As the Wisconsin football team made its season debut in the AP rankings this week at No. 25, head coach Bret Bielema used much of his Monday press conference to take stock of the season—now at its halfway point—thus far.
Bielema said he appreciated the recognition but had already warned his players of the extra distractions that inevitably come with a national ranking.
""I knew that it would become an issue not just from the media and the questions that they're gonna get asked, but now they're gonna walk into the classroom and people are gonna make reference to it, their parents are gonna ask about it,"" Bielema said.
""The reason we're in the situation is because of the focus we've had as a ‘1-0 mentality' to get where we are right now,"" he continued. ""If we falter off of that, we can lose that position as fast as we earned it, so I really don't see it being an issue with our guys.""
Since the addition of a 12th game this season eliminated the bye week, Bielema said the coaching staff has been closely monitoring the freshness of the team. Of particular concern is redshirt freshman running back P.J. Hill, who had a career-high 35 carries in Saturday's 41-9 victory over Northwestern.
""We'll make certain adjustments to practice, maybe things that [Hill] goes through or doesn't go through, and also just limit the contact that he has from our own players during the course of the week,"" Bielema said.
For the 249 yards and one touchdown Hill accumulated Saturday, he earned the title of Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith. Bielema praised the efforts of Hill and sophomore tight end Travis Beckum, who set career highs with eight receptions and 107 yards.
Bielema also said he was impressed with the progress made by Wisconsin's inexperienced offensive line.
""I thought that this was probably the best performance this past weekend of overall pass protection from first quarter to fourth quarter that that group had provided,"" he said.
Discussion then shifted to the upcoming border battle against Minnesota. Bielema said the intensity caused by the rivalry, which will renew itself Saturday at Camp Randall, is perfect for maintaining the team's focus.
""I would say I probably favor more to the side of promoting the rivalries,"" Bielema said. ""You know me; I'm a very firm believer in week-to-week, so in my opinion it helps you focus in that much more.""
Bielema was the team's defensive coordinator at the time of last year's astonishing 38-34 victory at the Metrodome, in which the Gophers ran for 411 yards. This year Bielema said he is especially concerned with Minnesota quarterback Bryan Cupito—who was injured in last year's game and did not play the second half—as well as the Gophers' talented core of receivers.
""Ever since, I've been trying to defend Minnesota,"" Bielema said. ""I really believe that they do a better job of making their run-game and passing-game look similar with the actions not only of their running backs, but their offensive line and all their receivers that really set up some big play opportunities.""
Big plays were the story of last year's game, as the Badgers blocked a Minnesota punt with 30 seconds remaining and fell on it in the end zone for the winning score. Wisconsin won Paul Bunyan's Axe for the second straight year on the improbable play.
The two teams were both nationally ranked and tied in the Big Ten standings going into that game. This time around, the Badgers again enter the game nationally ranked, while Minnesota enters winless in Big Ten play. The storied rivalry likely will fuel both teams in their preparation this week, however, and allow both to enter the game at their highest possible levels of intensity.
