.
SERIES HISTORY: Wisconsin leads Purdue 40-29-8 (last meeting, 2011, 62-17 Wisconsin).
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis is the lone consistent bright spot for the Badgers on offense this year. Abbrederis has recorded three straight 100-yard receiving games since his return from an injury. He leads the Big Ten with a 103.2 receiving yards per game average and ranks second in the conference in yards per catch (19.1) and touchdown receptions (5). Abbrederis has averaged 135.3 yards over his last three games, earning praise from Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. “For what he’s doing offensively,” Bielema said. “He did a nice job coming in as a punt returner, making a big play happen there as well, just very, very impressive, and obviously, the touchdowns, the long strikes are huge, but what he does, he was a key factor on the block on James White’s touchdown, key blocks on several running plays for Montee and James, that kid is just an incredible football player that deserves all the recognition he’s getting.”
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The UW defense has been hit by a glut of injuries early in the season. But the UW defense is slowly starting to return of its injured players. Through the first six games, Wisconsin’s linebackers have remained consistent and productive. Last week against Illinois, Mike Taylor had 12 tackles and Chris Borland and Ethan Armstrong both tallied 10 stops each. Taylor, a senior, leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with 67 tackles. “I coached linebackers my entire coaching career, have been a head coach and a (defensive) coordinator, and I don’t know of any other time. when all three linebackers had charted over ten tackles each,” said UW coach Bret Bielema. “Hats off to those three guys and what they did.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I realize the outside world, when he popped in there, that people thought it was a reaction to everything. It was just finally a chance to get him out there. There was probably nobody more excited than Curt himself, but the players around him, Joel (Stave) included, it was something we probably repped at least five weeks in a row and looked really good. Probably looked his best on Wednesday when we were going good against good, our good offense versus our good defense.” — Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema on his reasoning for using Curt Phillips for two plays at quarterback against Illinois.
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NCAAF Team Report – Wisconsin – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK’S GAME: Wisconsin at Purdue, Oct. 13 — An early-morning contest between two teams searching for an identity. The Boilermakers suffered a beating by Michigan last week, while the Badgers need a fourth-quarter explosion to pull away from Illinois.
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Wisconsin defense might face a pair of quarterbacks this week. Purdue sixth-year senior Robert Marve returned to the field after an extended period due to an injured knee. He injected life into the offense in the blowout loss to Michigan. Purdue coach Danny Hope insists that Caleb TerBush remains the start. The Badgers have to control the clock and move the chains. Wisconsin’s old-school approach of relying on its offensive line to move the chains and wear down an opponent must return at Purdue. This is a key game in the Big Ten Leaders Division, with 2-0 Penn State and Ohio State ineligible for postseason play this year. Wisconsin owns a 1-1 mark, while Purdue is 0-1 and Indiana and Illinois are 0-2.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–RB Montee Ball had his best game of the season against Illinois, with most of his yards coming late in the game. Ball still hasn’t shown last year’s explosive running form. If he can get on track, the Badgers’ offensive problems might be solved.
–QB Joel Stave was taken out of the game for the second straight week. But both times, Stave didn’t miss many plays, and wasn’t taken out due to lack of production. Stave might be the quarterback of the future for the Badgers due to his steady play.
–DE Brendan Kelly returned to the starting lineup last week after missing three games. Kelly is a key cog on the defense, helping provide experience and speed off the edge.
–LB Mike Taylor is part of a three-headed talented, tackling group of linebackers. Taylor had 12 tackles last week, while Chris Borland and Ethan Armstrong both picked up 10 stops each. Taylor, a senior, leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with 67 tackles.
ROSTER REPORT
–CB Peniel Jean is expected to return to practice this week after sitting since suffering a foot injury in fall camp.
–RG Kyle Costigan is slated to return to practice after enduring a knee injury that sidelined him for last week’s contest against Illinois.
–DE Patrick Muldoon started against Illinois after dealing with a broken thumb injury.
–DE Brendan Kelly is back in the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury. He started against Illinois last week.
–SS Shelton Johnson, who broke his right arm against Oregon State in Week 2, played for the first time last week after missing three games.
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