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Replacements, bold moves key in victory at Iowa
IOWA CITY — When talking about his football team, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema likes to say that it’s not what happens, but how you react to what happens. You can’t react much better than the Badgers did Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Two days before a pivotal Big Ten matchup with Iowa on the road, Bielema alluded to a number of veteran players that might not be able to go against the Hawkeyes. Come game time, Bielema and the Badgers found themselves without two key players: Nick Toon and Jordan Kohout.
“Brian [Lucas] hit me up early this morning and wanted to confirm the starting lineups, and I basically said ‘I wish I knew,'” Bielema said. “There was as much as seven of our starters that weren’t sure who was going to play or go or not.”
As the game wore on, Wisconsin lost Lance Kendricks, Peter Konz and James White to injury, while John Clay and Mike Taylor battled injuries at various moments in the game.
Even with all of that, the 10th-ranked Badgers came away with a 31-30 victory over the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes, putting themselves in excellent position in the Big Ten title race in the process.
“Iowa is a great team, and they had a great defensive four up front,” Gabe Carimi said. “We came out there and attacked it and got a ‘W’.”
With Kendricks out, tight ends Jacob Pedersen and Jake Byrne stepped up, grabbing four balls for a combined 42 yards. In place of Konz, the Badgers shuffled the offensive line without missing a beat, moving Bill Nagy from tight end to center.
But at no position was there a more impressive replacement than in the backfield.
Relegated to third on the depth chart with the emergence of White, sophomore Montee Ball‘s opportunities have been few and far between this season. But when called upon in a big moment, Ball reacted better than anyone could have expected.
“I stay ready and kept my mind right,” Ball said. “I’m very proud. I had a talk with [running backs] coach [John] Settle, and I told him that I was going to leave it in God’s hands. God has a plan for me and I just felt like it happened today.”
Carrying the ball three times, Ball picked up 18 crucial yards on the ground in the game. More importantly, he broke the plane of the goal line just enough for the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
With the effort of those called upon to step up in critical situations, the Badgers were able to play the game the way they wanted to, which included a number of bold moves by the head coach.
Trailing 13-10 and facing 4th-and-1 on the Hawkeyes’ 2-yard line in the third quarter, the Badgers opted against the game-tying field goal. Instead, they went for it, and one of two Clay touchdown runs put them back on top, 17-13.
Later in the game, with UW trailing 30-24 late in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin got the look they were hoping to see from the Iowa defense on fourth down. The fake punt call was on, and punter Brad Nortman rushed for 17 yards, sending the momentum in the Badgers’ favor.
“It really did work out perfect,” Nortman said. “Our guys sold it perfectly and I went just about until I was about to drop the ball and it just all worked out perfectly. Once I saw it, I just knew we had the perfect play.”
Between the big games by replacements and bold moves in their play calling, the Badgers put together the most important reaction of the day. Following a program-defining victory over No. 1 Ohio State a week earlier, Wisconsin responded with another major win on the road over a Big Ten opponent.
Good teams pull off upsets at home, but it takes a great team to knock off a formidable opponent on the road.
“It was just four quarters of fanatical effort,” Bielema said. “Great individual efforts by some of our guys, but yet, unit efforts. Whether it be offense, defense or special teams, guys really had a tremendous amount of faith and executed.”
Clay, Bielema focused on offensive line before OSU
MADISON — Standing behind John Clay with his helmet off Saturday, you’d see the following numbers in his head: 68, 74, 66, 70 and 58. Lining up in the Wisconsin backfield, Clay sees the same set of numbers every time he takes the ball.
It took Clay about 20 minutes of work in the barbershop to show his appreciation for what his teammates do. Within the game’s first five minutes, Clay was thanking them again.
Clay burst through a big hole created by the Wisconsin offensive line and rushed 14 yards for the touchdown. Less than 12 minutes of game time later, Clay found the end zone again. As the Badgers led 21-0 over the No. 1 team in the nation, hard work by Clay and the offensive line paid off in a big way.
“He practiced as hard as I’ve ever seen him practice and really executed ball security, and he gave the tribute to the five offensive linemen, shaving their numbers in his head,” UW head coach Bret Bielema said of Clay. “It was a way of John saying, ‘I respect what you guys have done.’ His success is a lot about what they do, so again, just a good example of team chemistry.”
Wisconsin’s offensive line guided Clay to 104 yards rushing on 21 carries, as well as those two first half touchdowns.
Afterward, as he does after every game, Clay credited his success to the hard work up front by Peter Konz, John Moffitt, Gabe Carimi, Kevin Zeitler and Ricky Wagner.
“I just told them they’ve been working hard for me all week and this whole year, so I told them I’d do something special when the big game came,” Clay said. “It worked out in a good way.”
With the Badgers facing one of the toughest defensive lines in the country in Ohio State, Clay was not the only one focused on the offensive line this week.
Knowing the battle in the trenches could very easily determine the outcome of the game against the top-ranked Buckeyes, the head coach looked to give his front five a little added motivation.
“I did challenge them,” Bielema said. “I don’t do that very often as a head coach. I don’t want to set kids up for failure. If I do something like that, it’s usually that I have a really strong belief that it’s going to come through.
“Everybody made a big deal about the 29 games that Ohio State had played without a 100-yard rusher. I threw it in those guys’ faces all week. I threw it at our running backs, but it all starts up front for us. For us to have success, we have to play well at the offensive line.”
Konz, Moffitt, Carimi, Zeitler and Wagner answered the challenge in a big way. Not only did they pave the way for Clay to become the first opposing player in 30 games to rush for 100 yards or more against OSU, they also kept their quarterback upright.
Attempting 16 passes on the day, Scott Tolzien was not sacked a single time. But did the offensive line need to challenged?
“I don’t know. I mean, that’s a good question,” Moffitt answered. “We play our game and we always try to play our game. Obviously, when the head coach calls you out, you just have to raise the bar, and I think that’s what we did.
“It feels great. We did the right things and we won the game.”
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.
Into the great ‘White’ open
MADISON—On the Badgers’ fourth play from scrimmage Saturday, running back James White missed a blitz pickup that led to a sack on quarterback Scott Tolzien, and a seven-yard loss.
It would be the only loss White was responsible for during the game.
“I knew I had to pick it up from there and just had to be focused in and gain my yards and pick up all the blocks,” White said.
“On the blitz, I was waiting for the mike declaration. I missed it, so I needed to look out to my right, I walked up to the line of scrimmage and the guy came right behind my back and sacked him.”
White heeded his own advice throughout the rest of Wisconsin’s non-conference game against FCS opponent Austin Peay, picking up a career-best and game-high 145 rushing yards on 11 carries with four touchdowns, including one on a 66-yard run down the sideline.
His 13.2 yards per carry was good for the fourth highest yards per carry average in school history.
Simply put, it was a breakout performance for the true freshman.
“He’s a special player,” Tolzien said. “He can break one at any snap.”
With the way he had been praised throughout fall camp by the UW coaching staff and the local media, White’s performance also was proof there might be something to all the hype.
After fumbling away a chance at his first career touchdown two weeks earlier, four trips to the end zone against the Governors added a measure of redemption as well for White.
“I wasn’t expecting it, I was just going out there trying to gain yards and just happened to break it a couple times and ended up with four touchdowns,” White said.
White became the seventh Badger in school history to rush for four touchdowns in a game and the first since P.J. Hill had four on Sept. 15, 2007, against The Citadel. Putting his name alongside an even greater former UW running back, White tied Ron Dayne’s record of four touchdowns in a game as a freshman.
With John Clay adding 118 yards on 15 carries, Clay and White gave the Badgers a pair of 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since Nov. 7, 2009, when Clay and Montee Ball achieved the same feat at Indiana.
Those that have seen White’s exploits since early August were impressed by his performance Saturday as well.
They might not have been as surprised as some fans while watching White run right through the Austin Peay defenders, the Wisconsin coaches and players liked the extra dimension White brought to the offense
“I was excited because we thought that first third and short he was going to get that play around the edge,” said head coach Bret Bielema. “When we called it, I go, ‘Watch him go,’ and that’s exactly what happened.
“James is a very gifted football player with great speed and again, because he’s not out there every down, he comes in with those fresh legs and it really benefits everybody.”
While the total yards and touchdowns certainly were impressive, the play that stood out in the game for White was the 66-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
On third down with two yards to go, White took a toss to the left side where he was led by fullback Bradie Ewing blocking the only defender and nothing but green grass between himself and the end zone once he got around the corner.
“I didn’t get touched at all,” White said. “As soon as I got the ball it was just Bradie and the corner out there. As soon as he cut him, it was just me and the open field, and I just had to run away with it.”
Did he sense the Governor defenders trailing close behind?
“I felt somebody coming as I got a little slow towards the end,” White said. “He dove at my feet, I felt him miss and I was like, ‘Thank goodness.’”
Football presser 3/11
Backups will get chance for reps with 9 players out for spring drills
By Jordan Schelling The Badger Herald
A Schelling For Your Thoughts 
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