Football: Wounded Badgers limp back against Ohio State
After a somber flight home and a painful Sunday film session that seemingly would not end, the University of Wisconsin football team is ready to move forward from last Saturday's loss at Ann Arbor.
Admittedly, though, it is not going to be easy.
"It was tough watching the film, but we have to put it out of the back of our heads,"
senior captain DeAndre Levy said. "It's good to get the film out of the way, build off it and see how people respond."
While the film showed Wisconsin, fully in control and up 19-0 late in the third, give up 20 points in less than six minutes, the Badgers' confidence, at least on the defensive side of the football, is still far from shaken.
The Wisconsin defense was on the field for 68 defensive plays against Michigan and, in 65 of those plays, the Badgers defense gave up 150 yards (2.2 yards per play) and one touchdown. In those other three plays, the Badgers surrendered 118 yards (39.3 per play) and two touchdowns.
"(The game) really came down to a couple of plays that just beat us,"
Levy said. "We said this whole season that a big play would eventually beat us and it did."
"Sixty-some plays were good, but those others were just horrible."
Without question, the Ohio State Buckeyes have seen the same film and are at full strength heading into Madison on Saturday.
After missing the last three games with a toe injury, Chris "Beanie"
Wells rushed for 106 yards and freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor accounted for three touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 34-21 victory over Minnesota last weekend.
Wisconsin fans might cringe when thinking about last year's UW-Ohio State game, as the Badgers allowed Wells to have touchdown runs of 31, 30 and 23 yards — all in the second half — and, just like last week, erased a second-half Wisconsin lead.
With Wells bringing his smash-mouth running style and Pryor being a duel-threat in the backfield, the Buckeyes, in five games this season, have registered 21 offensive plays that have gone for 18 yards or more, an aspect the Badgers are going to have to contain.
"You can only spend so much time feeling sorry for yourself because I can guarantee one thing, Ohio State is not feeling sorry for us,"
senior tackle Mike Newkirk said.
"They're getting ready to come in here and stomp us and we have to answer the call."
But while the defense still believes in one another, the confidence of Wisconsin's offense is an entirely different issue, especially when it comes to putting the ball in the end zone. In 17 possessions against Michigan, Wisconsin scored only six times and just once in the second half.
The offensive infertility can be traced further back than the conference opener, as Wisconsin's victory against Fresno State saw the Badgers score just 13 points in 12 possessions and has left the senior captains on offense looking for answers.
"We had too many mistakes, too my critical errors and we weren't executing like we practiced,"
fullback Chris Pressley said.
"I seriously thought (offensively) that we would be much further along at this point in the season."
