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Friday, March 29, 2024
Badgers kick off season against UNLV
Badgers defeat Purdue 37-0 at Camp Randall Oct. 31, 2009.

Badgers kick off season against UNLV

As soon as the Badgers defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the Champs Sports Bowl last December, all eyes in Wisconsin shifted to this week. For the returning players, it is a chance to get back into game action. For Badger fans, it is the first chance to see a highly touted group that is expected to contend for a Big Ten championship.

Yes, college football season has arrived. The Badgers, ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP poll, open up their campaign with a long road trip to Las Vegas. and a date with the Running Rebels of UNLV.

""Time goes by so fast,"" senior captain and strong safety Jay Valai said. ""Back in December, you're sitting around thinking, ‘Man, it's going to be a while,' and now all of the sudden here we are on game week.""

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The Badgers return ten starters on offense, including junior running back John Clay, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and senior quarterback Scott Tolzein.

Tolzein is the first signal caller to start more than one season for UW since John Stocco in 2006. Add seven returning offensive linemen with starting experience to that equation, and Wisconsin figures to start fast and put up plenty of points.

In recent years, UW has played several close games with non-conference opponents, including a 20-13 squeaker against UNLV in 2007.  If the offense takes time to find rhythm again this season, the defense will have to be stout.

On that side of the ball, junior defensive end J.J. Watt anchors a defensive front that is replacing standout end O'Brien Schofield and both tackles. Watt, however, believes that his unit will be stout again this year.

""We have two guys in [junior] Louis [Nzegwu] and [sophomore] David Gilbert that have worked extremely hard this camp and I have no doubt that they'll be just fine,"" Watt said.

In addition to replacing five starters, the UW defense will have to prepare for a UNLV attack that will be completely new under first year head coach Bobby Hauck. Hauck has installed his system after bringing it, along with several assistant coaches, from the University of Montana. In preparing for the new look Rebels, assistant defensive coordinator Dave Doeren and the coaching staff has essentially studied two different teams.

""We've been [looking at the Montana film] and also studying the returning personnel at UNLV so that we know what the strengths and weaknesses are of their players,"" he said. ""With [Hauck] bringing all of his coaches you put a lot of investment of time in on watching [Montana's] film.""

While the UNLV offense will have a different look, Watt said that the defense should not have a problem with it once the game starts.

""When you're not 100% sure what a team is going to do you just have to rely on your rules and rely on your techniques and that's what we're going to do,"" said Watt.

The Badgers, like most teams, have fought the injury bug in camp, and may be without sophomore linebacker Mike Taylor for the opener. Taylor suffered an ACL injury last year against Iowa and has been rehabbing since. If he cannot go, senior Blake Sorensen will likely start on the outside with senior captain Culmer St. Jean in the middle and sophomore Chris Borland across the field.

 

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