If Bret Bielema put anything up in the locker room this week as motivation, it should have been two things. One should be 27-25, the score of last week's heartbreaking loss to Michigan. The other should be 17-17, the score at the end of the third quarter against Ohio State last year, which was an away game against a team that ended up in the national championship.
On their face, these scores send two different messages to the players; however, they are linked in a very important way. Allowing the other team to execute big splash plays on offense contributed significantly to both outcomes. Bret Bielema noted in his weekly press conference that of the 68 plays the defense was on the field against Michigan, there were eight individual plays that could have changed the outcome of the game.
Never will it be more important to prevent the big play than the upcoming game against Ohio State. They come to Camp Randall with an All-American running back in junior Chris Wells and a dangerous dual threat quarterback in freshman Terrelle Pryor, who has already gashed opponents with both his arm and his legs.
The Badgers know exactly what they are getting in Wells, since they got a heavy dose of it last year. Wells ran for 169 yards and three touchdowns, with all three touchdown runs being longer than 20 yards. In Pryor, the Badgers have to account for his ability to pass to the speedy Buckeye receiving unit as well as Pryor's ability to run, something he has shown to be more than willing and able to do. Bielema called Pryor an extremely talented playmaker.""
Recent history suggests the Badgers will struggle against a offense with so many weapons. Last year's game against a similar offense in Illinois saw then sophomore quarterback Juice Williams run for 92 yards on 14 carries while passing for an efficient 121 yards. In that same game, running back Rashard Mendenhall ran for 160 yards on 19 carries. The last game the Badgers played against a legitimate duel threat quarterback was the Minnesota game against quarterback Adam Weber, who accumulated 439 yards through the air and on the ground - 352 yards and 87 yards respectively.
If the past is good for anything, it is good for showing how to correct past wrongs, which is the plan for the Badgers and the coaching staff. Instead of concocting a new defense to solve any issue, the coaches are steadfast on mastering the base defense in place. Outside linebackers coach Randall McCray explained, ""They've got their base alignments and base rules [that account for] an I-pro team, to a spread team, to a pass team'¦there is minor adjustments for each [offense], but'¦we don't really make a lot of adjustment rules for the kids.""
McCray went on, ""What we always try to do, no matter what the situation, is have a guy and a half [on the tackle]'¦you always try to get somebody there and somebody else to help on the tackle."" This philosophy puts the onus on the defense to know their assignments and make sure tackles, something that evaded them in the second half against Michigan.
There is evidence that this approach is effective against a high-powered offense. In 2007's Capital One Bowl, the Badgers managed to contain Arkansas stud running back Darren McFadden while taking a bend but don't break mentality. Felix Jones, the other Arkansas running back, was able to complete long gains early, but was shut down as the game progressed. The only difference between that game and the upcoming game against Ohio State is Arkansas had a non-existent passing game. That means all facets of the Badger defense have to be their best against the Buckeyes.
Shutting down the Ohio State offense is particularly important because the Buckeye defense is that much stronger, and the Badgers cannot expect to light up the scoreboard, especially after their anemic effort against Michigan. Ohio State's defense gave up 28 points to one of the nation's best offenses in Southern Cal three weeks ago, in Los Angeles. Wisconsin can't expect to put up the same numbers without superhuman efforts all around.
Fortunately, the Badgers have an extra man playing for them this week: the twelfth man that is Camp Randall stadium. Under the lights in front of a national audience against a ranked opponent, Camp Randall should be deafeningly loud, which hopefully motivates the Badgers while creating miscommunication and frustration for the Buckeyes.
Defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks knows the impact going against Ohio State in front of the Camp Randall crowd, ""The coaches are going to be a lot better, the athletes are going to be a lot better'¦Everything kind of steps up."" Coach Bielema acknowledges a ""more hostile environment'¦would be our benefit."" The fans are very much a part of the game and can do their part to give the Badgers a boost.
