There was a time when football wasn’t the pride of the Dairy State. A time when the Packers were bad and the Badgers were horrible. A time when running the football meant trying to run, but rarely with success.
That was a long time ago. Those were the days before Barry Alvarez. Most fans in the modest, blue-collar state thought those days were over. But so far this September they’ve gotten a taste of mediocrity again.
Wisconsin was supposed to coast to its second straight Big Ten Championship Game; with Ohio State and Penn State ineligible, who else from the Leaders Division would stand in the Badgers’ way? Purdue, Indiana, Illinois? Ha.
But right now Wisconsin doesn’t look like a frontrunner. The Badgers have scored an average of 16.3 points in games against Northern Iowa, Oregon State and Utah State. The team was averaging more than twice that total a year ago through its first three games.
Worse yet, the Badgers cannot run the ball. Montee Ball ranks fifth in the conference in rushing, but only because he ranks first in rushing attempts. His 3.8-yard average is two and a half yards less than what he averaged all of last year (6.3). James White’s average is down a half yard from a year ago, but would probably be lower had the Badgers used him more in the past two weeks when they struggled.
Fans in Wisconsin are searching for the culprit. Can’t blame Ball. The holes aren’t there, only defensive linemen waiting for him. Can’t blame the line. It’s packed with corn-fed skyscrapers, same as usual. And even though the line lost starters to the NFL, that’s been true every offseason for the past two decades. Wisconsin reloads linemen better than any program in the country – possibly better than any program ever has in Big Ten history. The loss of Russell Wilson, perhaps? True, Wilson kept opposing defenses balanced last year, but before he arrived the Badgers never had much of a passing game, and Danny O’Brien hasn’t exactly been awful – if anything, he’s on par with Wilson’s predecessors.
So what, then? How does a school go from dominating the line of scrimmage year after year for two decades to forgetting how to push forward for three yards? A week ago Bret Bielema thought he had the answer – at least part of the answer – when he fired first-year offensive line coach Mike Markuson. No one bought it, and the Badgers’ ground attack looked just as rough in a two-point win over Utah State. So now what? Newly installed line coach Bart Miller still has a job (for now) but one has to wonder how things will look when the team faces Ohio State’s front seven later this season.
The only logical explanation is that the losses of offensive coordinator Paul Chryst and offensive line coach Bob Bostad have been harder on Wisconsin than fans or media imagined. Bielema has replaced members of his staff before, and Alvarez’s assistants were constantly being courted. But in this case, the Badgers lost the 1-2 combo that had helped the defensive-minded Bielema make a successful transition away from the Alvarez era.
No firing or pregame speech will bring those two back (Chryst has taken command of Pitt’s program; Bostad is helping Greg Schiano rebuild the Buccaneers offensive line) so the Badgers must press on, trying to rebuild what fans thought would never crumble.
Is this the end of an era in Madison? Probably not. As bad as things have been, it’s only been three games. But there certainly is a sense of urgency, and even though Bielema promotes a 1-0 mentality (one game at a time), the long-term health of the program is all fans can think of now.
— Big Ten Notes —
• This is the first time in six years that both Notre Dame and Michigan are ranked in the Top 25 heading into their annual clash. Prior to that, both schools were ranked in all but two contests from 1987 to 2006. Notre Dame has lost three straight to the Wolverines – all of those games decided by four points.
• If the season wrapped today, Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez would receive more than a few votes for offensive player of the year. Through three games the junior quarterback has thrown seven touchdowns as compared to one interception, and leads the conference in passing (237.7 yards per game). Martinez has completed 70.9 percent of his throws and has continued to produce on the ground (176 yards). After working on his mechanics in the offseason, it looks like Martinez is no longer a liability in the passing game.
• Penn State won’t take Temple lightly this week. A year ago, the Owls controlled the game for more than three quarters. A Michael Mauti interception gave Penn State the ball in Temple territory, and 12 plays later Michael Zordich scored with 2:42 left on the clock to save the Nittany Lions. The last time Temple beat Penn State was 1941.
–– This week’s schedule —
Saturday, Sept. 22
UTEP at Wisconsin, 11 a.m.
Central Michigan at Iowa, 11 a.m.
UAB at Ohio State, 11 a.m.
South Dakota at Northwestern, 2:30 p.m.
Temple at Penn State, 2:30 p.m.
Idaho State at Nebraska, 2:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State, 2:30 p.m.
Michigan at Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m.
Syracuse at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Illinois, 7 p.m.
**all times CT
— Spotlight —
QB Andrew Maxwell, Michigan State
Last week, Maxwell failed miserably in the face of a fierce Notre Dame pass rush. He was sacked four times and completed just 51.1 percent of his passes. Fans now have doubts as to whether the team’s 6-foot-3 junior quarterback can take them to the Big Ten Championship Game after watching him struggle against the Irish and Boise State (three interceptions). This week’s game against 0-3 Eastern Michigan will serve as a confidence booster for Maxwell (and a much needed tune up for the entire Michigan State passing unit).
–He Said It (quote of the week) —
Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill addressing reporters about how he plans to replace injured senior quarterback MarQueis Gray:
“Yeah, we’ll have a plan. That’s probably why I’m dressed up like this and haven’t shaved yet, but we’ll have a plan.”
Big Ten Mailbag: Tweet your questions to Mike Beacom @mikebeacom. Each week one question will be selected for this column. Be sure to include your first name and city/state.
Mike Beacom is the Big Ten football editor for Lindy’s. Follow him on Twitter @mikebeacom