Football

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Despite ugly loss, Schobert puts on show

Even with the offense totaling 320 yards and possessing the football for more than half the game, the Badgers struggled to form any semblance of a rhythm in their 10-6 loss to No. 22 Iowa last Saturday. But the defense, led by senior outside linebacker Joe Schobert, held an Iowa team that scored 62 points in its win against the University of North Texas to a mere 10 points, all off turnovers. The defense surrendered just 30 yards total on both Iowa possessions that yielded points. Schobert came into Week 5 with an FBS-high 9.5 tackles-for-loss and continued to build on that total, adding four additional tackles-for-loss.

Three Things to Watch: Nebraska

1. Protecting the ball A yard shy from punching the football into the end zone and taking a late fourth quarter lead against Iowa, redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave tripped over redshirt freshman right guard Micah Kapoi and fumbled the ball, gifting the Hawkeyes possession and the game as a result. The botched handoff, however, was the most colossal turnover in a game defined by carelessness with the football.

Northwestern's stock continues to rise

Defense wins championships. It’s an old adage, but one that has withstood the test of time. Over the past decade, ignoring Auburn’s sieve of a defense in 2010, NCAA Championship teams have had, on average, the fifth-best defense in the country.

Column: Traditional Big Ten label doesn't cut it

All throughout preparation during Iowa week, the idea repeated ad nauseam was that the Big Ten is all about physical football.

Voltz marches to his own drum

In movies and TV shows, high schools often feature two stereotypes: band nerds and jocks. Dan Voltz would have been the character that defies the societal norms, a Troy Bolton-esque protagonist that excels athletically and musically. Maybe he’s not exactly like Zac Efron’s character from “High School Musical,” but Voltz has a love for both music and football.

DC Sports Big Ten Power Rankings: Iowa knocks down Badgers

The first full week of conference action is in the books for the Big Ten, and everybody has been left with a whole slew of new questions regarding the state of the conference.

Big Ten MVP: Elliott runs away from Indiana

With nine minutes left in the third quarter, No. 1 Ohio State, the defending national champions, found itself trailing Indiana 10-6.

Struggling Nebraska heads back home

Before Hall of Famer Barry Alvarez built the football house known as Camp Randall, he was a Cornhusker. In fact, Alvarez was the leading tackler for Nebraska during the 1967 season in Lincoln. Alvarez credits much of his success building the Wisconsin football program to the practices and values that he learned in his time at Nebraska.

Traylor out 4-8 weeks with arm injury

Wisconsin’s senior tight end Austin Traylor, who expanded his role in the offense this season, will be out 4-8 weeks with a right arm injury, as first reported Thursday morning by the Wisconsin State Journal’s Jason Galloway. Traylor left in the second half of UW’s 10-6 loss to Iowa last Saturday and did not return. Traylor entered the year with only three career receptions, but this season he had caught ten before his injury.

Badgers, Cornhuskers seek redemption

When a football game is described as a battle in the trenches, usually it refers to ground and pound football that is won and lost based on which team’s line can get the stronger push up front. When Wisconsin (0-1 Big Ten, 3-2 overall) takes on Nebraska (0-1, 2-3) this weekend, it won’t be a traditional trench war, but the game will hinge on the performances of both team’s big men on the line of scrimmage.

Iowa edges out Wisconsin in Big Ten opener

Badger Bio: Shelton acclimating well to Wisconsin

As the leaves of the trees continue to change, the Wisconsin football season rolls on. The temperatures are slowly starting to drop, a source of dread for students everywhere. But for junior Sojourn Shelton, who hails from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the seasons of Madison were a welcome change.

Big Ten Player of the Week: Armstrong shines against Southern Miss

With a combined 431 yards of total offense, junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a much needed 36-28 win over Southern Miss last Saturday. 

DC Sports Big Ten Power Rankings: Spartans leapfrog OSU

There’s no change in this week’s power rankings, though Ohio State closed the gap between itself and the Michigan State Spartans. The week was fairly solid for the Big Ten as a majority of its teams wrapped up their non-conference schedules and now turn their attention to the start of Big Ten play.

Column: Chryst was, and can be, a driver of success

Like him or not, Wisconsin was an excellent football program when Bret Bielema was at the helm. And it was like that for far longer than those who just want to give credit to Barry Alvarez’s program-building skills would like.

Ducks’ outlook continues to plummet

With Clement out, RB Deal free to set tone

With Wisconsin’s running game providing slightly above average numbers the first three games of the season, many were wondering if the run-first, power offense of the Badgers had gone by the wayside.

Hawkeyes will try to build on strong start

In recent years the coaching carousel has been more of a staple in Wisconsin than cheese curds. With head coach Paul Chryst now leading the charge, the Badgers are on their third head coach in as many years. Contrast that with Iowa, a program that has had two coaches since 1979, and Wisconsin, not Iowa, seems like the program in a rut.

Three Things to Watch: Defense holds strong, RBs step up

Lynchpin Linebackers

Bringing the heat from all directions

On perhaps the most controversial play of Wisconsin’s game against Troy, junior Leon Jacobs looped, untouched, around the left side of the Trojans’ offensive line on a first-down blitz and obliterated quarterback Brandon Silvers.