
When asked about Wisconsin’s running game, head coach Bret Bielema responded with the mantra Barry Alvarez established back in 1990.
“For [Wisconsin] to have success here, we got to be able to run the football.”
For the first 54 minutes of the Fresno State game Saturday afternoon, it didn’t appear success or a running game was likely. Down 21-17 to the Bulldogs and having rushed for only 71 yards as a team, the Badgers prospects seemed dire with 5:55 left and 72 yards to go.
Ten seconds later, Badger running back and co-starter John Clay was celebrating in the end zone.
“John is an amazing back,” UW right tackle Josh Oglesby said. “He has that Jim Brown ability to run by you or run over you. I’ll put him up against any back in the country.”
On the first play of the Badgers tenth drive, quarterback Scott Tolzien put wide receiver David Gilreath in motion, feigning an end-around run that Badgers Offensive Coordinator Paul Chryst uses so effectively. With the linebackers motioning to protect against Gilreath, a hole running backs dream about opened up.
“We had a phony. We had back action, where we normally have those big sweeps,” UW left tackle Gabe Carimi said. “And we just faked that big sweep, and all the linebackers shifted back. It just created this big hole.”
“We called that play and knew it was going to be open,” Clay added. “Gilreath came around on the fake, opened up the right side and I just took it to the house.”
After bursting by the front seven, Clay had only a Bulldog safety to outrace on the way to the end zone. Though he scored untouched, there was reasonable doubt if he had the speed to finish the play.
“They kid with me and call me a fat kid like them,” Clay said of the offensive line. “Its really funny, we are talking about snacks and stuff. It’s a good joke though.”
“Some people think because I have put a little weight on that I’m not as explosive…I do have my speed still.”
Not to be finished with the one big play, Clay also pounded out 32 yards in overtime, including 20 yards during the second OT to set up Phillip Welch’s 22-yard field goal.
“He needed to get something going,” Bielema said about Clay. “John plays off emotion huge, and I would not want to be the guy tackling him on the last overtime series. He had a purpose, and everyone loves to talk about the 245-pound John Clay, that guy can run.”
With Clay and the Badgers’ massive offensive line, UW should be able to control the ball late in games with a power attack. Though they haven’t found consistency yet, the O-line is confident the game plan will work.
“It is stuff we work on everyday with the four minute offense,” Oglesby said. “We want to pound the ball and move the sticks. With the size of our offensive line and the ability of our backs there should be no one in the country who can stop us.”
Flu Hurts Depth
Coming into the game it was clear a flu bug had affected the team, but with Bielema not releasing the exact numbers, the level of detriment remained unclear. During post-game interviews Bielema revealed how many were sick.
“To be tested the way they were physically with the flu bug — I’ll give you the number now, we had 40 plus guys out Tuesday that sucked it up,” Bielema said. “Some of them practiced, some were throwing up in practice, some didn’t practice Wednesday and some did. But to persevere and put themselves in position and go through another overtime game…I can’t say enough about the effort from individuals.”
Among the names were starting cornerback Aaron Henry — who was removed from the game after the first series — and defensive lineman J.J. Watt.
“Late last night I called our trainer and let him know that my stomach was feeling a little queasy and my head was hurting a little bit,” Aaron Henry said. “It kind of came up all of the sudden. … I wasn’t as comfortable as I would like to be and I wasn’t able to play to my ability.”
It remains unclear whether the flu has run its course through the team or if more will be affected this week in practice.