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Extra week, tackling key for ‘D’
MADISON – It was the icing on the cake of Wisconsin’s best defensive performance in more than a decade.
One of the defining moments of the Badgers’ 2009 season came in the most unlikely of circumstances, as Wisconsin led 37-0 over Purdue with just 6:44 remaining.
After turning the ball over on 3rd-and-3, the Badgers gave the Boilermakers the ball in excellent field position, needing just 39 yards to find the end zone for the first time. With backup quarterback Caleb TerBush at the helm, Purdue picked up 36 yards, giving them 2nd-and-Goal at the 3-yard line.
Three plays and a handful of impressive defensive efforts later, Wisconsin’s goal line stand was complete, sealing the Badgers’ first Big Ten shutout since 1999.
“We got after them,” said defensive end J.J. Watt, who broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone. “We were flying around, we were having fun and we were just playing great technically-sound football.
“They put the starting defensive line back in for that goal line stand, and we were excited about that because we knew we wanted to preserve the shutout. That was a huge stand for our defense as a whole because it showed we could persevere through a tough drive and that was a big one for our team.”
Having suffered back-to-back tough losses to Ohio State and Iowa last year, the Badgers were hungry for a win, and they put together an impressively complete performance against the Boilermakers.
One key factor that may have helped was having an extra week to prepare for the spread offense of Purdue. After defeating the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes this year, the Badgers had an extra week once again, and hope to use it effectively against the Boilermakers.
“I think it helped scheme-wise, we got to know some of their plays better than we normally would,” linebacker Blake Sorensen said. “It just kind of gets us used to playing a spread team. We haven’t really played one since Arizona State, so the extra week with more practices, it definitely helps.”
After four nonconference games to begin the season, Wisconsin settled into the heart of its Big Ten schedule, facing four traditional offenses and three of the conference’s top teams. Over the final four games, the Badgers will see plenty of variations of the spread from four of the second-tier teams in the Big Ten.
While they’re a spread team, the Boilermakers utilize the run quite a bit from the spread look, creating another wrinkle to figure out as the Badgers prepare for Purdue. Last year, Wisconsin looked like it knew what was coming holding Purdue – the Big Ten’s fourth-leading offense in terms of yardage entering the contest – to only 141 total yards.
The Boilermakers gained just 60 yards on 29 rushing attempts while picking up 81 yards through the air on just nine completions. To have similar success, the Badgers will need to put together a strong team effort in terms of tackling this week, especially in the open field.
“Defensively we’ve got to tackle well, probably now more than ever because in spread offenses, they create one-on-one spacing, so that’s a big difference in this game,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “We haven’t had many missed tackles.
“But, again, now that this is a different type of offense, where there’s one-on-one tackling because of the spread formations, it’s going to be a unique challenge that we really haven’t seen to this point.”
Kerrigan next test for O-line
MADISON – In putting together a list of the top defensive linemen in the Big Ten, four names quickly come to mind: Cameron Heyward, Adrian Clayborn, Ryan Kerrigan and J.J. Watt.
Of those four, Wisconsin has faced two, Heyward and Clayborn, in their two biggest wins of the season over then-No. 1 Ohio State and at Iowa. Watt, of course, lines up at defensive end on a weekly basis for the Badgers, earning a number of national honors in recent weeks.
That leaves Kerrigan, the Purdue Boilermakers defensive end, and the third in a line of three straight high-profile defensive stars on the schedule for UW. While the other three may get more press, Kerrigan could very well be the best of the bunch.
“To this day, I think that Ryan Kerrigan, their defensive end, is probably one of the premier players in our league,” Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema said. “I really thought last year he was at a whole other level. [He] plays extremely hard, extremely gifted.”
Through eight games this season, Kerrigan leads the Big Ten in several defensive categories, including sacks with 7.5 and tackles for loss with 18.5. Ranking fourth and second in those categories, respectively, is Watt with five sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
Kerrigan’s three forced fumbles also tie him with Michigan State’s Greg Jones for the most in the conference, with the Boilermakers having played one fewer game than MSU. With 49 tackles and a 6.1 tackles per game average, Kerrigan is 21st in the conference, while Watt ranks 47th.
“I probably went up against him once or twice, maybe,” said John Moffitt, referring to Kerrigan. “Obviously he’s very strong, and he’s got a little bit of speed to him, too. He’s not just a bull rush guy. He’s a good player, he plays hard and that’s evident when you watch him on film for sure.”
Against the Badgers, the top performer among Heyward, Clayborn and Kerrigan last season was Kerrigan, who had a game-high nine tackles, 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.
In his last two games against UW, Clayborn has 11 tackles, three for loss, and two sacks. For Heyward, the last two battles against Wisconsin have yielded nine tackles, 2.5 for loss and one sack.
Having faced all three, how does Gabe Carimi assess their abilites?
“I’d say Heyward is more of a bull [rusher], Clayborn would be a speed and bull guy, and Kerrigan is a motor guy,” Carimi said. “He’ll keep driving his legs, moving around, ripping under and twisting his body. I think he gives unbelievable effort on film and that’s why I think he might be a better defensive end.”
Having come away with victories over the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes this season, while limiting Heyward and Clayborn along the way, the Badgers now turn their focus toward Kerrigan and the Boilermakers.
While they certainly respect Kerrigan and consider him among the conference’s elite, the Wisconsin offensive line has plenty of reason to believe they’ll come out on top when they head to West Lafayette, Ind., for Saturday’s contest.
“I know he’s a great defensive end, and I think he is the best in the conference,” Carimi said. “But I’m coming in there with a little bit of confidence and trying to pull out a solid performance against him.”nd, ripping under and twisting his body. I think he gives unbelievable effort on film and that’s why I think he might be a better defensive end.”
Having come away with victories over the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes this season, while limiting Heyward and Clayborn along the way, the Badgers now turn their focus toward Kerrigan and the Boilermakers.
While they certainly respect Kerrigan and consider him among the conference’s elite, the Wisconsin offensive line has plenty of reason to believe they’ll come out on top when they head to West Lafayette, Ind., for Saturday’s contest.
“I know he’s a great defensive end, and I think he is the best in the conference,” Carimi said. “But I’m coming in there with a little bit of confidence and trying to pull out a solid performance against him.”
Clay ready for Boilermakers
MADISON – It’s no secret that most Wisconsin fans would like to see running back John Clay play at less than his current weight. Sometimes, though, his 6-foot-1, 248-pound frame works to his advantage.
For instance, while it can be easy to find a speedy member of the scout team that will make guys miss, it’s a little tougher to replicate a guy of Clay’s size with the speed and running ability that he possesses.
A year ago, that translated into 24-carry, 123-yard, three-touchdown performance for Clay in the Badgers’ impressive 37-0 victory over Purdue. Just two weeks earlier, Purdue had limited Ohio State to just 66 yards on 28 carries as they knocked off the seventh-ranked Buckeyes.
“Just coming straight downhill,” Clay said of what worked for him against the Boilermakers. “They’re a spread team, so they’re used to seeing the spread in practice every day. Having our big guys up front and me coming downhill, I think it’s kind of hard for them to simulate that.”
Against two of the top defenses in the conference, Ohio State and Iowa, the Badgers’ No. 1 running back put up two of his most impressive performances of the season. Rushing a combined 45 times, Clay picked up 195 yards while reaching the end zone four times.
Having reestablished himself as the top option out of the backfield, and especially with James White coming back from injury, it would come as no surprise to see Clay get a significant majority of the carries Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.
While White’s shifty, speedy style usually works as a good change of pace for Wisconsin, a heavy dose of the bigger, stronger Clay could be in the Badgers’ game plan this week.
Is Clay ready for a potentially increased workload this week?
“Yeah. You know, James is trying to come back from an injury, and I’m putting the bulk on my shoulders,” Clay said. “I got the rest I needed, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Clay missed some time during the Badgers’ 31-30 victory at Kinnick Stadium himself, which led to the opportunity for Montee Ball to stretch the ball across the goal line for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter.
Ten days removed from that physically and emotionally draining battle with the Hawkeyes, Clay said he’s ready to go against the Boilermakers. He did not, however, hesitate to acknowledge the importance of the bye week.
“It was some much needed time. Just getting my body back right and just giving us a chance to really get ready for Purdue,” Clay said. “I feel I’m about 100 percent. My ankles are good, that rest we had really helped a lot of people on the team that needed to rest to finish the season out strong.”
Focused on stopping Pryor
MADISON — Twenty-two teams since 2008 have seen first-hand just how good Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor can be. Only four have left victorious.
All of those teams — aside from Purdue last season — were ranked in the top three of the AP poll: No. 3 Penn State in 2008, No. 3 Texas in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, No. 1 USC in 2008, and No. 3 USC in 2009.
Not surprisingly, Pryor struggled in each of those five losses, especially when he looked to escape the pocket and run with the ball. On 66 attempts, Pryor picked up just 194 rushing yards, for 2.93 yards per carry.
In the Buckeyes’ 27 wins since he arrived on campus, Pryor has rushed for 1604 yards on 289 carries for a 5.55 average. Two of those wins came against the Wisconsin Badgers, but those were games in which Pryor did not run particularly well.
“The offense is ran around No. 2,” free safety Aaron Henry said. “So we feel like if we can contain No. 2 and make sure No. 2 doesn’t beat us, then we’re going to force other guys to make plays.
“We’re going to go out there and do our best as we can to contain him, but we’re also going to try to go out there and make those other guys make plays.”
In two games against Wisconsin, the 6-foot-6 quarterback has rushed for 55 yards on 25 carries for a 2.2 yard average. Though they’ve shown an ability to shut him down defensively, the Badgers know as well as anyone what kind of impact Pryor can have on a game with his legs.
Last year at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes’ only offensive touchdown came late in the first half wound down, as the Buckeyes drove 88 yards in 72 seconds, to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The drive began and ended on big plays, both of which involved Pryor. The touchdown was scored on an impressive 32-yard toss by Pryor to wide receiver DeVier Posey, but the first play of the drive was the one that set everything in motion.
“I was chasing down on the back side, I needed to go to the upfield shoulder, and I went to the near shoulder,” said defensive end J.J. Watt, who put the blame on himself a year ago. “Obviously that’s going to hurt you big time, and it did.
“He makes quick cuts and I’m 290 pounds, I don’t make as quick of cuts as he does. He beat me on that play. That’s for sure.”
As a freshman, Pryor had an even bigger impact in his first visit to Camp Randall Stadium.
In a game that was also played under the lights, Pryor led the Buckeyes down the field on two fourth-quarter scoring drives, using both his arm and legs. With 1:08 remaining in the game, Pryor found the end zone from 11 yards out for the game-winning touchdown.
On that play, Pryor and the Buckeyes took advantage of some confusion on the defensive side, snapping the ball quickly and catching the Badgers off guard just enough for the score.
“Once again, he used those feet of his,” Valai said. “His feet are what makes him go. He’s doing a great job passing this year, but his legs are what make Terrelle Pryor a Heisman candidate.
“For every two steps, he’s taking about six yards.”
With those two game-changing plays in mind, the Badgers know they’ll have their hands full this week against the Buckeyes’ signal caller.
While the Wisconsin defense has demonstrated an ability to limit Pryor’s effectiveness as a duel threat quarterback, his ability as a passer, as noted by Valai, has drawn a lot more national attention this season.
Through six games, Pryor has completed 104 of 153 passes for 1,349 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. His 170.5 passer rating is more than 40 points better than a year ago and a better than 25-point improvement on his career rating.
But does Pryor’s improvement as a passer mean the Buckeyes have become a pass-first team?
“They’re Pryor first, whether run or pass,” Valai said. “They may drop into pass, but Pryor may turn the edge. You’ve just got to respect him either way, and that’s what makes them a great offense, because you’ve got to play the run and play the pass equally.”
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.”
Michigan State style bears resemblance to UW
When he looks across the line of scrimmage on Saturday, linebackerMike Taylor may need to do a double take just to be sure he’s at Spartan Stadium and not on the Badgers’ practice field.
Beginning behind center and extending to the backfield, the Michigan State offense bears a striking similarity to the one the UW linebacker faces during the week. Last year, that worked to Taylor’s advantage, as he led Wisconsin in tackles with eight, including a sack, while also grabbing his first career interception.
“It’s like kind of like the same offense,” Taylor said. “When they’re similar like that, you’ve got a little more experience with it.
“This week, we practiced more against our offense than the scout team to kind of get us ready for the physical play, the running play and the play action.”
Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Scott Tolzien rank sixth and seventh in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, separated by a mere three yards. On the ground, running back John Clay ranks third in the conference with 125.2 yards per game, just ahead of the Spartans’ duo of Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell, who rank fourth and fifth.
Averaging 233.2 yards through the air and 231.5 on the ground, the Spartans have the most balanced, and potent, attack the Badgers will have faced this season. Fortunately for Wisconsin, its defense ranks fourth and fifth in the Big Ten in stopping the run and pass, respectively.
With such a balanced Spartan attack, the key for Wisconsin — regardless of how Michigan State is moving the ball — is simple.
“We need to be consistent, that’s the biggest thing,” said defensive backs coach Chris Ash. “That’s been the biggest issue with us for all four games, just being consistent. If we do that, then we’ll go out and give ourselves a chance to win.”
One area in which Ash sees a need for greater consistency, especially against Big Ten competition, is tackling.
In particular, while he appreciates the confident, hard-hitting nature of his safeties, he’d like to see them do a better job of wrapping up when necessary.
“Every week we go, our tackling is important,” Ash said. “It might be more so this week just because they’re bigger backs and the way we have to tackle them is a bit different. But every week our tackling has to improve.”
With the Spartans’ size, the Badgers on Saturday will deal for the first time this season with something similar to what opponents face in trying to bring down guys like Clay and tight end Lance Kendricks.
While the similarities may make understanding the Michigan State attack easier, it doesn’t do anything to lessen the talent and balance possessed by the Spartans. Just as opposing teams have to do with their offense, the Badgers will need to defend equally against the run and the pass.
“They’re pretty balanced and they’re going to keep us in check,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to focus on what we do, be our best selves, do our job and hopefully that’ll take care of it.
“They’re a complete team. They can throw the ball, they can run the ball. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ve got to focus, play our football and hopefully rise up to the challenge.”
When he looks across the line of scrimmage on Saturday, linebackerMike Taylor may need to do a double take just to be sure he’s at Spartan Stadium and not on the Badgers’ practice field.
Beginning behind center and extending to the backfield, the Michigan State offense bears a striking similarity to the one the UW linebacker faces during the week. Last year, that worked to Taylor’s advantage, as he led Wisconsin in tackles with eight, including a sack, while also grabbing his first career interception.
“It’s like kind of like the same offense,” Taylor said. “When they’re similar like that, you’ve got a little more experience with it.
“This week, we practiced more against our offense than the scout team to kind of get us ready for the physical play, the running play and the play action.”
Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Scott Tolzien rank sixth and seventh in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, separated by a mere three yards. On the ground, running back John Clay ranks third in the conference with 125.2 yards per game, just ahead of the Spartans’ duo of Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell, who rank fourth and fifth.
Averaging 233.2 yards through the air and 231.5 on the ground, the Spartans have the most balanced, and potent, attack the Badgers will have faced this season. Fortunately for Wisconsin, its defense ranks fourth and fifth in the Big Ten in stopping the run and pass, respectively.
With such a balanced Spartan attack, the key for Wisconsin — regardless of how Michigan State is moving the ball — is simple.
“We need to be consistent, that’s the biggest thing,” said defensive backs coach Chris Ash. “That’s been the biggest issue with us for all four games, just being consistent. If we do that, then we’ll go out and give ourselves a chance to win.”
One area in which Ash sees a need for greater consistency, especially against Big Ten competition, is tackling.
In particular, while he appreciates the confident, hard-hitting nature of his safeties, he’d like to see them do a better job of wrapping up when necessary.
“Every week we go, our tackling is important,” Ash said. “It might be more so this week just because they’re bigger backs and the way we have to tackle them is a bit different. But every week our tackling has to improve.”
With the Spartans’ size, the Badgers on Saturday will deal for the first time this season with something similar to what opponents face in trying to bring down guys like Clay and tight end Lance Kendricks.
While the similarities may make understanding the Michigan State attack easier, it doesn’t do anything to lessen the talent and balance possessed by the Spartans. Just as opposing teams have to do with their offense, the Badgers will need to defend equally against the run and the pass.
“They’re pretty balanced and they’re going to keep us in check,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to focus on what we do, be our best selves, do our job and hopefully that’ll take care of it.
“They’re a complete team. They can throw the ball, they can run the ball. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ve got to focus, play our football and hopefully rise up to the challenge.”
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