2010 Team Previews: Wisconsin

No doubt that Bucky is on his way to class. He would never miss an Econ lecture like I did.

In 2009, Wisconsin rode their undefeated non-conference schedule and a 1-0 conference record(beat MSU) in to a Big Ten grudge match for Paul Bunyan's axe at brand new(what?) TCF Bank Stadium where they would face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They would eventually take that game 31-28 and move in to the AP top 25 and to a 5-0 record.

The next week they traveled to Columbus to play the number nine Ohio State Buckeyes, who were a few weeks off from a loss to USC in the Shoe. Ohio State couldn't sustain a drive against Jay Valai, O'Brien Schofield and the rest of the Wisconsin defense. Lucky for the Buckeyes, the defense carried them this afternoon, picking off Scott Tolzien 3 times, one of which Captain Kurt took to the house on a loooonnnggg return for 6. The Badgers Defense may have won the battle, but Wisconsin didn't win the war. Ohio State won 31-13.
The following week Wisconsin played #11 Iowa at home in the friendly confines of Camp Randall in the Battle for the Heartland Trophy. As was the case in the previous week, Scott Tolzien was picked off three times, and Iowa took the game by a final score of 20-10.

In the coming weeks the Badgers would bounce back. First by pasting Purdue 37-0, then beating Indiana is a close game and taking 3 in row by beating Michigan 45-24 in a game that Tate Forcier played as we've come to expect.

The next week the Badgers came back to Earth with a humbling loss against Northwestern at Ryan Field. Down by a couple scores early the Badgers started to fight back and got within a few points thanks n part to David Gilreath's touchdown return. Then it happened. Scott Tolzien, who threw his only interception of the game at the exact wrong time. Killing the push for a comeback. Bucky ended on a high note. They did the conference proud by beating Miami(DA U IS BACK) in the Citrus Bowl by a final score of 20-14. As is the case every season, when you end the season on a high note, next year the sky seems to be the limit. Expectations are high in Madison.

Tolzien certainly looks the part of Wisconsin QB.

As you may have guessed, as it seems to be a continuing theme in football at all levels, Wisconsin's chances in 2010 hinge largely on whether or not they can win the turnover battle. That either starts or stops with returning starting quarterback Scott Tolzien. In 2009 Tolzien threw for 2,705 yards while completing 64% of his passes. Not bad at all for a first year starter. The problem comes in the form of his touchdown to interception ratio, 16:11. While 11 interceptions isn't a very high number for a man that throws for over 2,700 yards, you have to take in to account how they came to be, and how many came all at once. Tolzien tossed six picks against Wisconsin's two toughest opponents in Iowa and Ohio State. If he can minimize those sorts of mistakes, and avoid having games like that he'll be in for a very good season.

Lucky for Scott, most of his offense is back. Wisconsin's best, and one of the top recievers in the big ten, Nick Toon is back. 2009 saw Toon go for 845 yards and 4 touchdowns as a sophomore. Nobody would be surprised to see Toon eclipse the 1,000 yard mark this season. Pencilled in as the second starting receiver is David Gilreath who started one game last year, the Citrus Bowl against Miami. After seeing most of his time as a return man in 2009, David looks to finally make an impact as a starter, and if the return against Northwestern is any indication, he certainly has the athletic ability to do so.

With all this talk about quarterbacks and receivers, you'd think the Badgers were primarily a passing team. You'd be wrong though. Wisconsin returns 5 starting offensive lineman who started most if not all games last season and Jr running back, John Clay. It's not fun to talk about offensive lineman, even if you know that they're the anchors and building blocks of a team, so I'll say something about John Clay: he's a beast of a running back in the mold of former Wisconsin greats PJ Hill and maybe a dash of Ron Dayne mixed in as well. John ran for over 1,500 yards and crossed the goal line 18 times. Yikes. Last year, the only games where Clay wasn't effective were the games against Iowa and Ohio State where he combined for 126 yards on 41 carries and zero touchdowns. When facing teams with elite defensive lines Clay, like many other backs, was limited. While I can praise Clay all day long the fact is simple, he has to show up in the big games for this team to win.

Can this version of the Winnebago carry the load when it counts?

Defense is usually Wisconsin's strength, but this year could be the exception. Along with O'Brien Schofield, the best defensive lineman on the team, went 2 other starters. So do the math with me here folks, that's three new lineman, 2 tackles and one defensive end. Looking to fill those 6 shoes are Louis Nzengu at DE, Jordan Kohou at tackle and Patrick Butryn at the other tackles spot. Between them this group has 2 starts. While they have played, as most lineman do because of rotations, 2 starts are 2 starts. Experience may not be everything, but it's something.


The linebackers return, but half of the secondary is new. Looking to start an entire season is Safety Aaron Henry who had 3 starts in 2009. Aaron is lucky enough to play with Jay Valai though, and he's a red-shirt senior, he shouldn't have too many problems in the secondary. Also(somewhat) new to the Badger secondary is corner back Niles Brinkley who had 6 starts in 2009. Six isn't zero, but it's still less than half of a season. The reason that two new starters in the secondary is a bigger concern at Wisconsin than it is at Ohio State is that the Badgers are replacing 75% of their line. Will the front 7 be able to create enough pressure for this secondary to play of mistakes? That remains to be seen.

We still haven't forgiven you for that shot on Boom.

Now that we've educated the Buckeye faithful and you know your enemy, we'll take a crack at the 2010 schedule for the Badgers. No doubt that the Big Ten title hinges on a few games between the Badgers, and the rest of the top 3 teams in the conference.


@UNLV (W): UNLV is a Mountain West team, and in my opinion Wisconsin should never play AT a UNLV for that reason. With that said, The Winnebago rolls over the Rebs and Bucky wins.(I'll be in Vegas that weekend, who wantsta party?)


San Jose State (W): If Matt Barkley can beat them by a lot. Tolzien shouldn't have any issues.


Arizona State (W): ASU has all sorts of QB questions/issues and neither option is that great. Badgers win. Suck it Pac10.


Austin Peay (W): Just Peay'd my pants.


@Michigan State (W): This could very well be a high scoring game since both teams have some questions on defense and return veteran signal callers.


Minnesota (W): You win an Axe! No, not the deodorant spray. No double pits to chesty thanks.

HIYYAAAAA!

Ohio State (L): Let me start off by saying that somehow Terrelle Pryor was able to do it as a freshman in 2008 in Madison. Ohio State could have the best offensive line they've had in years, and Wisconsin is green up front. The battle will hinge on how much pressure the OSU defensive line can get to Tolzien and how many times they can hit him. Strength vs Strength = push, and strength vs weakness = advantage OSU.


@Iowa (L): The two toughest games, back to back. Absolutely brutal. I was torn on this game. It comes down to Iowa's defensive line vs Wisconsin's offensive line. A true grudge match in the trenches.


BYE WEEK: Much deserved.


@Purdue (W): Righting the ship, so they say. It was hard enough picking the Badgers to drop two in a row. Three is unthinkable.


Indiana (W): This could be another barn burner. Both QBs can pass for tons of yards. It's gonna come down to who throws less interceptions. Also, Indiana cannot stop John Clay.


@Michigan (W): Who's holding the rope?


Northwestern (W): Wisconsin will not lose to Northwestern 2 years in a row. Write it down.
Final record(s): 10-2 overall, 6-2 in the conference. A slight improvement over last year. In any other season this team could do better, but I think this is the best the Big Ten has been in years. While many fans will be disappointed in not reaching a BCS game, they're still going to Florida in January for a bowl game, which has to be better than hanging in Madison in January. Too cold for me. Good luck at the Capital One Bowl, Bucky.

Orlando, my least favorite part of Florida. But with the way the gulf looks, that could change.