Posts Tagged ‘Wisconsin’
A Year Later, Wisconsin’s Woes Resurface
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 8, 2012
Bret Bielema’s options are growing thin. This time a year ago, Wisconsin was poised to enter the fall with Jon Budmayr, a sophomore, as its starting quarterback. If that had come to pass, Budmayr would have been the Badgers’ first sophomore to start at quarterback since John Stocco did so in 2004. Of course, those plans changed once Russell Wilson opted to finish his college career in Madison. Budmayr would eventually miss the entire 2011 with nerve issues in his right elbow – his throwing arm – which in turn left redshirt freshman Joe Brennan as Wisconsin’s primary backup. In short, Wilson’s transfer did more than just help the Badgers return to the Rose Bowl: Wilson delayed Wisconsin’s quarterback concerns for one calendar year.
Tags: Bart Houston, Bret Bielema, Curt Phillips, Danny O'Brien, Joe Brennan, Jon Budmayr, Russell Wilson, Wisconsin
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The Year in Review: Michigan St. (11-3, 7-1)
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 6, 2012
Last fall, Michigan State beat Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and a team from the SEC in one season for the first time in program history. This isn’t surprising: Michigan State has won only six games against SEC competition in its history, with four of those wins coming from 1929-1947. What is surprising, however, is the fact that the Spartans beat the Buckeyes, Badgers and Wolverines in the same season for only the second time in program history; the first, in 1987, came during the Spartans’ last outright Big Ten title. Rare? Heck, beating Ohio State and Michigan in the same season is rare enough for Michigan State.
Tags: B.J. Cunningham, Big Ten, Brady Hoke, Iowa, Jerel Worthy, Joel Foreman, Kirk Cousins, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Urban Meyer, Wisconsin
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Maryland Backs Off Initial Transfer Ruling
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 22, 2012
In a reversal of his original decision, Randy Edsall will allow three former players, led by quarterback Danny O’Brien, to transfer to another F.B.S. program without any stipulations. According to his new ruling, O’Brien can now transfer to any A.C.C. school in addition to Vanderbilt, where he would be reunited with James Franklin, his former offensive coordinator at Maryland. The same can be said of offensive lineman Max Garcia, who had the Commodores in his final two as a high school senior before opting for the Terrapins, and linebacker Mario Rowson. The central figure in this transfer saga remains O’Brien, who was a breakout star as a redshirt freshman in 2010 before taking a back seat in Edsall’s offense over the second half of last season.
Tags: Danny O'Brien, James Franklin, Jon Budmayr, Mario Rowson, Maryland, Max Garcia, Randy Edsall, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin
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The Big Ten’s 2012 Non-Conference Schedule
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 22, 2012
After looking at the non-conference schedules found in the SEC, let’s turn our attention to the Big Ten, where every school but one, Nebraska, has filled out its dance card for the coming season. The Cornhuskers are close: three games down, one to go. And considering how Nebraska’s scheduled trio of games look, there’s little doubt that the program will look to fill that open date with the easiest, most cupcake-like opponent available on that particular Saturday — that would be Sept. 22, by the way, if you’re a lower-level program looking to plop a six-figure check in the school coffers. And the F.C.S. is certainly in the conversation: Nebraska has played one such school in each of the last two years after not doing so from 2007-9.
Tags: Big Ten, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, MAC, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, SEC, Wisconsin
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All’s Fair in Love, War and Recruiting
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 3, 2012
Forget about the fact that Urban Meyer has only been at Ohio State for two months, because it doesn’t matter. Ignore the fact that he’s still seven months away from actually leading the Buckeyes onto the field in a game that counts, because it doesn’t mean a thing. Meyer may be new in town, but that hasn’t stopped him from climbing into the head of nearly every coach in the Big Ten, thanks to a national signing day haul that left all but Michigan’s Brady Hoke in the dust. It’s Hoke, after all, who went toe-to-toe with Ohio State’s newly-minted recruiting giant and more than held his own; it’s also Hoke, reached for comment yesterday, who told an Ohio television station that recruits who have given another program their verbal commitment are still fair game.
Tags: Brady Hoke, Bret Bielema, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Recruiting, Urban Meyer, Wisconsin
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Bielema Trusts His Sources on Canada
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 18, 2012
Bret Bielema may know fairly well Matt Canada on a personal level, but it’s what he’s seen and heard of his new offensive coordinator that separated Canada’s candidacy from the 11 other coaches Wisconsin interviewed for this key vacancy. Canada, formerly of Northern Illinois, will replace Paul Chryst in title but do his best to keep the Badgers’ Chryst-led train running at full steam; reached for comment by the Journal Sentinel, Bielema may it patently clear that Canada will not run a spread offense, such as he did with the Huskies, but rather a familiar pro-style attack.
Tags: Bret Bielema, Dave Doeren, Matt Canada, Northern Illinois, Paul Chryst, Thomas Hammock, Wisconsin
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Criticized, But O’Brien’s Move May Pay Off
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 18, 2012
Tom O’Brien is often criticized for his cautious approach, so it was ironic that the catcalls and criticism continued when he played things fast and loose, exchanging Russell Wilson for Mike Glennon after the former failed to heed the line drawn in the sand. To O’Brien, if you recall, Wilson’s place on the team hinged on his availability for spring practice; Wilson, in turn, exchanged 15 practices with the Wolfpack for another shot at minor league baseball within the Colorado Rockies’ organization. When Wilson failed to show up, O’Brien cut him loose — and six months later, Wilson was setting N.C.A.A. records as the quarterback at Wisconsin.
Tags: Mike Glennon, N.C. State, Russell Wilson, Wisconsin
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Alonso Works His Way to Rose Bowl Hero
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 3, 2012
The Rose Bowl’s staid history has never seen an offensive explosion quite like the show put on by Oregon and Wisconsin: 83 combined points, a bowl record, 1,129 yards of total offense, one single yard shy of the bowl’s record, and little in the form of defense, minus three big moments from the Ducks over the game’s final 16 minutes. The Oregon defense? The offense did the heavy lifting, yes, but the defense stood tall when it counted. These defensive stands provided the tipping point, the moments that tip the balanced scales in the Ducks’ direction, and none stands taller than Kiko Alonso’s interception of a Russell Wilson pass in the third quarter.
Tags: Chip Kelly, Kiko Alonso, Nick Aliotti, Oregon, Rose Bowl, Wisconsin
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