In his 13th year, Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez finds himself in an interesting position. His success at UW is unquestioned. Since 1993, Wisconsin's 78 wins trail only Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten. In addition, his three Rose Bowls victories place him in the same company as the legendary Woody Hayes, who won four. The run of Roses did not continue into the 21st century for Alvarez, as the last few years have not been as kind to coach, player or fan.
Beginning in 2000, the Shoebox investigation brought negative media attention on Wisconsin or the first time in the Alvarez regime and the subsequent suspensions led to the collapse of a might-be national contender.
Wisconsin was able to salvage a bowl game that season, but, in 2001, the bottom completely fell out. A horrendously thin defense and special teams paved the way for the Badgers' first losing record in six years. It also marked the first time since 1995 that the Badgers had no plans over winter break, as the team missed out on a bowl game.
With 2001 merely an unpleasant memory, Wisconsin fans looked forward to a return to normalcy this year, and a 5-0 start seemed to indicate just that, and maybe more. However, with back-to-back losses to open the Big Ten season, Alvarez and his troops are faced with the prospect of another mediocre season, as tough home and road games loom, starting this weekend when No. 4 Ohio State rumbles into Camp Randall.
While stopping superfreshman Maurice Clarett and the Buckeyes will go a long way in silencing grumbling about the Badgers' apparent decline, the questions of how and why Alvarez is in this situation beg to be asked. The answers, critics say, come partly from the play-calling.
Last week, a UW student's column made light of Coach Alvarez and his staff's conservative play-calling, in particular calling into question the practice of running Anthony Davis on third and long. While the column was an exaggeration, it underlined a widespread criticism of Wisconsin football. In short, it hasn't adjusted to the times. Playing conservatively on offense three years ago with Ron Dayne and a dominant offensive line, is different than trying the same thing with Davis'a good, but not dominant back'and an underperforming offensive line.
In last week's loss to Indiana, the coaching staff continued to call running plays for Davis late in the game and passed only on obvious third and long situations, allowing the Hoosiers to get pressure on Bollinger.
With Dayne in the backfield, the strategy made sense, but with Davis struggling late in the game to get yards and with Indiana possessing obvious momentum, the conservative play-calling seemed to hamstring Wisconsin's offense, providing the Hoosiers with the opportunity to win the game.
The Indiana game stands out because it was a game that the Badgers should have one, and secondly, because coaching adjustments could have done the trick.
Dayne was a once-in-a-lifetime college back (notice I didn't say NFL back) and, as demonstrated by the Indiana game, it is possible that using the same strategy from No. 33's glory years might not be as effective.
Nevertheless, even with the team's struggles, it is hard to fault Alvarez for sticking with a plan that brought Wisconsin out of the doldrums of college football. For those close to the coach, there's not much more he can do.
\He's put Wisconsin on the map,"" defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. ""He took this team to three Big Ten championships and three Rose Bowl championships. There are not too many guys who have taken a program that wasn't very good to the level that we're now at. I don't think too many guys could have done that.""
Indeed, it's hard to think of any coaches succeeding at a rebuilding job of the magnitude that Alvarez faced when he arrived at Wisconsin in 1990.
Most importantly, the players still believe in Alvarez and everything that comes with him.
""Coach is everything. He's our leader, and we play hard for him"", senior linebacker Jeff Mack said.
""He means so much to each and every individual in the locker room. That's the most praise I can give him.""
As for the fans, it's important to understand that dominance in college football ebbs and flows over time. However, the Badgers have the talent to keep winning. Unfortunately though it wearing shorts on the sidelines.
