Badgers beat Nebraska

[TW]

Watching the game reminded me of something. Grit. Sometimes the difference between winning and losing isn't raw talent, it's grit.

Allen & Mordecai playing through the pain. Seeing the heart of the defense, Hunter Wohler end up on the sideline without pads, and Will Pauling being helped off the field, and unable to contribute any longer, even though trying to make a go of it on one leg couldn't have helped the morale. Yet, the players reached inside, and found another gear. It's not more talent. It's grit. The thing that really makes football special.

A great win, regardless of how good anyone wants to believe Nebraska was, as an opponent, or how good the Badgers really are. They made themselves bowl eligible, and that's about all that anyone could expect from this team. If they win next week, and do the same in a bowl game, that will make 8 wins, and that's about the best most of us expected they'd be, from the start.

For those who think Fickell's first year has been a failure, that's far from the truth. It may not be as successful as the pre-seson hype was, but it's a season that was fraught with injuries, and mishaps that stopped it from being a huge success.

Next year? I dunno! It's gonna play out as it plays out.

 

[GBP4EVER]

Redoing the entire offense to a new scheme you expect a lot of struggles. But IMO on the defense there should not be this big of a issue. There has to be a reason why the defense is playing so poor this year. Is it the coaches or is it the players?

 

[Mark87]

Watching the game reminded me of something. Grit. Sometimes the difference between winning and losing isn't raw talent, it's grit.

Allen & Mordecai playing through the pain. Seeing the heart of the defense, Hunter Wohler end up on the sideline without pads, and Will Pauling being helped off the field, and unable to contribute any longer, even though trying to make a go of it on one leg couldn't have helped the morale. Yet, the players reached inside, and found another gear. It's not more talent. It's grit. The thing that really makes football special.

A great win, regardless of how good anyone wants to believe Nebraska was, as an opponent, or how good the Badgers really are. They made themselves bowl eligible, and that's about all that anyone could expect from this team. If they win next week, and do the same in a bowl game, that will make 8 wins, and that's about the best most of us expected they'd be, from the start.

For those who think Fickell's first year has been a failure, that's far from the truth. It may not be as successful as the pre-seson hype was, but it's a season that was fraught with injuries, and mishaps that stopped it from being a huge success.

Next year? I dunno! It's gonna play out as it plays out.

Credit where credit is due they didn't quit and rallied for the win, however, that doesn't change the fact that they are still a very sloppy FB team at times, start way too slow, and have very little depth. The latter is 100% on PC and his former staff(Yes, Jimmy too)

The first two are puzzling in that once the light pops on they look sharp.

I think this team needs at least 2 more recruiting cycles to get what's needed to run that offense correctly, defensively not a fan of Tressel scheme but he suffers from the same lack of talent as the O.

The bowl and keeping the winning seasons streak alive takes the heat off this staff and the AD, also a bowl is big for recruiting. I would keep an eye on who leaves via the portal and who they pull in this offseason.

 

[Mark87]

Redoing the entire offense to a new scheme you expect a lot of struggles. But IMO on the defense there should not be this big of a issue. There has to be a reason why the defense is playing so poor this year. Is it the coaches or is it the players?

as just posted they lost too much talent and didn't have the recruits to fill...barely had enough DB to the job this year, that's 100% on PC and Jimmy for leaving the cupboards bare.

 

[GBP4EVER]

With WI going to a bowl game this year it marks the 22 straight season in which UW got to a bowl game.

The top 5 streaks are:

1. Georgia 27
2. Oklahoma 25
3. Wisconsin 22
4. Alabama 20
5. Clemson 19

Big Ten this year could get as many as 11 teams into a bowl and fill all their bowl tie ins for first time in a while.

 

[TW]

as just posted they lost too much talent and didn't have the recruits to fill...barely had enough DB to the job this year, that's 100% on PC and Jimmy for leaving the cupboards bare.

I believe it's on PC, but I think Jimmy was not in control of the process. It didn't seem like it, since he didn't have his stamp on too many players. It's almost as if Chryst told him it wasn't his job to go out and get players. Something just seemed wrong about it. Can't exactly pin it down.

Just conjecture on my part.

Agree on two cycles of recruiting. That's why next year is pretty much unpredictable. It's going to take two to rebuild the depth on this team.

The portal is going to be interesting. I just hope guys like Wohler stick around. But, there are a lot of them that they can leave and it allows the Badgers an opportunity to find someone in the portal, or as a recruit. I see a quite a few portal snags this coming off season to be honest. After that cycle, it will lean a little more on the new kids coming in.

 

[Mark87]

I believe it's on PC, but I think Jimmy was not in control of the process. It didn't seem like it, since he didn't have his stamp on too many players. It's almost as if Chryst told him it wasn't his job to go out and get players. Something just seemed wrong about it. Can't exactly pin it down

This is incorrect, PC bowed out of recruiting, Jimmy was out there getting these guys on defense the past 3 seasons from everything that came out. His talent...his problem. Keep in mind those defensive struggles started last year...that was Jimmy's D that BB and ILL shredded.

 

[44blitz]

This is incorrect, PC bowed out of recruiting, Jimmy was out there getting these guys on defense the past 3 seasons from everything that came out. His talent...his problem. Keep in mind those defensive struggles started last year...that was Jimmy's D that BB and ILL shredded.

At least 3 years, the whole staff fumbled it up. They had no recruiting coordinator and no plan once their coordinator went to Michigan state. It's not a secret anymore they were winging it and tried filling key spots with walk on's that weren't even getting D2 offers.

100% PC refusal to change this got him fired

 

[Mark87]

This is incorrect, PC bowed out of recruiting, Jimmy was out there getting these guys on defense the past 3 seasons from everything that came out. His talent...his problem. Keep in mind those defensive struggles started last year...that was Jimmy's D that BB and ILL shredded.

Add in the whispers around Madison was/is that Jimmy had no plan for it either which is why the AD looked outside. That's coming from people I know in the program including a couple of former players.

 

[44blitz]

Add in the whispers around Madison was/is that Jimmy had no plan for it either which is why the AD looked outside. That's coming from people I know in the program including a couple of former players.

That and he put together a half assed staff.