CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Anonymous Coward on July 24, 2017, 07:27:34 PM
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The Tribune is reporting on Wisconsin-Notre Dame negotiations for a double neutral (Soldier Field + Lambeau) series. Unlike most Big Ten fans, I'm all for playing Notre Dame, but neutral games are one of the lamer trends in CFB. Why can't it be a home-and-home?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-notre-dame-wisconsin-football-soldier-field-20170724-story.html
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ND won't come to Camp Randall.
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Paul Chryst was talking about the offensive line a little bit yesterday, saying that there is still work to be done but the signs of improvement are there.
At least there is some depth to work with. It will be fun to watch he and Joe Rudolph assemble the best 5 over the course of camp.
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ND won't come to Camp Randall.
Why not? I agree about the neutral site games. I don't "get it". LSU did the same thing.
I understand the WLOCP and the Red River Rivalry, fine, but these OOC "fake home and away" series puzzle me. I know the UGA AD claimed they made more money playing UNC in ATL than playing them at home, but that at least was a "one off", a sort of preseason bowl game in effect.
ND seems to be willing to travel to hostile venues.
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They will travel to hostile venues that house helmet/almost-helmet schools. They also go to places like MSU and Stanford because of the tradition of the rivalries.
None of the "big boys" want to play in Madison because it's hard to win there and they don't schedule losses.
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UW announced its 2017 captains yesterday too.
Jack Cichy
Michael Deiter
D'Cota Dixon
Troy Fumagalli
Conor Sheehy
That's a pretty solid group of kids right there.
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They will travel to hostile venues that house helmet/almost-helmet schools. They also go to places like MSU and Stanford because of the tradition of the rivalries.
None of the "big boys" want to play in Madison because it's hard to win there and they don't schedule losses.
I think the last scheduled game in East Lansing is this year. There's a game in Chicago scheduled out.
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Paul Chryst was talking about the offensive line a little bit yesterday, saying that there is still work to be done but the signs of improvement are there.
At least there is some depth to work with. It will be fun to watch he and Joe Rudolph assemble the best 5 over the course of camp.
Deiter could be the best at his position in the conference. Benzschawel is also an intriguing guy, given his size and experience, but he seemed to have a lot of trouble when I watched last year. Remind me: Who are the other guys?
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The Tribune is reporting on Wisconsin-Notre Dame negotiations for a double neutral (Soldier Field + Lambeau) series. Unlike most Big Ten fans, I'm all for playing Notre Dame, but neutral games are one of the lamer trends in CFB. Why can't it be a home-and-home?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-notre-dame-wisconsin-football-soldier-field-20170724-story.html
And why is Notre Dame's "home" game in Chicago? As annoying as it is for the Northwest Indiana folks to call themselves "The Region", as in the Chicago metropolitan region, despite the fact that Chicagoans do NOT claim NW Indiana as part of us, South Bend is too far away to be "The Region" anyway.
Go to Indianapolis, ND. Stay the **** away from my hometown.
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They will travel to hostile venues that house helmet/almost-helmet schools. They also go to places like MSU and Stanford because of the tradition of the rivalries.
None of the "big boys" want to play in Madison because it's hard to win there and they don't schedule losses.
You may be right, but I presume it's more about dollars/contracts/adverts than fear. Playing Wisconsin at Lambeau doesn't drastically tilt the scales; it modestly tilts them.
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Uhh.. Check with LSU on all of your assertions and get back to me. Jeez.
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I considered that. Just because I think the shift from Madison to Lambeau only drops the difficulty modestly (Lambeau was effectively an equally long trip into unfriendly territory, and Wisconsin still jumped around...and they then played the same dang team) doesn't mean I think fear can't be involved at all. I just disprefer that you are completely ignoring the other factor.
Money is one of the factors at the forefront of the neutral game trend.
Meanwhile, the bigger detriment to UW at Lambeau isn't venue intimidation but the fact that the players can't sleep at home. Any travel, even in-state, somewhat knocks one out of one's groove.
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In breaking down all of the ranked vs. ranked matchups, I didn't fully realize how well the Wisconsin schedule breaks this year.
No OSU, no PSU, no MSU (which doesn't matter as much as it was thout to a year ago). Iowa and Michigan both at home. Toughest game in their first 10 is probably at Nebraska?
Set up very well for Bucky to be 10-0 when they host Michigan in November.
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If Wisconsin has more than 1 loss in the regular season, something very unexpected has happened. If the Michigan game was both teams' Big Ten opener, I'd right now guarantee** them to lose their first game in the CCG.
** (in the betting sense)
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If Wisconsin has more than 1 loss in the regular season, something very unexpected has happened. If the Michigan game was both teams' Big Ten opener, I'd right now guarantee** them to lose their first game in the CCG.
** (in the betting sense)
Nebraska is good enough I can't guarantee a win in Lincoln, but it would be a surprise.
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Road games are hard. Nebraska is no gimme.
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Road games are hard. Nebraska is no gimme.
Agreed, but everybody has them. As "toughest road games" go, I have to imagine Wisconsin's is the easiest among CFP contenders. And the home schedule only features one ranked too.
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Camp starts on Saturday. The biggest questions to me are mostly depth-related.
And the biggest one there is QB. Behind Hornibrook, you have a redshirt freshman, a true freshman who enrolled early and went through spring ball and another who just got to Madison a month ago.
That's kinda spooky considering that the clear starter missed time last season while injured.
The staff needs to see one of the kids separate so a clear backup can emerge.
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Hi all. Been a while. And will probably be a while more.
Will the Badgers be any good this year? Who's on this team, anyway? Someone give me a reference point, 'cause time is short. 2006 (great record against a crappy schedule)? 2012 (great team, *just* missed on immortality)? 1998 (came out of nowhere, shouldn't have lost to Michigan in Ann Arbor)? 2013 (a bunch of breaks put them somewhere they didn't belong)? 2000 (started with promise, turns out they sucked)?
Anyway, fill me in. I ain't got time to look for myself.
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Nebraska is good enough I can't guarantee a win in Lincoln, but it would be a surprise.
the games in Lincoln since joining the B1G have been 21-23 Badgers in 2015, 30-27 Huskers in 2012,
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"Will the Badgers be any good this year?"
Yep. They almost always are good since King Barry showed up, and they were good about 25 years prior to him showing up. And it's good he showed up after THE Donna and Sir Pat had the foresight to hire him.
Great is a different story. They have never been that. Well maybe. But probably not. But good.
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Starting OL heading into fall camp, which started today:
LT Michael Deiter
LG Jon Dietzen
C Tyler Biadasz
RG Beau Benzschawel
RT David Edwards
Dieter has played center and guard at UW and has excelled at both spots. He said yesterday that Biadasz is a better center than him, which is saying something. If Deiter can play LT as well as he's played the other positions, this OL is going to be special.
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Hi all. Been a while. And will probably be a while more.
Will the Badgers be any good this year? Who's on this team, anyway? Someone give me a reference point, 'cause time is short. 2006 (great record against a crappy schedule)? 2012 (great team, *just* missed on immortality)? 1998 (came out of nowhere, shouldn't have lost to Michigan in Ann Arbor)? 2013 (a bunch of breaks put them somewhere they didn't belong)? 2000 (started with promise, turns out they sucked)?
Anyway, fill me in. I ain't got time to look for myself.
2006 looks like a good comp.
Turn over the top 2 RBs, lose a No. 2 WR and giving a young QB the reins after an up-and-down freshman year. Lotta skill guys back. OL has experience but loses a first-round LT. D loses four very key contributors, but really no one else, but has to break in a new DC again.
Schedule makes 10-2 and 11-1 attainable with appropriate breaks.At BYU, at Neb and Michigan at home seem like the biggest hurdles (which is very rude to Minnesota).
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I count Iowa as a hurdle, because Iowa always is. Same goes for NU.
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I'm looking forward to seeing the linebackers getting better...
UW's Bob Bostad, coaching defense for first time, has focused on linebackers' fundamentalsJeff Potrykus (http://www.jsonline.com/staff/10051304/jeff-potrykus/), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 3:15 p.m. CT July 31, 2017 | Updated 6:20 p.m. CT July 31, 2017
MADISON – Bob Bostad understood he would have been foolhardy to tear down and then rebuild Wisconsin’s inside linebacker corps.
When Bostad returned to the UW staff last winter he did so with 27 years on his coaching resume, all on the offensive side of the ball.
What Bostad did was come in, immerse himself in the defensive playbook so he knew what he was talking about, evaluate every inside linebacker on the roster and devise a scheme to improve their fundamentals.
Bostad wanted to know whether players he would be coaching had wandering eyes before the snap or whether they were locked in on their keys. Was their stance sound? Was their first step efficient? Were they getting to the ball as quickly as they could?
To ensure everyone could improve in those areas, Bostad put together a video package of each player.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
“I was not going into these meetings thinking I am going to change things,” said Bostad, who played linebacker at UW-Stevens Point in the 1980s. “I know my place.
“But I thought these were some things that I am seeing – I don’t care if you’re coaching offensive line or you’re coaching linebackers – this is something we can improve on.”
The players bought in.
“He taught us about taking more efficient paths, how to defeat (blocks) better,” redshirt senior Jack Cichy said. “So stuff like that is really going to elevate our game. What coach Chryst said when he was thinking about bringing coach Bostad in was: ‘I don’t need the guy to come in and teach you the X's and O's. I want you guys to be better football players.’
“I think so far that has been true.”
Bostad, who coached the offensive line at UW from 2008-’11 and four years in the National Football League (2012-’15), has tried to show the linebackers how to put linemen in vulnerable positions.
“So if you take a more efficient angle, he physically can’t block you,” Cichy explained. “So if you get low and dip through a gap, he can’t come back and block you there. Once he says it, it makes sense. But it is those things you never really think about beforehand.”
Fellow inside linebacker Ryan Connelly appreciated studying the video package, even if the reviews weren’t always positive.
“I don’t like watching my first couple games from last year,” Connelly said. “I honestly wasn’t that good in those games. It sucks but it definitely helps you watching that.
“My first couple of games, especially the LSU game, I kind of looked like a chicken with my head cut off running around. I was trying to play fast, which helps in a lot of situations, but my run fits weren’t the best. I wasn’t very patient.
"I got better as the season went on."
Bostad has landed in a comfortable spot because he has four linebackers who have started games at UW.
T.J. Edwards, a redshirt junior, has led UW in tackles in each of his first two seasons.
Cichy was leading the team in tackles last season when he suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in Game 7 at Iowa. Despite missing seven games, he finished tied for fourth in tackles with 60.
Connelly, a redshirt junior, was one off Cichy’s pace with 59 stops and made big plays throughout the season.
Chris Orr suffered a season-ending knee injury on UW’s first defensive play in the opener. However, he started six games as a freshman in 2015 and finished sixth on the team in tackles with 46.
The players appreciated Bostad didn’t come in determined to make major renovations. His goal was to improve the fundamentals of each player and thereby make an already strong unit even better.
“He came in with a great mindset,” Cichy said. “His first couple of weeks he didn’t come in and try to take over. He sat in meetings and he started taking notes on the defense. Before he did anything, he wanted to learn the defense, which was huge.
“It showed us that he cared and it showed us that he gave us the respect we thought we deserved and earned.”
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NT Jeremy Patterson and RT Jacob Maxwell have left the Wisconsin program.
Maxwell's story is sad, because it's related to the injury he suffered last season. He was not able to go in Spring and has not been cleared at all by the doctors. He was not on the 105 man roster either. Sounds like he will remain in Madison and concentrate on his studies, which is good.
Patterson is a completely different story. He was considered a major haul for Gerry at the time, fighting off Florida and Georgia to keep his commitment, much like his teammate from HS, WR Kenwrick Sanders. Now he joins his HS teammate as another former Badger. He could not keep his weight down and therefore could not get on the field. He's been given his release and will seek a transfer. It was on him and he knows it.
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QB U's?
(https://www.cfb51.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic4.businessinsider.com%2Fimage%2F598893f676084a11068b6359-1200%2Fcotd87.png&hash=0e1d89ece2c687bf2713469621b323fd)
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As to that picture.. I think UW has one more on its hands. Not sure about Horni, but the freshman Jack Coan looks legit.
Anyway, speaking of, it seems like he is passing Kare Lyles for the backup QB spot, which kinda bad because I'd hate to see his shirt burned as a backup. I'm guessing the staff would love to see Lyles in that spot this season too, but all the practice reports indicate that Coan is ahead right now.
Tailback is a 3-headed monster with Bradrick Shaw, Chris James and Taiwan Deal all taking a lot of reps.
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Jack Cichy out for the year with a torn ACL.
Huge blow, and you wonder if he'll be the same again.
Same happened to MSU with Ed Davis right before the 2015 season, missed the whole season, and came back in 2016 as a shell of his former self. Went from best linebacker on an elite defense in 2014, to a LB who couldn't even contribute on a bad 2016 defense.
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Well, we can change the preseason team now. Cichy was the best player on the team. He missed the second half of last year too.
Chris Orr will step up. I'm confident of that.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DG4StfsWAAA16Lk.jpg) (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DG4StfsWAAA16Lk.jpg)
In a message on Twitter, Cichy said, "From walk-on to captain, it's been an unreal experience. I don't know exactly what's in store next, but I know I'm not done with football. ... We're gonna keep fighting and we have a helluva season coming."
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Cichy suffered the injury during practice Tuesday but finished the practice, albeit with a slight limp, after the UW medical staff couldn't find anything wrong with the right knee after going through all the injury protocols. He also practiced Wednesday before the results of the MRI confirmed the injury. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday.
"It was surprising to him," Chryst said. "These things happen. It always goes back to you feel for the individual."
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Crap just saw that.Looked sharp last season and piqued my interest entering this season
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What was his injury last season?
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He tore a pectoral muscle in the Iowa game - and played through it until he couldn't. Then he missed the rest of the season.
PC is thinking they will apply for a medical redshirt for this coming season so he can play next year.
Chris Orr and TJ Edwards will be the likely starters in the middle now. They may have anyway as there was some talk about moving "Three Sack Jack" Cichy outside.
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That just stinks. It was worth tuning in to watch just to see that kid play.
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A medical redshirt is no guarantee for this case. They are available to kids who miss two seasons to injury, which Cichy has not. He missed 7 games last year and will miss this year.
It's probably doubtful that the NCAA would grant him a 6th season. The Madison paper (Tom Oates) is writing that he should spend his time getting ready for the NFL given that he was thought to be at least a 3rd round pick going into this season.
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Yeah, they are hit or miss on what constitutes being injured, but I think consistently missing only 7 games is too much to count that as a full year.
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http://georgia.247sports.com/Bolt/Seven-Florida-players-including-Callaway-suspended-for-opener-106097209
Florida took a big hit before the UM game.
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2-game series with Notre Dame, but not home & home
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Lambeau and Soldier.
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sad, but I guess the $$$ is just so much better ya can't argue with the accountants
I'd guess the local business folks in Madison would like to make their argument
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As would students and season ticket holders.
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Wisconsin and UCLA have announced a two-game, home-and-home series that will see the two teams play at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 15, 2029 and at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 7, 2030.
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Wisconsin and UCLA have announced a two-game, home-and-home series that will see the two teams play at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 15, 2029 and at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 7, 2030.
Safely after football no longer exists.
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Maybe they will play flag football.
What this proves once and for all it that UCLA is definitely not a helmet, because OOC helmets don't come to Madison.
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Excerpts from Jesse Temple:
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Former UW-Madison Chancellor Donna Shalala may have best summed up the state of the Badgers' football program in the late 1980s.
"I think the people had given up. I actually think they had given up on the chance that Wisconsin would ever be a contender again. There was a generation of people that only knew losing."
And then the Barry Alvarez era began.
Quoted (numerous times) in the article is Matt Lepay, Wisconsin's radio announcer since 1988: "I remember the famous (Alvarez) line. 'You'd better get your season tickets now because before long, you might not be able to.' I remember thinking, 'Boy this guy is pretty confident in himself.' And in my own mind, I'd only been here two years, was here for '88, '89, so I thought, 'I wonder if he knows what he's getting into because it was a mess.'"
Alvarez:
"We went through tough times. We stuck with it. We never compromised who we were and what we were all about. I told people from Day 1, you can go back and read it. I told them just be patient. We're going to build on a good foundation, and we've been good ever since. For us to go to six Rose Bowls from '94 through two years ago, that's unbelievable. And three of them in the '90s? Win three championships? From the shittiest program, maybe in the country, to three Rose Bowls in the '90s? That's ridiculous."
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He tore a pectoral muscle in the Iowa game - and played through it until he couldn't. Then he missed the rest of the season.
PC is thinking they will apply for a medical redshirt for this coming season so he can play next year.
Chris Orr and TJ Edwards will be the likely starters in the middle now. They may have anyway as there was some talk about moving "Three Sack Jack" Cichy outside.
IMO- he's good enough and has shown enough that if he dedicates to rehab and coming back healthy he's better off just busting his ass now to preparing for the NFL Combine and draft interview process and he'll get drafted. Not worth the risk. Jeremy Clark was nowhere near the player this kid is and he still got drafted after tearing his ACL.
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Wisconsin and UCLA have announced a two-game, home-and-home series that will see the two teams play at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 15, 2029 and at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 7, 2030.
Bravo!
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http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/mckewon-in-wild-big-ten-west-stability-wins-and-that/article_2c179dcb-b131-5601-8ace-820c6c41f071.html
OWH has Wisky winning the west
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In a very interesting development, Paul Chryst has named true freshman Jack Coan as the backup QB for this season.
I know coaches like to redshirt freshman QB's but from the way he played in Spring and in camp, they couldn't hold him back.
I guess RS frosh Kare Lyles is going to have to think about what he wants to do. With his dad being a former Badger and his younger brother being an OL on the team now, perhaps he will stay and grasp another position.
Time will tell, but he's young and he got passed up already.
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The Cougars have one of the nation’s nastiest linebacking corps, a great defense overall, and a veteran QB in Tanner Mangum who should hold up well under the Badger defensive pressure.
[/size][/color]Wisconsin will go 11-1 with the puck on its stick in the Big Ten Championship to go to the College Football Playoff with a win. But BYU will be the blemish.[/font]
-Pete Fiutak
http://collegefootballnews.com/2017/08/5-stupid-college-football-predictions-2017-michigan-usc-byu-wisconsin-colorado
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Heh. Pete is a Badger alum...
I'm more concerned about the altitude in Provo than I am about the team in Provo. We'll see.
But good thing the DL and LB positions are very deep. That will help.
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I really like this article (found on a Badger team board called Buckyville)
Cal football: Overlooked but vital line on Justin Wilcox’s resume: Wisconsin, 2016
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News
September 2, 2017
Justin Wilcox’s background seemed ideal for the position:
* Played for, and graduated from, Oregon.
* Three years as a Cal assistant coach.
* Experience as a defensive coordinator for three of the top programs in the west (USC, Boise State and Washington).
* Recruiting connections throughout the Bay Area and California.
As Cal took a deep dive into Wilcox’s candidacy to replace ousted coach Sonny Dykes, it was difficult to imagine a line on his resume could be of equal or greater relevance than those four.
Except it existed: One year as the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin.
Madison and Berkeley, Badgers and Bears, admissions bars and offensive lines — the parallels were unmistakable.
“We were talking to Justin as we developed a profile of what we were looking for,’’ said Cal senior associate athletic director Chris Pezman, who ran the search to replace Sonny Dykes.
“He had a sense of what we can and can’t be. It was a combination of him having been at Cal and his Wisconsin experience.”
It might seem odd that 50 weeks as a defensive coordinator in the Big Ten — and not at Michigan or Ohio State, by the way — would have done more to prepare Wilcox for the task in Berkeley than all the years spent at Washington, USC and, to a lesser extent, Boise State.
Certainly, those experiences allowed him to forge recruiting connections with high schools up and down the west coast. But Cal officials saw in Wisconsin a fraternal twin in foundational matters, from style of play and recruiting philosophy to academic demands and admissions standards.
One particular situation made a deep impression on Pezman.
In the summer of 2015, the Badgers denied admission to the top prospect in their freshman class, running back Jordan Stevenson. The reported reason (http://wisconsin.247sports.com/Bolt/Breaking-Stevenson-back-on-the-market-38359013): He didn’t meet Wisconsin’s admissions requirements.
“It resonated with me,” Pezman said. “With our admissions, certain kids are not going to be successful here.”
Nor was Stevenson an isolated case for the Badgers. In the deeply-wired world of college football administration — Pezman’s world — it was well known that Wisconsin periodically denied admission to prospects who would clear the bar at many powerhouse programs.
The parallel: 80 percent of Cal freshmen must have a high school grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
“A lot of places sell their soul; Wisconsin doesn’t do that,’’ Pezman said. “There was a correlation for some of the things we face here.’’
Wilcox hadn’t yet joined Wisconsin’s staff when the Stevenson situation unfolded. But the year spent in Madison, combined with his prior experience in Berkeley under Jeff Tedford (2003-05), allowed him to articulate to Cal officials a vision for recruiting — for players who could thrive on the field and in the classroom.
“We’re not going to recruit everybody that’s a really good player,’’ Wilcox said. “Most high school players say they want a great academic institution, and then you look at the transcript and think, ‘Do you?’
“It’s about what you’re looking for as a program. For us, I think it’s an advantage because this is such a great institution. The guys that matters to who are good players, that’s who we want.
“Do you scratch people off the list because of the academic environment here? Yeah, but we’re good with it.”
There are other similarities.
Just as Wisconsin has found its place in a conference dominated by Michigan and Ohio State, so must Cal navigate a world with programs that have richer traditions, larger fan bases and more fertile local recruiting grounds.
Just as Wisconsin has developed an on-field identity designed to take maximum advantage of its recruiting pool (think: offensive linemen built like farmhouses), so must Cal create a schematic model suited to the players it can best attract.
Pezman and Wilcox have a framework in mind, and it looks nothing like the Bear Raid.
The roster built by Dykes leaned too heavily on recruits from other regions and was overly reliant on receivers at the expense of other positions: Offensive line, for instance.
With the exception of quarterbacks, offensive linemen are typically the smartest players on the roster; they need the processing power to work cohesively while making split-second adjustments.
Wilcox, 40, doesn’t plan to turn the Bears into the Badgers (or into Stanford, which plays a similar style). But he believes there’s a middle ground. And it looks much like the ground Cal staked out under Tedford.
“It’s the Pro Style attack that utilizes guys who can make decisions quick and handle more than one thing — making that an advantage to us,’’ said Wilcox, whose team opens the season Saturday at North Carolina.
“My experience with coach Tedford was invaluable in terms of looking at what the best teams looked like, who did we lean on, and where did those guys come from.’’
If the Tedford years provided a schematic model for Wilcox, his season under Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was a lesson in program management.
“I’ve worked with some great people and learned from all of them’’ — Wilcox noted his years with Chris Petersen at Boise State — “but I identify with (Chryst) so much.
“You hire people to do a job, define the job, then let them do their job. The amount of communication between the coaches and the support staff at Wisconsin was exceptional because nobody was afraid to communicate.
“In terms of a great person and a coach, I’m not sure there’s a better combination.”
I asked Wilcox if Chryst had offered any parting advice. He laughed and shook his head: The communication is ongoing, he noted, just as the experience was invaluable.
“I always thought a lot of my time here,’’ Wilcox said of the Berkeley years. “It’s a really good school with good kids and a great area.
“Then, going there and seeing that it’s an academic institution, maybe not to this caliber, but it’s very academic — and they can both win.
“And it’s important that they do. The last thing I want to do here is devalue the degree.”
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WTF...
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MADISON -- Wisconsin's defense has lost another key player to injury.
According to a source, veteran defensive end Chikwe Obasih suffered a knee injury Wednesday morning during practice.
He isn’t expected to play Saturday against visiting Florida Atlantic and his status beyond that is to be determined.
The injury does not appear to be season-ending, however.
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From uwbadgers.com:
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin's football game against Florida Atlantic at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Camp Randall Stadium will be played as scheduled. FAU is scheduled to arrive in Madison on Friday, ahead of the potential landfall of Hurricane Irma in south Florida.
"The health and safety of the student-athletes is always our first priority and our discussions with FAU centered around just that," Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez (http://www.uwbadgers.com/staff.aspx?staff=1) said.
"The decision was made to keep the game as originally scheduled since their travel to Madison will not be impacted. If the situation arises where FAU's travel home is impacted, we are prepared to help in any way possible. We've discussed a number of contingencies, from paying for extra nights of hotel rooms to opening up our facilities for them to use for practice, sports medicine care, meals or anything else they may need.
"We've seen the devastation that these storms can inflict and our thoughts are with all those who may be affected."
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better to be in Madison than Florida this weekend
remember that when you take the yacht out of the great lake and float around the Florida Keys
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This was a graphic on Fox this past weekend.
Recruits will hopefully pay attention to this.
(https://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/23/869/7869023.jpeg)
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walk on recruits!
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Nice article from Jeff Potrykus at the Milwaukee paper.
I agree with every word.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Wisconsin’s program appeared to be in disarray, particularly to those looking on from afar, just three years ago.
Gary Andersen stunned the college football world on Dec. 10, 2014, when he informed athletic director Barry Alvarez he was leaving for downtrodden Oregon State, after just 26 games with UW.
That came two years and four days after Bret Bielema stunned Alvarez by leaving for Arkansas, after winning three Big Ten titles in seven seasons as head coach.
The picture painted by at least one national writer was that the problem at UW was the onerous shadow Alvarez cast.
My reaction was it was somebody from afar who has no idea of what is going on,” Alvarez said this week, “so I took it for what it was worth.”
Alvarez believed the only issue was finding a capable coach who understood the blueprint that had led to the most successful two decades in the history of the program:
Keep the state’s best players at home, complement recruiting classes with a stellar walk-on program and play power football.
Paul Chryst, an assistant at UW in 2002 and from 2005 through ’11 before taking over the Pittsburgh program, turned out to be that coach, the perfect fit.
“Paul saved our program when he came in,” Alvarez said.
Hyperbole? Perhaps. But no one can deny the rise of UW in Chryst’s three seasons as head coach.
UW (12-0), No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, can secure a playoff berth with a victory over No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) in the Big Ten title game Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"I think he is fantastic," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said of Chryst. "I actually get along with him very well. I think him and his staff do a great job evaluating players."
The Badgers are making their second consecutive appearance in the title game and are 2-0 in bowl games and 33-6 overall under Chryst.
“He has won the kids over,” Alvarez said. “The kids trust him. They listen to him. I know it is a lot of coach-speak, but the kids have bought in.
“We take care of our business as we have so far, good things are going to happen. They know that and they don’t get caught up in: 'What if?' They just worry about the next game.”
Alvarez didn’t worry long about finding his next coach after Andersen,19-7 at UW, took the Oregon State job. He immediately targeted Chryst, who was in his third season at Pittsburgh.
The steps Chryst and his staff took upon returning to UW have been detailed.
A more rigorous weight-lifting plan, led by Ross Kolodziej, was reinstituted. Chryst and his staff went after several state prospects the previous staff ignored and began targeting in-state walk-ons capable of developing into consistent contributors.
“I thought we were on a slide even though we won 11 games that year,” said Alvarez, who guided UW to a 34-31 overtime victory over Auburn in the 2015 Outback Bowl. “I felt the program was slipping because there was not an emphasis on recruiting the Wisconsin kids first.
“We lost a couple kids because of that. As I kept asking about our walk-on list there was none per se. There were issues there.”
Alvarez revealed several players who would have been fifth-year seniors in 2015 likely would have graduated and transferred out if Andersen had stayed. That included quarterback Joel Stave.
“When Paul was at Pittsburgh he was still in here recruiting the guys that we weren’t recruiting,” Alvarez said. “He had kept in contact with the high school coaches and he was able to jump right back in and win their favor.
“He was able to come in, put in a good strength program and we were off and running. He comes up with a 10-win season. I think we would have been lucky to have a winning season if you lose Stave and some other kids.”
Instead, UW finished 10-3 in Chryst’s first season. The Badgers capped the season with a 23-21 victory over a young but talented USC team in the Holiday Bowl.
UW won the Big Ten West last season and after a crushing 38-31 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten title game rebounded to defeat unbeaten Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl to finish 11-3 and No. 9 in the country.
UW this season is 12-0 for the first time in program history and one of only two unbeaten teams left.
“I obviously learned quite a bit,” Chryst said of his time as an assistant at UW before leaving for Pittsburgh. “And then when I had an opportunity to come back, you want to build on what you think are those foundational principles of the program and then you want to adjust to your (players).
“I think the most important thing is … I am in charge of this program but it’s more than just my program. It’s getting to know your players and what do they need to maximize this opportunity that is four or five years of playing college football.
“Certainly football is a big part of it. But it’s also the growth as a person, getting an opportunity to get a heck of a degree while being the best football player and best team we can be.”
Chryst’s third UW team is on the verge of being labeled the best team in program history by qualifying for the playoff and making a run at the national title.
“Not that we need any validation,” Alvarez said, “but to get in this, man that’s rarefied air. “That really establishes you.”
Alvarez's last season as a full-time head coach was 2005. He served as interim coach in the 2013 Rose Bowl after Bielema left and in the 2015 Outback Bowl after Andersen left.
He still watches UW’s games with the eyes of a coach rather than a fan and anticipates he won’t be able to sit down Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“It’s nerve-racking for me,” he said. “I don’t sit still until that game is put away. People are celebrating and I’m worrying.
“I get upset with mistakes. It’s a part of me. I can watch other games and I couldn’t care less. I just watch and have fun.
"But us? Those are my coaches and our kids. And now you’ve got a grandson involved in it.
“I’ll be a mess.”
Whether UW wins or loses Saturday, no one will be using that term to describe the state of UW's program.
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Good article
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I don't this will be the only one of these after this season, but we'll see. Classy on the kid, all the way around. From WR George Rushing, who did not play at all this season due to injury and personal reasons:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQdGaRzUQAA1RAG.jpg:large)
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Lots of somewhat credible chatter an 3 different UW sites that PK Rafi Gaglianoni will transfer to a warm weather school after the season. I'm not sure I get that one, but it will seriously hurt UW if this is true.
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seems odd
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I figured this had to happen eventually. Until today this was a story only on the pay sites, but now it's mainstream. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
MADISON – Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst will soon be looking for a new outside linebackers coach.
According to multiple reports, Tim Tibesar is set to leave UW to take over as the defensive coordinator at Oregon State.
Tibesar is in his third season at UW. He applied twice to be UW’s defensive coordinator.
The first time came after the 2015 season when Dave Aranda left for LSU. Chryst eventually hired Justin Wilcox.
Tibesar applied for the position again after the 2016 season when Wilcox was named head coach at California.
Chryst promoted secondary coach Jim Leonhard to defensive coordinator.
Tibesar has displayed a knack for developing quality starters and dependable reserves during his time at UW.
Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel combined for 17 ½ sacks and 33 ½ tackles for loss in 2015.
In 2016 T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel combined for 15 ½ sacks and 21 ½ tackles for loss.
Garret Dooley and Leon Jacobs, both in their first season as full-time starters, have combined for 11 sacks and 20 ½ tackles for loss in 13 games this season.
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Somebody wants a raise, and he's gonna get it...
Badgers football: Jim Leonhard will listen to job opportunities but 'not in a hurry' to leave Wisconsin
- JASON GALLOWAY jgalloway@madison.com, 608-252-6174 (https://host.madison.com/users/profile/Jason%20Galloway)
(https://host.madison.com/users/profile/Jason%20Galloway)
Jason Galloway | Wisconsin State Journal (https://host.madison.com/users/profile/Jason%20Galloway)
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- 2 hrs ago
While University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has yet to complete his second season as a coach, he’s been around football long enough to know how the coaching carousel works.
Coaches are fired often, just as many are promoted and the chances of remaining at one program for an entire career are next to none.
After leading the Badgers’ defense to top-five national rankings in a number of major statistical categories, Leonhard’s sure to be a wanted commodity this offseason. The former UW and NFL safety also knows, however, that his current position with Badgers suits him about as well as any job could this early in his career.
"I’m new to the coaching world,” Leonhard said, “ but I’ve obviously been in sports, and to say that you’re going to be in one place for your whole life or your career, that’s just generally not what football is. I’m very fortunate to be doing it here with Coach (Paul) Chryst right now, and I love everything about it. So I’m not in a hurry to get out of here, that’s for sure."
Leonhard, 35, generated national attention this season and became a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the country’s top assistant coach. His name hasn’t been seriously linked to any job openings this month, but there’s certainly time for that to change.
Leonhard, who played for six NFL teams in 10 seasons, retired from the league less than three years ago and developed relationships with plenty of coaches at that level. NFL teams end their season no earlier than Dec. 31, at which time another wave of jobs will likely open up.
"I think you see what opportunities are out there, but I’m not necessarily throwing my name all over the place,” Leonhard said. "I’m not necessarily looking for a lot of opportunities at this point, but I will listen when things come. I’ve put myself in a position to listen and see what’s out there, but I’m excited to be here. I love everything about it."
Leonhard, the Badgers’ third defensive coordinator in as many years, said he isn’t sure whether he ultimately wants to be a head coach.
It takes an even greater time commitment than his current responsibilities, and he said it’s a decision he’d make with his family rather than on his own. He also loves what he’s doing now, where he can focus more on teaching.
"I’m excited to be doing what I’m doing as a coach,” he said. “The day-to-day interaction with the players and just the teaching aspect of it is the most fun for me. I love what I’m doing right now."
Leonhard’s history in Madison could also keep him put for at least the immediate future.
The Tony native earned All-American honors in three of his four seasons with the Badgers from 2001-04.
He said it means a great deal to see UW on the cusp of competing for a national championship, and it’s even more thrilling to be part of it.
"I’m excited to be in this program and where we’re at as a program,” Leonhard said.
"I’m a Badger, and I’m excited for what we’re doing and just how close we are to doing some special things. Obviously, we’d like to see this program take the next step, and we’re right there. That’s the exciting part for me as a coach."
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Good for Tim. He's been a candidate twice, missed it twice. Only get so many chances.
As for Jim, it's only because of his playing career that he didn't get the designation of "Xth-youngest head coach in CFB" by now. His youth will keep him in Madison for another season, maybe two, but I doubt it goes much longer than that.
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We'll see. He made the decision to live in Madison before he took a coaching position at UW.
It will probably come down to his family, to be honest. I'm thinking if he does leave it will be to coordinate an NFL defense.
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This is a must-read, top to bottom. An amazing kid, this JT is. He's going to do some special things, and not just on the field.
Jonathan Taylor Shoots for the Stars at Wisconsin, Not Harvard
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2749505