H -°, L 55° | Tomorrow: 
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After successfully defending the coveted Paul Bunyan’s Axe with a 41-23 victory over Minnesota, the Badgers are honing in on an even bigger task: taking down the No. 1 team in the country
The matchup with Ohio State has been anticipated since before the season started, and a Badger victory would undoubtedly be the biggest triumph of the year so far.
“To go against an opponent at the level that Ohio State’s been able to hold for so long is going to be a nice measuring stick, and I think our guys will have that in the back of their minds and move forward and hopefully everybody will be in a position to be at their best on Saturday,” head coach Bret Bielema said at his Monday press conference.
With ESPN’s College Gameday airing from Madison and the game slated for a primetime, national television slot, the anticipation, energy and hype surrounding the matchup is palpable. Bielema recognized this, prompting him to say that it is critical that his team shows focus and concentration this week as it prepares for battle.
“You’re going to have a million different people trying to pull you away from the focus of what we need,” Bielema said. “A team that’s focused well usually handles their business on Saturday, and hopefully that will be the case.”
Being overly excited and energized as a player is not the issue, Bielema explained; the key is for his team to maintain its focus.
Turning Negatives
Into Positives
The Badgers lost to the Buckeyes in each of the past three seasons, falling 20-17 and 31-13 in the past two contests.
“Each game has been a little different but the common denominator in all of them was we weren’t able to hold together what we needed to for 60 minutes … The game is a 60-minute game … It’s 60 minutes of reactions to what happened, and we need to handle it better and for longer than we have in the past,” Bielema said, referencing his team’s general performance against the Buckeyes in recent seasons.
Bielema also noted that the Badgers have been in “a position to win the game” in past contests, but simply haven’t been able to play consistently well enough to win.
Bielema used Scott Tolzien’s two interceptions in last year’s game as an example of something his team can learn from.
“During the course of the game it’s not what happens, it’s how you react to what happens,” he said. “[Tolzien] learned how to turn those situations from negatives to positives,”
Offensive Line Recognized
The success of John Clay and James White in the Badger rushing attack this season has overshadowed the impressive performance of the offensive line. Despite the fact that Clay was recognized as one of the Big Ten’s Offensive MVP’s for his performance against the Gophers, the team itself selected its offensive line, collectively, as its MVP. Bill Nagy, a fifth-year senior and backup offensive lineman who has been lining up at tight end in running situations, shared MVP honors with the offensive line because of his overall contributions to the team.
“I give credit to those five guys and Billy for a lot of what James and John are going through now with the success they’re having, and even throwing the ball, it all starts with those guys up front,” Bielema said.
Despite all the accolades Clay and White have received, Bielema recognizes that their ability to rack up yards hinges on the play of the offensive line.
“People don’t understand how important those guys in front of [Clay] are … I read the demeanor of our lineman just as much as anything about whether we’re going to have success,” Bielema said.
Lastly, Bielema confirmed that senior safety Jay Valai will play on Saturday. Bielema labeled him as “full go.”
