If the name Albert Young sounds familiar to the Badger faithful, that is because it should. In December 2002, Young made a non-binding oral commitment to play for Wisconsin (5-2 Big Ten, 8-2 overall), but reneged because of what he saw as too much depth at the running back position.
The sophomore running back is now thriving at Iowa (3-3, 5-4) along with junior quarterback Drew Tate. The two lead a dynamic offense that is likely to pose problems for the Badger defense come Saturday afternoon.
Young is one of only four running backs in the Big Ten to have 1,000 yards at this stage of the season. With a per carry average of 5.7 yards, Young will be the focal point in the Badgers' Big Ten finale, according to defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.
'Everything that we do defensively is based on stopping the run,' Bielema said. 'We're basically going to try to put an emphasis that we've got to take away the running attack and react to the passing game.
'I think Iowa is a very well coached football team,' Bielema continued. 'They're very aggressive. The players give it their all in every situation.'
Sophomore defensive tackle Nick Hayden, who leads the defense with 3.5 sacks on the season, said that there is no special tactic that is going to slow down the rushing game.
'We've just got to be fundamentally sound with our technique and make sure we're filling all the gaps,' Hayden said.
Should the Badger defense somehow manage to minimize the Hawkeye running game, Iowa's offense will fall squarely on the shoulders of Tate, the quarterback. That's not necessarily a bad thing for Iowa.
Besides leading the No. 4 passing offense in the Big Ten, Tate has the ability to scramble. The Badgers' problems with running quarterbacks this season have been well documented, as they are coming off the a 125 yard rushing performance by Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson last Saturday.
'He's very dynamic in that respect,' Bielema, who both played and coached at Iowa, said of Tate's running ability.
Tate's targets of choice this season are junior tight end Scott Chandler and senior wide receiver Clinton Solomon. Solomon has been on the receiving end of six touchdowns this season.
'They're very explosive,' UW junior safety Joe Stellmacher, the second-leading tackler on the team, said. 'We're going to come out and play as hard as always. We know we can't give up that many yards. We're going to come out Saturday ready to go, and hopefully we'll have a good showing.'
As a unit, the Badger defense looks to rebound after a lackluster showing last weekend. Bielema did see positives, however. He mentioned a span of roughly 35 straight offensive plays where Penn State failed to score. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions jumped ahead early in the game and never looked back.
'I do believe that, as a whole, the problems that we have had this year defensively ... have come down to a lack of tackling in certain situations,' Bielema said. He added that his players were 'obviously not happy with the way things went.'
Their shot for redemption this weekend could take on extra meaning. Head coach Barry Alvarez will be manning the sidelines for the last time in Madison, and the team looks to extend its impressive home winning streak. The run of eleven consecutive home wins is good for fifth in the nation.
In addition, the defense would like to play a meaningful role in what could potentially be UW's third undefeated season at home since 1962.
'We've just got to play together, and not give up the big plays,' Hayden said. 'That's the biggest thing. As long as we don't give up the big plays Saturday, we'll be the winners in the ball game.'
