Life Is Good

Like most people, you probably spent this past weekend giving thanks and maxing on food. If you live in Wisconsin and are a sports fan, however, you've had many reasons to be thankful lately.

• The Badgers are back in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. After a rough start to the season, this team is rolling right now. They won the Axe for the 11th straight year against a Minnesota team which played tougher than I expected. Joel Stave probably played the best game of his career so far, and picked up the offense awhile the run game took some time to get going. Next up is a matchup against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been pretty dominant ever since losing to Virginia Tech (that loss is just as much of a head-scratcher as the Badgers' loss to Northwestern). This game as very winnable, however, and the Badgers are even listed as early 3-point favorites. This is because the Buckeyes' Heisman candidate, J.T. Barrett is now out for the season after getting injured vs. Michigan last week. The Badgers will still have to play a great game to win, Ohio State still has good skill players on offense and Cardale Jones, the third-string QB stepping in, can also run a little and is even bigger than Barrett. The tackling will have to be good all game long for the Badgers. Early in the Minnesota game, the tackling was poor and Minnesota was able to jump ahead 17-3 because of it. Melvin Gordon has a chance to make a Heisman statement in Indy, and if he puts up big numbers I like the Badgers' chances to win this game. Winning the Big Ten likely won't be enough to get the Badgers in the playoff, but it should put them in a very good New Years bowl game. 
• The Packers just beat the team everyone was saying was the best in the NFL, New England. It was great to see the defense show up to play on Sunday. I was expecting this game to be more of a shootout than it was. Many times in this game the Packers were forced to kick field goals in the red zone, and I thought that might cost them the game in the end. But the defense showed up when it mattered. With the Patriots driving late in the 4th quarter, the 3rd-down sandwich sack of Brady was the play that stood out the most. Nothing came easy for New England's offense, which is good to see after some poor efforts earlier in the year against good offenses. Now the Packers are in the drivers seat for home-field advantage in the NFC. If the road to the Super Bowl has to go through Lambeau, I like the Packers chances to make it to Arizona in February given how well they've played at home. 
• The Badgers' basketball team also had a good week, winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. It was good to see this team respond to getting tested, and they overcame a 9-point deficit to beat a good Georgetown team in the semis. In the finals they didn't get the expected matchup against North Carolina due to them getting upset by Butler, but the Badgers still looked impressive against a solid Oklahoma team. A pleasant surprise so far this year has been how well Duje Dukan has played, his 3 point shooting has been great and he almost could've been considered for tournament MVP. Next up for the Badgers is one of the biggest home games in a while against Duke on Wednesday night. Their center Okafor has been a beast so far this year, so Frank Kaminsky is gonna have to try to stay out of foul trouble in this one. The Kohl Center should be loud and this should be a fun one to watch. 
• I don't usually watch much of the NBA regular season, but I'll have to admit that the Bucks have been fun to watch so far this year. They already have 2/3 of their win total from last season, and Jason Kidd might just coach this team to a playoff spot if they can keep this up. I also wish I could've been in Vegas to bet the over on the Bucks win total, which was at only 24, which they should surpass easily.

So with all that going on, enjoy it.With the holiday season in full swing right now, simply put, it's a great time of year right now. It's even better here in Wisconsin.  (Except for the cold weather. But we're used to that.)

Preview Time! Badger Basketball and Gordon vs Abdullah

Its a good weekend to be a Badger fan. Not only is the highly anticipated football matchup with Nebraska finally here, the #3 ranked Badger basketball season gets underway tonight. The game itself shouldn't be much of a contest, against Northern Kentucky, but one thing that would make it worth attending is the raising of the Final Four banner for last season. This year's squad has the talent to make another run, and should be fun to watch all year. Here's my preview for the 2014-15 season, as well as a look at the important football game at Camp Randall this Saturday.

• One of the main reasons this team is so highly ranked to start the season is that they only lost 1 key player from last year's team, Evan Anderson. I mean, Ben Brust. Bronson Koening finished the year strong and should be able to fill the void left by Brust. 
• With this team, I have a feeling they will be using more 2- guard lineups than the 3-guard starting lineups that were common last year. The 3 big guys Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky, and Nigel Hayes are too talented to leave off the floor for long periods of time. There will always be situations that will call for a 3 guard lineup, but right now I'm predicting the most common lineup will be Traevon Jackson, Josh Gasser, Dekker, Hayes, and Kaminsky. 

• I think Duje Dukan will be a major contributor this year. He improved as last season went on, and made some big shots in the Final Four game. It will be interesting to see what other bench players will get significant minutes. Some players to keep an eye out for, especially in many of these early season non-conference games which should likely be blowouts, are Vitto Brown and Zak Showalter. 
• There are some non-conference games that will be tough tests. The one that obviously stands out is the Dec. 3rd ACC/Big 10 challenge game against Duke at the Kohl Center. Their freshman center Jahlil Okafor is being heavily hyped, so we'll see how he matches up with Kaminsky. This would be a huge win and could help the Badgers' case for  1 seed in March. Also, Thanksgiving week the Badgers travel to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, which is filled with quality teams. The Badgers' first game is against UAB, but advancing in the tournament would mean potential matchups against Florida, Georgetown, UCLA, Oklahoma, or North Carolina. Pretty stacked field. 
• The Badgers are the consensus favorite to win the Big Ten. The league will be tough as always, but maybe not quite as tough as in the past. Teams like Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State lost some key players that they will have to replace. 
• In the end, if everyone stays healthy, the Badgers should win the Big Ten and compete for a #1 seed. As any college basketball fan knows, however, that doesn't guarantee a Final Four appearance. Anything can happen in March. Let's just hope the Badgers have a little more magic in them this season. 

                                           Who's Gonna Win the West?

           The football Badgers finally face a ranked opponent this weekend, #16 Nebraska. It's the first ranked team the Badgers have played since the opener against LSU. The way I see it, this game will decide who wins the the Big Ten West. Although Minnesota has been somewhat of a surprise and is tied atop the division, I don't see them as a legitimate contender (They have a chance to prove me wrong, but good luck doing it against Ohio State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin 3 weeks in a row). So, this game is pretty much a must-win for both teams. The winner pretty much would give themselves a 2-game lead over the loser, and with 3 weeks left to go, well, you get the point. The winner of this game will be going to Indy to face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. 

          The Badger defense has played well over the course of the season, but really hasn't faced an offense as good as Nebraska's yet. A key factor in deciding how good their offense will be this Saturday is the health of Ameer Abdullah. In Nebraska's last game, Abdullah left with an injury early in the game after only gaining one yard. That has calmed some of the Heisman talk for Abdullah, but he will still likely be ready to play this Saturday. This game is seen as a showdown between two Heisman candidates who are two of the top running backs in the country. If Melvin Gordon wants a shot at the Heisman, he is gonna need to outshine Abdullah on Saturday. Gordon has needed a showcase game after missing most of the 2nd half against LSU. This is his chance (Finally NOT an 11 AM kickoff at Camp Randall, BTW). He's gonna need to put up big numbers to at least earn a spot in New York for the ceremony. 

           This will also be a test for the new two-quarterback system. It has worked so far, but now Stave and McEvoy will be facing a much better defense than they have so far since they began to share snaps. Last week against Purdue, the QBs were also being interchanged mid-drive, which was something new and can benefit the offense, as each QB has different strengths for different situations. I just hope against a better defense like Nebraska the offense doesn't become too predictable when a certain QB is on the field. 

            I believe the home-field advantage in this game will help, but I don't see this game being a rout like the last time the Huskers visited Camp Randall or met the Badgers in Indianapolis. I think both Gordon and Abdullah will have big games, and whichever team's quarterbacks can avoid making the big mistake will get the win and the drivers seat to Indianapolis. 

            

Your Saturday Gameplan

If you're a college football fan, this Saturday you should either be prepared to a) not leave your couch all day or b) post up at a bar all day (If you're actually going to a game that's also acceptable). This weekend is about as good as it gets for a football fan. There's 6 games in which ranked teams face each other, and we may know a little more about how the playoff picture might look by the time Saturday is over.
The day does start a little slow, but the Badgers are playing Purdue at 11 so that game will have my full attention. Also, #12 Baylor and #15 Oklahoma are playing at the same time and there should be a lot of points scored in that one.
Next, the 2:30 slot may not have all of the best games of the day like usual, but #10 Notre Dame vs #9 Arizona State is an important game which will eliminate the loser from playoff contention. There's also some upset possibilities with Texas A&M-Auburn and West Virginia-Texas playing in the afternoon.
At night, a bar is probably gonna be the best place to be, as you're gonna need to keep your eyes on multiple tvs. First, #7 Kansas State plays #6 TCU in what is likely the most important game of the year in the Big 12. Shortly after that, Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to take on an improving LSU team, which is always tough to beat at home. At the same time, the game the Big Ten has been waiting for all year also kicks off. Ohio State and Michigan State will play in a game which will decide the division winner and also may keep playoff hopes alive for the winner.
As a nightcap, Oregon also travels to surprising Utah in what will likely be their last real test of the regular season.
Here in Wisconsin, it's getting cold. The cold weather and great schedule of games this weekend provide you with the perfect excuse to not leave the couch or barstool all day. Get your friends over, grab a case of beer or five, and enjoy the day.

NFL Midseason Thoughts

We're about halfway through the NFL season, and I still don't know what to make of most of the teams in the league. Just about anybody can beat anyone on a given day. The only thing I know for sure is that the Raiders, Jaguars, Bucs, and Jets will be competing for the #1 pick in the draft. Here's some other random thoughts about this season at the midway point.

• At 7-1, Arizona surprisingly is sitting with the best record in the league, thanks to a great defense who has continued to play well despite some preseason injury losses. The offense does enough to get the job done. We'll find out more about them as they have tough games remaining against Detroit, San Francisco, and two against Seattle.
• After watching them get destroyed against the Chiefs on a Monday night game, I thought this year might actually be the beginning of the downfall of the Patriots. Turns out I was wrong. Tom Brady has gotten things figured out with his receivers, and the offense is rolling. He's probably the leader in the MVP race right now. 
• Also, before the season I would have said the AFC East was a contender for the worst division in football.Now, its not so bad. Both Buffalo and Miami, who are each sitting at 5-3, have a good chance to make the playoffs thanks to strong defenses and improved quarterback play. (Getting to play the Jets twice also helps) 
• Both South divisions are terrible. Indy will easily win the AFC South, while the NFC South will come down to two very average teams in the Saints and Panthers. I wouldn't be surprised if 8-8 won that division. 
• There will be a very good team left out of the playoffs in the NFC. Division races in the East, North, and West should be competitive throughout the rest of the season. That will leave 4 teams fighting for 2 wild card spots. The East is between Philly and Dallas, who now both have QB injury concerns, the North is between the Packers and Lions, and there could be a lot on the line when they meet in week 17. 3 teams still have a shot in the West, although the 49ers will have to figure out things soon if they want a shot at the playoffs. 
• I'll be interested to see if the Bears continue their freefall. They should have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, but turnovers continue to be an issue with Jay Cutler. If things don't turn around, I could see Trestman out as coach. I can't see them getting rid of Cutler because of his contract. As a Packer fan, I'm fine with that. Cutler loves to throw the ball to Packer DBs. 
• The Packers' defense is going to have to force turnovers when it faces good teams. They have looked okay against average offenses like the Panthers. But whenever they go up against a good offense, it seems like the gameplan is to just hope Aaron Rodgers can outscore the other team. They just can't stop anyone who's good. Example: last game against New Orleans. The Patriots come to Lambeau later this month,and I think the Packers will have to put up at least 45 to win that game. If the defense doesn't improve, I can't see them making a deep playoff run. 
• I'll admit I didn't think we'd make it to November and Johnny Football wouldn't be the starter for Cleveland. But Brian Hoyer has done a good enough job and has the Browns at 5-3 and in contention for a playoff spot. They somehow are finding ways to win. 
• JJ Watt probably won't get the MVP, but he is making a case. He's had one of the best defensive seasons so far that I've ever seen. It's too bad he's stuck on a Texans team that doesn't have a starting-caliber quarterback. 
• Seattle has been a bit of a surprise. After week 1, I thought they looked unbeatable. Since then, they have been less than impressive. They're still in good shape at 5-3, but some offseason losses are having a bigger impact than we may have expected. 
• I'm getting sick of how many flags are called every game. It's becoming almost impossible to play defensive back in the NFL anymore. 

                                              Playoff Picks Sure to be Wrong

AFC: East: Patriots                                         NFC: East: Cowboys
          North: Bengals                                               North: Packers
          South: Colts                                                    South: Saints
          West: Broncos                                                West: Cardinals
          WC: Dolphins                                                  WC: Seahawks
          WC: Steelers                                                   WC: Lions

AFC Champ: Patriots over Broncos               NFC Champ: Cardinals over Cowboys

                                       Super Bowl: Patriots over Cardinals

The TNT Crew is Back!

The NBA season tips off tonight, and for me that doesn't mean a whole lot because with the exception of occasionally checking in to see if Jabari and Giannis can make the Bucks relevant again, I won't really start paying attention until April. I'll have the Badgers to follow until then. There is one aspect of the NBA regular season that I do enjoy, however. Thursday nights mean the best sports broadcast team is on the air, but I'm not talking about the games themselves. Tune into TNT around midnight and watch the postgame show. The TNT show is by far the most entertaining sports studio show you'll see. I would say its 90% comedy, 10 % basketball.  Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith , Shaq, and Ernie Johnson (with an occasional appearance from C-Webb) know how to have a good time. Charles isn't afraid to say whats on his mind, and the rest of the crew isn't afraid to make him look like an idiot. I thought I would share some of my favorite moments from the show in honor of the season starting tonight.

• Charles will read anything off the teleprompter: He must not have seen Anchorman. 

• The All-Star Fantasy Draft: With the 1st pick, you could take any player in the history of the game, and Chuck takes....

Leroy Jetson: The crew introduces us to the black version of the popular '60s cartoon.

                                   

San Antonio women: Charles has an issue with the city of San Antonio and its women

                                 

Who He Play For: Every year on opening night, Charles is tested to see if he paid attention to the offseason player movement. He always fails miserably. 

                               

Where We At?: Charles Barkley: not too good at geography

                            

What If?

I was watching some of last Thursday's NFL game, and as always JJ Watt was making great plays. He is without a doubt the best defensive player in the league this season. That got me thinking: what would have happened if he had stuck around for another season at Wisconsin? That would have been the Russell Wilson year, and maybe he would've been able to get pressure on Kirk Cousins so that damn hail mary never would've happened. In my 5 years at UW, we always had good teams, but never were good enough to compete for a national championship. Made it to 3 Rose Bowls,and that's nice, but we couldn't even win one. Each year I attended UW, I felt we were great in certain spots but lacking at others. So I thought of an idea of trying to put together the best badger team from my 5 years there (from the 2009 to the 2013 season) and seeing if they would have been good enough to win a national championship. Many of these guys were on the team together, but just didnt start at the same time. This is imagining if they would have all been starting together during their best years as a Badger. Here's what I came up with.

QB: Russell Wilson. This one's a no-brainer. He's one of the best in the NFL right now. Scott Tolzien was a decent college qb, and would have been a huge upgrade over the Phillips/Stave duo in 2012/13. Curt Phillips has to be the worst qb to ever start a Rose Bowl.

RB: Melvin Gordon. Running back has been the one constant for the Badgers, and they may have their best one yet playing for them right now. It was tough picking someone over touchdown machine Montee Ball, but Gordon is by far the best athlete of the bunch and might be the most explosive runner the Badgers have ever had. I think he'll do big things in the NFL. James White and John Clay were solid backs as well.

FB: Bradie Ewing. Pretty much between Ewing or Derek Watt here, both are solid players, but I'll go with Ewing, who was also a solid receiving fullback and became a 5th round draft pick.

WR: Jared Abbrederis and Nick Toon.  Badger fans are longing for the days when we had reliable receiving options. Abbrederis is the clear cut top choice here, as he always was able to make big plays even with Joel Stave at quarterback. Toon was a pretty easy choice for the #2 WR. He may not have been as much of a big play threat as Abbrederis, but made plenty of catches in key situations and caught plenty of touchdowns, especially with Russell Wilson at QB his senior year. In the '09 and '10 seasons Isaac Anderson and David Gilreath were also solid receiving options.

TE: Lance Kendricks: Tight end has been another position where the Badgers have had consistency over the years. Kendricks is a pretty easy choice here though. Out of the tight ends the Badgers have had over this time period, Kendricks was by far the most athletic. He ended up being a 2nd round pick of the Rams, who he has been a solid contributor for over the years. Garrett Graham and Jacob Pedersen also had good college careers and have had NFL opportunities as well.

LT: Gabe Carimi: It was between Carimi and Ricky Wagner here. Wagner has definitely been the better pro, but this team is based on college performance. In college, Carimi was a beast and ended up being a 1st round pick and Outland trophy winner. Gotta go with Carimi.

LG: John Moffitt: Pretty clear choice here, as Moffit was a good player, as well as a fan favorite who usually had something good to say for the "Ask the Badgers" segment at home games. He ended up being a 3rd round pick.

C: Travis Frederick: You could take either Frederick or Peter Konz here and couldn't go wrong. Frederick switched from guard to center his senior season and did a good enough job to convince Jerry Jones to use a 1st round pick on him, which isn't easy to do. Konz was a late 2nd round pick, so I'll go with Frederick here.

RG: Kevin Zeitler: Another pretty easy choice. Zeitler was a 3-year starter who became a 1st round pick. It looks like Kyle Costigan will also end up being a 3 year starter at RG, but I doubt he'll be a high draft pick.

RT: Ricky Wagner: This was a tough one. It's between Josh Oglesby or Rob Havenstein, or I could cheat and go with Rick Wagner, who played 1 season at RT but was primarily an LT. Havenstein is huge but isn't great. Oglesby was an ok player but by no means was a great Badger lineman, and it always seemed like he was hurt. I think I'll just take Wagner.

DE #1: JJ Watt.  I don't even need to explain this one.
DE#2: O'Brien Schofield: Schofield is probably the best choice here. He had a strong final season in 2009 with the Badgers. I remember hearing the PA announcer say "Stopped. and dropped. " followed by his name many times that year. He was a 4th round pick and is contributing on the Seahawks defense. The only other player I really considered for this spot was Louis Nzegwu, a decent player who had a key defensive touchdown in the 2012 Rose Bowl.

DT: Beau Allen and Ethan Hemer: This was a tough position to pick, as there were plenty of solid players but not really any standouts. Allen and Hemer both were major contributors and Hemer started for the majority of his 4 years, so I'll go with them. Also, Allen is the perfect Badger to handle the axe after the annual win vs. Minnesota.

OLB: Mike Taylor and Jaevery McFadden: Taylor is a clear choice as he stepped in as a freshman and became one of the best players on the Badgers defense and made a few all-Big 10 teams. The other spot was pretty much a toss-up, as there were several good players, but kind of like DT, not many standouts. I could have gone with someone like Blake Sorensen or Ethan Armstrong, but I'll go with McFadden, who led the Badgers in tackles in 2009. 

MLB: Chris Borland: Easy choice here. Borland was pretty much the face of the Badgers defense during this "era". He won the Big 10 defensive player of the year award last season and even appeared on some All-America teams. ( I really wish there was a spot available for Culmer St. Jean, however. By far my favorite name to hear announced during games)

CB:Devin Smith and Antonio Fenelus: This was a tough call. This was easily the weakest part of defense over these years. I had to try and think of who got burned deep the least. From what I can remember, Smith didn't get burned that often and made some good plays on the ball. While Fenelus definitely had his bad moments, I feel like he came up with enough interceptions to deserve the starting spot on this team. I had to choose these guys over the likes of Niles Brinkley, Marcus Cromartie, and Sojourn Shelton. Not exactly the "Legion of Boom" secondary we're working with here. 

SS: Jay Valai: Pretty easy pick over the other options, Shelton Johnson and Dez Southward. Valai was a hard hitter who didn't make nearly as many mistakes as the other two. 

FS: Aaron Henry: Tough call here between Henry and Chris Maragos. Both were playmakers from the safety spot. Maragos made some plays at key moments, although I feel like Henry made them more often. 

K: Philip Welch: He actually could make field goals, unlike Kyle French or Jack Russell. 

P: Brad Nortman: He actually got drafted, which is extremely rare for a punter. 

KR/PR: David Gilreath: Great return man, but he also provided the greatest moment at Camp Randall while I was at UW.                                  

                         

So there it is, if the timing would have been right and these guys all could have been on the field at the same time, I would have liked their chances to at least compete for a national championship. 

Drop the Puck! 2014-15 NHL Preview

One of my favorite sports began its season last night. I'm talking about hockey. While I know most people reading this blog (If anybody actually reads this) won't start paying attention to the sport until the playoffs start in April, there are plenty of reasons to pay attention throughout the season. The regular season provides two of the more exciting aspects of the game which you won't see often in the playoffs: fighting and shootouts. There should also be some very competitive races to qualify for the playoffs this year, especially in the loaded Western conference. Here's how I think the season will shake out.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division:                          Metro Division:
1. Boston Bruins                              1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Tampa Bay Lightning                   2.Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Montreal Canadiens                     3. New York Rangers
4. Detroit Red Wings*                     4. New York Islanders*
5. Toronto Maple Leafs                   5. Washington Capitals
6. Florida Panthers                          6. New Jersey Devils
7. Ottawa Senators                         7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Buffalo Sabres                             8. Carolina Hurricanes

My Take: Boston on paper looks to be the best team in the East. They have a solid goalie in Tuuka Rask as well as many experienced veterans. It has been a while since Pittsburgh has made an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Sidney Crosby and Co. should have no problem making the playoffs, but they'll be judged on whether or not they can avoid another disappointing finish like last season. The Rangers made the Cup finals last year behind the great goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist, I think they'll make the playoffs but they lost some important pieces,  so a run like last years will be tough to repeat. In Tampa, Steven Stamkos is a star who could carry the Lightning deep in the postseason this year. Also keep an eye on the Columbus Blue Jackets. They gave Pittsburgh a tough time in their playoff series last year, and could be ready to take the next step this year.

Western Conference
Central Division:                         Pacific Division:
1. Chicago Blackhawks                 1. Anaheim Ducks
2. St. Louis Blues                          2. San Jose Sharks
3. Dallas Stars                               3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Colorado Avalanche*                4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Minnesota Wild*                       5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Nashville Predators                   6. Arizona (not Phoenix anymore) Coyotes
7. Winnipeg Jets                            7. Calgary Flames

My Take: This conference is stacked, and a few quality teams will miss out on the playoffs this year. Chicago has been able to keep its core intact, and the addition of a quality player like Brad Richards should help this team. Anaheim and St. Louis also made key additions. The addition of Ryan Kesler should help the Ducks win their division. Getting Paul Stastny from the Avs was a big move by the Blues and should help them compete with the Blackhawks for the top spot in the Central, which is the toughest division in the league. San Jose is always a great regular season team, but will they be able to avoid another playoff letdown? Blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Kings was extremely disappointing, especially because key players like Joe Thornton are only getting older and their window to compete for a cup may be getting smaller. The defending champion Kings (which hurts to say as a Blackhawks fan) are an extremely deep team and should be one of the league's best again this year. However, it is extremely difficult to repeat as a Stanley Cup champ, as it hasn't happened since 1997-98.

Playoff Picks
East: Boston over Pittsburgh
West: Chicago over Anaheim
Finals: Chicago over Boston
I know I'm a little biased, but after losing that tough series with the Kings last year, the Hawks will use that as motivation this year. They have a loaded roster which they may lose some pieces in the future due to cap issues, and the time is now to win again. I like them to beat Boston in a rematch of the 2013 finals.

Big Questions at QB for the Badgers

I feel bad for Melvin Gordon. After a career high 259 yards this past Saturday against Northwestern, you would think he would've been able to celebrate an easy Badger win, which typically would accompany those numbers. Not with the 2014 Wisconsin offense.

The Badgers have been blessed with one of the best running backs in the nation, and they still are able to do nothing offensively except for hope that Gordon's long runs reach the endzone. Why? They have virtually no passing game. Tanner McEvoy started this season at quarterback hyped up as a dual-threat. From what we have seen from him so far, whenever he drops back to pass he hasn't threatened anyone with the exception of an ok 2nd half against FCS Western Illinois. A dual-threat quarterback would help this offense significantly, as seen in the one year they were fortunate enough to have Russell Wilson. McEvoy, however cannot complete a pass over 20 yards. He has missed badly on the few times they have even attempted to throw the deep ball. This has made the Badgers a one-dimensional team which has to rely on their two outstanding running backs, Gordon and Corey Clement. As good as they are, they can't do everything for this offense. Having any signs of life in the passing game would do wonders for this team, as it would open up some play-action opportunities and maybe clear the box a little bit, which would in change give the running game some room. Without any threat of a passing game, defenses will continue to stack the box against this team, making things more difficult for the backs (who will still have success, because they are that good). 

So at the start of the 2nd half against Northwestern, when I saw Joel Stave enter the game, I thought maybe things would turn around. I am not a fan of Stave, but he has shown the ability to complete long passes. He has no mobility, unlike McEvoy, but in the Wisconsin offense, they just need someone who can hand the ball off and complete 3rd down throws when necessary, maybe a few play action passes as well. 

The Badger offense had pretty much the same results with Stave in the game. He did complete a few passes and lead a touchdown drive, but threw a very costly interception which I'm sure made many Badger fans frustrated. The one I'm talking about is the one when the Badgers had 1st and goal near the 5 yard line. 2 things about this play had me confused. First, as the play was going on, anyone watching Stave slowly roll out towards the sideline had to be screaming "THROW THE BALL AWAY". There was clearly no one open and he tried to force it on 1st down. The second puzzling thing about this play is the playcall itself in this situation. With a first down at the 5 yard line, the big offensive line and running backs the Badgers have, combined with their terrible quarterback play, I would think the obvious call would be to run the football. I would have to like the Badgers' odds of gaining 5 yards in 4 tries with Gordon or Clement. But that playcall and poor decision making by Stave on that play crushed any hopes for a Badger comeback. 

If you're Gary Andersen, what do you do from here on out? Up next is Illinois at home, which shouldn't be a problem since the Illini just lost at home to Purdue, who might be the worst team in the Big Ten. But they need to figure out an answer at  QB soon. Both Stave and McEvoy have proven to be ineffective. Is it time to give Bart Houston a shot? He was a highly touted recruit from one of the best high school programs in the country, but has yet to see significant action. Another intriguing option is freshman dual-threat D.J. Gillins, but it might not be worth lifting his redshirt this season. Hell, maybe they should just run an offense like Navy for the rest of the year. I should also point out that the qb's aren't the only ones to blame for the passing game's deficiencies. The receivers have often failed to gain separation from defenders, making things even more difficult for the struggling quarterbacks. Sam Arneson and Alex Erickson seem to be the only ones able to catch a pass and get open once in a while. The offense has really missed having a playmaker like Jared Abbrederis. 

 This season isn't a total lost cause yet, as a Big Ten Championship game is still a possibility because of how weak the conference (especially the West Division) is this year. It looked like this could have been a promising season because of the weak schedule and a great first half against LSU(who doesn't look that good anymore).However, thanks to a terrible passing game, an appearance in Indy is looking unlikely. 

Back At It

Since I'm unemployed and have a lot of free time right now, I figured I might as well revive this page. I'll primarily focus on Wisconsin sports, but will touch on other stuff if I feel like it. Enjoy