Archive
Minimizing mistakes key for Tolzien
MADISON — One year ago, Scott Tolzien learned just how tough it was to be a quarterback in the Big Ten Conference.
With four minutes to go in the first quarter of his third conference game as a starter, Tolzien dropped back to pass as his team looked to strike first against No. 9 Ohio State.
Suddenly, the pocket collapsed around the him. With three Buckeye defenders surrounding him, Tolzien fired a pass over the middle, hoping to avoid the first-down sack. Due to the pressure, his pass sailed well over the head of receiver Nick Toon, and into the arms of Kirk Coleman.
Instead of putting points on the board first at Ohio Stadium, UW quickly found itself trailing 7-0 after Coleman took Tolzien’s pass 89 yards the other way for the score.
“I just threw it late across the middle and threw it high,” Tolzien told reporters afterward.
That interception was just the beginning of what turned into a long day for Tolzien. Down 14-10 early in the second half, Tolzien found himself under pressure again, this time on second-and-17.
As Tolzien tried to find Isaac Anderson near the right sideline, Jermale Hines undercut the pass, tipping it to himself before finding the end zone and pushing the Buckeyes’ lead into double digits.
“I thought I could get it over the top of him, and it was too close to call,” Tolzien said. “At that point you shouldn’t throw it.”
In those two games, Tolzien’s pass efficiency ratings were 97.78 and 84.05, respectively. Since then, he’s averaged a 160.22 rating.
Just twice since that two-game stretch has Tolzien’s rating been less than 140: against Purdue on Halloween last season, and two weeks ago at Michigan State.
A little more than a year after the loss in Columbus, Tolzien sees his struggles at Ohio State in a positive light.
“It’s a part of my history and something that I’ve learned from,” Tolzien said. “You’ve got to be smart with the football. Looking back on it, I can almost view it as a blessing now just to have gone through that. You just see the way that affects the swing of the game.”
Based on his numbers, the biggest thing Tolzien would appear to have learned over the past 12 months is how to limit those kind of mistakes.
Following that two-interception performance, Tolzien added three more a week later in the Badgers’ loss at home to Iowa, giving him five in Wisconsin’s back-to-back losses. In 12 games since, the Badgers signal caller has thrown the ball away just five times, and never more than once in a game.
“Scott’s a great player,” Toon said. “He doesn’t make very many mistakes, but everybody makes mistakes. Nobody’s perfect.
“Obviously those were two plays we all wish we could have gotten back, but you’ve just got to move forward and clean it up for the next time.”
With the top-ranked Buckeyes boasting the Big Ten’s best pass defense while allowing the second-fewest points per game in the conference, Tolzien will face one of the toughest challenges of his career.
If he once again finds himself in the unenviable situation of having thrown an interception returned for a touchdown, it’s a pretty safe bet it won’t happen twice this time.
“It’s one thing if the first one happened, but don’t let it affect you in a way where you got to learn to make sure the second one doesn’t happen, and vice versa,” said Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. “During the course of the game, it’s not what happens, it’s how you react to what happens. And he learned himself how to kind of turn those situations from negatives to positives.”
Maragos adjusting to NFL life
MADISON — Nothing ever came easy in the collegiate career of former Wisconsin free safety Chris Maragos. So why would the NFL be any different?
After impressing scouts at UW Pro Day in March and earning individual workouts with a few teams, Maragos had hopes of being a late-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Three days, seven rounds and 255 picks later, Maragos never heard his name called.
Within hours of the end of the draft, he received phone calls from a handful of teams, and quickly signed on with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.
Once the season rolled around and rosters were slimmed down, Maragos found himself on the 49ers practice squad, where he has been for the first five weeks of the season.
After the end of a long day of practice last week, BadgerBlitz.comcaught up with the former Badger. The following is a question and answer with Maragos.
How’s life in the NFL been for the past five months?
Maragos: It’s good. You know, it’s a lot different than college, it’s a whole different dynamic. I think the NFL is a very interesting dynamic of football just with all the different things that come along with it.
It’s an unbelievable game at this level, and the type of athletes out here is extremely competitive. I always try to correlate different things with different experiences in my life, and when you’re a high school senior going in as a freshman at a Division I program, it’s a big jump and you’re like, ‘Wow, there’s all these great players around.’ But as you continue to progress you begin to see how you can have an impact.
When you go from college to the pros, it’s an even bigger jump than from high school to college. You’re around the best athletes in the world, and that’s what you want to be a part of. It’s fun for me to be able to go out there and compete and play alongside so many great players and really just wait for my time to contribute to help this team win.
Do you feel like you’re getting close to making the jump from the practice squad to the 49ers’ active roster?
Maragos: Yeah, I definitely think I’m close. I think it’s a thing that is close and I really feel confident in my ability. I know I can compete and I know I can play at this level. That’s not a question at all. So, I think it’s really just a matter of time before I get an opportunity.
Just like Western Michigan or Wisconsin, anything like that, I’ve just got to be ready to make the most of my opportunity.
What would you say are the best and worst aspects of being an NFL free safety?
Maragos: I think the best thing about the NFL is that it does raise your game and your knowledge of the game to a whole higher level. Physically, I’m a much better player after just being in the NFL for just a few months. I can already see how my game has taken off just because of the level of competition and how you need to raise the level of your game.
Some of the drawbacks and some of the negatives, I think at the University of Wisconsin we had such a fun time. We had a great group of guys that was fun.
And it’s not that we don’t have that in San Francisco, but in college it’s such a different dynamic because there’s money involved in the NFL. Your best friend might be here one day and he’s not here the next day, versus college where you can really develop a lot of relationships.
Guys are older in the NFL, they have families, they have kids, so when practice is done they go home to their families. Whereas in college, guys are hanging out, they’re going out to eat, they’re playing video games together, whatever it is.
As a member of the practice squad, what is your daily routine like?
Maragos: Well let’s see, we come in on Mondays after the game, we’ll come in and lift, and then we’ll have a Bible study that’s optional for guys to attend. After that, then we’ll have a special teams meeting where we go through the film of the game, and then we have a positional meeting where we also go through the film of the game. That usually goes until about 2:30, and then we’re done for that day.
Tuesday’s are our off days, and Wednesday we have a lift in the morning, then special teams meeting and then we go into our position groups meetings. We go through a walk-through, then we have lunch, and then we go from lunch to more meetings. After that we go out to practice and then we usually get a little film in after practice. That’s usually what Wednesday, Thursday and Friday look like.
If it’s a home game, we’ll have a little walk-through on Saturday just to go through last-minute corrections. If it’s an away game, then the team is usually traveling on Saturday. Then of course, Sunday is game day.
What is game day like for you as a inactive member of the team?
Maragos: It’s different, but you know, it’s funny because it really reminds me a lot of a redshirt season. You’re a part of the team as much as anybody, but you’re not contributing at all on the field.
I’ve looked at it just like I did in college before I was getting my opportunities. If I can’t be out there physically on the field helping this team win, then I need to be in practice busting my butt, giving them the best look or doing the best things that I can do to help this team win on Sundays.
That’s just my way of contributing right now, when I get my opportunities, then I’ll be ready to produce on the field.
How has life been off the field, moving from the Midwest to the West Coast?
Maragos: Life’s good, man. It’s phenomenal. The weather out here is unbelievable, it’s great. The area that we’re living in is just a great area to be in. There’s a lot of things that it has to offer. It’s just a blast being out here with my wife, Serah, and just getting an opportunity to be with her and really just enjoy that.
Our training facility and our workout facility is actually down in San Jose, so that’s where we’re living. We actually live about 40 minutes outside of San Francisco. We play our games up there, but our training facility is kind of a ways away.
Everything is going pretty well, though. So, I can’t complain.
Clay, White run over Gophers
MADISON – If there were any question who was the No. 1 running back at Wisconsin, John Clay answered them emphatically Saturday afternoon against Minnesota. But James White continued to show he was not far behind.
As the freshman White made a name for himself over the last two weeks earning Freshman of the Week honors in the Big Ten, questions mounted concerning Clay’s effectiveness out of the backfield. Some even called for White to be named starter.
On Saturday, the duo combined to put together the most complete performance by the Wisconsin running game yet this season. On 40 carries, they picked up 229 yards — a 5.7 yards per carry average — with five touchdowns.
“Those guys ran hard today,” said tight end Lance Kendricks, who provided a number of key blocks for Clay and White. “Overall, I think this was the best game that they’ve had as a balance of two running backs.”
Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema talks about going with the hot hand at running back. But when both backs are picking up more than five yards per carry, the hot hand is whoever is in the backfield on a given play.
If you ask either Clay or White, they’ll both tell you they don’t care who gets the carries, as long as the offense is successful.
“I really just like that it’s just constantly rolling through there,” Bielema said. “They’re the first ones to congratulate each other. It’s special.”
Clay, who had one of his best career rushing performances at Minnesota last year, opened the running game up early, tallying 52 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown in the first quarter. He would not touch the ball again in the half.
In the third quarter, Clay and White each added another touchdown, but it was not until the fourth quarter that they really tacked on the yardage. After rushing for 122 yards through three periods, they combined for 117 in the fourth quarter alone, while each also added another touchdown.
“There’s no slack when one of us comes out of the game,” White said. “If Clay comes out and I go in, there’s no slack. If I go out, Montee (Ball) goes in. We’re all in there cheering for each other and we’re all capable of doing big things.”
With three touchdown runs, Clay tied a personal best, while boosting his career total to seven trips to the end zone against Minnesota. With 37 career rushing touchdowns, Clay ranks fifth all time at UW.
Clay also eclipses the 3,000-yard mark on the ground, making him the eighth running back in school history to go over 3,000 yards. His 3,093 rushing yards also rank eighth in UW history.
Tallying his second career 100-yard rushing game, White now has 361 yards and eight touchdowns in his last three games. Saturday also marked the second time in those three games that Clay and White have both rushed for at least 100 yards.
In three games against Austin Peay, Michigan State and Minnesota, Wisconsin’s running back duo has rushed for 670 yards and 12 touchdowns on 93 carries. With the power of Clay and White’s speed, opposing defense have had their hands full stopping the Badgers rushing attack.
“I’m a power runner, he’s a speed guy,” Clay said. “They don’t expect it. He’s a lot shorter guy than I am, so he’s able to use his agility and hide behind offensive lineman. For me, I’m a bigger guy, so it’s hard for opponents to come try to tackle me down.
“When we get out there able to showcase our talent, we’re always there to show each other support and love.”
Five things to watch: Minnesota
MADISON — It’s Axe week. With the way the Badgers played in East Lansing, the rivalry game against Minnesota could not have come at a better time for UW. After suffering their first loss to Michigan State last week, Wisconsin’s focus is on keeping the Axe.
Before things kick off at Camp Randall today, BadgerBlitz.com offers a number of things to watch during today’s game, as well as a prediction.
1.) Can they get off the field?
When the Spartans needed a big play in the Big Ten opener, more often than not the Badgers were not able to stop them from getting it. Out of 18 third down conversion attempts, Michigan State was successful nine times.
More importantly, despite creating three turnovers, the Wisconsin defense forced MSU to punt just once the entire game. While the Gophers are not on the same level as the Spartans, a similar output by the defense would not bode well for UW.
To beat Adam Weber and Minnesota, the Wisconsin defense led by J.J. Watt will need to do a far better job of imposing its will, controlling the game and setting up the offense with opportunities to score.
2.) Under pressure
Everyone focused on third downs last week, but the real issue was a lack of success stopping Michigan State on first and second down. A lot of that had to do with an inability to pressure Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins.
More often than not, Cousins threw the ball when he wanted to or was ready to, rather than when the UW defense forced him to do so. With another of the Big Ten’s top signal callers in Weber coming to town Saturday, pressure will be important against Minnesota.
The Gophers, along with the Badgers, are tied fourth in the Big Ten with just five sacks allowed this season. The Spartans, on the other hand, have allowed more sacks (11) than every team in the conference other than Northwestern.
It certainly won’t be easy, but the Badgers need to make Weber feel uncomfortable every time he drops back to pass.
3.) What happened to the passing game?
Wisconsin three non-running back stars on offense — Scott Tolzien, Nick Toon, and Lance Kendricks — were disappointing in the Big Ten opener, to put it lightly. In such a big game, those three should be expected to step up, not put up their worst performances of the season.
Minnesota’s defense has struggled to stop both the run and pass this season, but you can be sure they’ll focus more on the former this week. To open things up for John Clay and James White, Tolzien will need to be better than 11-for-25 for 127 yards.
4.) Not So Special Teams
For the second time this season, breakdowns on kick and punt coverage against MSU proved crucial. Against a team like Minnesota, the last thing Wisconsin needs is to let the Gophers keep things close with a special teams touchdown.
There’s little question that Wisconsin should easily retain the Axe for a seventh straight year. But even a team like Minnesota could make things interesting if the Badgers’ coverage units continue to struggle.
5.) Resurgence of Clay
Over the last two weeks, White has been far and away the better of the two Wisconsin running backs. His speed and quickness make him exactly the kind of dynamic runner the Badgers need to complement Clay.
Unfortunately for all involved, Clay has struggled to hold up his end of the bargain. Aside from a handful of impressive runs of more than 10 yards, Clay has looked slow, hesitant, and simply ineffective.
Perhaps no one in cardinal and white is looking forward to facing the Gophers than Clay. With their rush defense ranking 10th in the conference, Clay should have the perfect opportunity to show he’s still among the best offensive players in the conference.
Schelling’s prediction
On paper, this matchup looks like a 20-point blowout in the Badgers’ favor ready to happen. Minnesota is near the bottom of the conference in points scored and allowed. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is near the top in both.
With the motivation of a disappointing loss a week ago combined with their desire to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the Badgers should have no trouble handling the Gophers. Still, a 22-point spread seems like a bit much. The only time UW has covered the spread this season was their 70-3 blowout of Austin Peay.
Keeping that in mind, I like Wisconsin over Minnesota, 38-20.
Henry learns from former Wisconsin safeties
MADISON — This is your deal now, take over. Take it on, and go get it.
With those words former Wisconsin free safety Chris Maragos, who was forced out in the final minutes of the Champs Sports Bowl with an injury, handed over the reins to Aaron Henry as he watched from the sideline.
Henry has not looked back since.
“That was it, he went out there, we won the game and ever since then, he’s really taken hold of the position, and he’s really taken ownership of it,” Maragos said. “I couldn’t be any more proud of him.”
When asked who has helped him in the transition from cornerback to free safety, Henry quickly admits he could run off a long list of names.
Among those that have given Henry advice is current teammate and fellow safety, Jay Valai. What did Valai have to say?
“Always be true to yourself, man,” Valai recalled. “Just go out there and play football and don’t overthink. You over think stuff, that’s how you get beat. Big Ten football’s here now, concepts pick up a lot more, teams are going to be better for the most part and you’ve just got to be ready to play.”
Narrowing down the list of names, Henry recognizes the two most influential on his progress at the position.
Fortunately for Henry and the Badgers, those two athletes, Jim Leonhard and Maragos, happen to be playing the position professionally, for the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Though advice from Leonhard was invaluable for Henry, it was Maragos who truly had the greatest influence on the move from corner to safety.
The strong bond between Henry and Maragos led the two to grow even closer as they worked to help each other improve, both physically and mentally.
“You probably can’t see the resemblance, but Chris and I are like brothers,” Henry said. “If anybody’s going to be critical of me, that I can take, it’s him, because we’re like family. He’ll call me up and be like, ‘Aaron, this is something you need to work on. Aaron, when you see so and so coming on a boot, you’ve got to make sure you cut that.’ It was just small things like that to help me fine tune my game.”
For Maragos, the decision to help Henry was a no-brainer based on their already close relationship and the strong work ethic possessed by the current UW free safety. While he was working on earning a position of his own with the 49ers, Maragos passed along whatever he could to help Henry.
In the process, Maragos found himself on the other side of things from where he was just a couple years earlier.
“I know for me, Jimmy made things real clear for me,” Maragos said. “He kind of has that ability to say like, ‘Listen, I’m in it right now, I’m playing these same coverages as you, these are some of the small things that help me out.’
“Now, things that I’ve acquired through playing the position, that’s what I’ve tried to pass on to Aaron and try to be the same help that Jimmy has been to me than I can be to Aaron.”
One of the biggest things Maragos did to help Henry had little to do with the physical nature of the position and everything to do with all the information that comes along with it.
As one of the leaders on defense, Henry had a lot more to learn than as a cornerback.
“I remember talking to Maragos and he was just telling me about how free safety in our defense, it’s like a code you’ve got to crack,” Henry said. “Once you’ve cracked the code, everything is going to be pretty easy. I feel like I’ve cracked that code, so things are starting become a whole lot clearer and smoother.”
“As a safety you have to know so many different things and I think a lot of things can kind of run together,” Maragos added. “But when you get it and when things click, it’s like the code has been broken and you can see how clear everything is, and you can know how to play everything exactly how it should play out.”
So far, the early results would indicate Henry has in fact cracked the code.
Through five games, Henry has already matched his total from a year ago with 18 tackles. His five pass breakups are already a career-high, and his first two career fumble recoveries have come this season. On top of all that, he added his second career touchdown at UNLV.
Not only is Henry making plays, he’s made a name for himself with big hits on opposing receivers. The biggest difference in Henry now compared to when he first made the switch?
“Confidence,” Valai said. “Confidence is everything. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, it’s tough to be out there making plays on the football field because you don’t believe in yourself. I think confidence is probably the biggest thing at any position, and once Aaron’s gained his confidence, he’s been great.”
‘D’ focused on third downs
MADISON – Were they going to get off the field? Were they going to give their offense a chance to get back on the field?
Those questions, posed rhetorically by Aaron Henry while fielding questions in a trailer just outside Spartan Stadium last Saturday, likely were going through the mind of many Badger players and fans as Michigan State marched down the field late in the game.
In the end, the answers to the questions were, ‘No,’ and ‘Not really.’
Trailing by three points with 10 minutes remaining in their Big Ten season opener, all the Badgers had to do was hold the Spartans to a field goal. Do that, and they had a chance to escape with a late, game-winning touchdown drive.
Instead, they let Kirk Cousins lead Michigan State down the field for a 15-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock. Not only was UW then trailing by 10 points, it also had little time in which to mount a comeback.
“Of course, of course you’ve got to get off the field. Definitely, man,” Henry said. “The game is won on defense, believe it or not. Anytime you play a team, if you can’t get off the field, if you can’t force the team to punt, you put yourself in a bad situation.”
While they secured three turnovers on defense, the Badgers only forced the Spartans to punt once in the game. Every other drive that didn’t result in a turnover ended with MSU putting points on the board.
Much of that had to do with the Badgers’ inability to get off the field on third down, which allowed Michigan State to string together a few long scoring drives. After allowing the Spartans to convert on 9 of 18 third-down conversion attempts, it’s no surprise that third downs have been a point of emphasis in practice this week.
What may not be as apparent is the focus put on having success on first and second down, to avoid tough third down situations.
“It’s a big issue when on first and second down you’re giving up three or four yards and they’re in third and short, third and three to five,” said defensive end J.J. Watt. “Third and three to five is a hard down to play, and I know it’s a hard down for him to call, so we really can’t put the defensive coordinator in situations like that.”
Though last week’s shortcomings have certainly been a point of emphasis, there’s no lack of motivation on the Wisconsin sideline as they prepare for this week’s opponent.
With border rival Minnesota coming into Camp Randall for Saturday’s homecoming game, the Badgers know exactly what’s at stake. Considering the way they played in East Lansing to open the conference season, the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe could not come at a better time.
“You can’t think of a better game to have. If we’re going to go out there and play the game of our lives, this week would be a great week to do it,” Henry said. “I think this Axe is something that motivates everybody in the locker room. You would hate for a team to run over on your sideline and take it.”
Despite the Gophers’ lack of success so far, the UW defense will not be taking them lightly. It’s been seven years since Minnesota held the Axe, with the last six contests being decided by an average of 12 points.
In their last three matchups — two in Minneapolis and one in Madison — the Badgers have won by just over four points a game, and by just three in each of the last two.
With no one on the current Minnesota roster having touched the Axe in their careers, the last thing Wisconsin wants to do is see the Gophers celebrate with it on their home turf.
“They’re a hungry team. This is like the Super Bowl for them,” safety Jay Valai said. “So I know we’ll play them just the same way. It’s going to be a fun game.
“We don’t want anybody to come on our sidelines and have that feeling we felt a couple years ago at Iowa.”
A Schelling For Your Thoughts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.