In the first half against Northwestern, Wisconsin surrendered nine points, muffed a punt and turned the ball over three times. So in spite of a strong second half, the Badgers had plenty of mistakes to dwell on after the game. Instead, following a 41-9 win over the Wildcats, they were pleasantly casual.
""At halftime we made a comment to our guys: ‘Who's beating Wisconsin?'"" head coach Bret Bielema said. ""The whole team unanimously said, ‘Ourselves,' so they understand the game.""
It turns out that at halftime the Badgers weren't being beaten at all, as they were leading 17-9 at the time, but clearly the coaching staff and the players have a great rapport that is manifesting itself in player confidence and stellar play.
""Right before we leave for the field my opening statement is, ‘Everybody ready to have fun today?' When I go through the line and hit every players hand before the game I say, ‘Enjoy the day.'""
The game wasn't a typical rout given Wisconsin's early mistakes, but all three UW running backs scored, Joe Stellmacher gave the defense some glory with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown and wideout Luke Swan caught the first touchdown pass of his career. Everyone was in on the act, and the team enjoyed every minute of it.
""I can't tell you how much I enjoy working with these guys. They are a good football team,"" Bielema said. ""They like to have fun and relax.""
""It's a no-nonsense group, but in the same aspect, they're full of nonsense,"" he added. ""They like to have fun and joke around.""
For the third week in a row, many Badgers went with mohawks and other fairly eccentric hairstyles, as their appearances, yet again, did not distract from their focus and determination between the lines. In fact, as long as they keep winning, their relaxed nature will be not only tolerated but encouraged.
""We have a lot of loose, easy going guys, but we are able to focus when we need to,"" Levy said.
""Everyone just seems kind of loose, kind of comfortable, and just ready to play,"" senior linebacker Mark Zalewski said. ""Not everyone is sitting there, staring real intensely. I think everyone is focusing in on what they have to do in their own way.""
The Badgers could also be seen making animated motions on the sidelines throughout the game and jumping around—more noticeably and with less caution than in the past—at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
""I think it just comes from everyone knowing their assignments and being able to fly to the ball and be sure of everything you're doing,"" Zalewski added. ""Once you start doing that, and start playing well, I think football is fun.""
It is hard to know for sure whether the team's carefree confidence is affecting its play, or whether the execution on the field is slowly transforming the team's attitude.
When asked to comment on Wisconsin's retribution for last year's loss to Northwestern, giving up 214 total yards on Saturday in sharp contrast to the 674 yards last year, Bielema joked, ""We got a good ‘D' coordinator now.""
And the Badgers also have quite a head coach.
