Following an emotional 21-14 overtime loss to Ohio State Saturday at Camp Randall, the Wisconsin football team will be looking to recover quickly from heartbreak as they travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State in its Big Ten regular season finale.
Head coach Bret Bielema addressed the demoralizing loss from the weekend before turning focus to Penn State at his weekly press conference Monday.
In Wisconsin’s last eight losses, the margin of defeat has been a touchdown or less, and Bielema admitted just a few mistakes can lead to a more favorable outcome.
“If you don’t take advantage of maybe a touchdown throw here, a tackle here, that’s what gives you a loss,” Bielema said,
Nonetheless, the Badgers have certainly shown resiliency under Bielema, having never lost back-to-back games in the month of November, going a perfect 3-0.
But a rebounding win will not be a simple task this week as Penn State (7-4, 5-2 Big Ten) and senior quarterback Matt McGloin the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week – await Wisconsin (7-4, 4-3).
McGloin dominated Indiana through the air by completing 22 of 32 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns in a convincing 45-22 victory Saturday. McGloin also set Penn State records in career touchdowns, career 200-yard passing games, season completions and season passing yards in the rout.
“He really understands the role that he has at quarterback in that system,” Bielema said of McGloin. “He’s obviously a very intelligent, very competitive kid. … You can see why the kids play hard around him.”
McGloin is one of several Nittany Lion seniors that elected to remain at Penn State after a tumultuous offseason in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Despite NCAA sanctions and the death of longtime head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions have largely exceeded preseason expectations during head coach Bill O’Brien’s first full season.
“[It’s] very easy to see that they’ve gotten better every week – offense, defense, special teams,” Bielema said. “I think their coach is getting more and more familiar with what they can bring to the table.”
Injury updates
Depending on the health of many Badgers, Wisconsin may not be able to field its top players. The Badgers are hoping redshirt sophomore right tackle Rob Havenstein and middle linebacker Chris Borland will be able to recover from injuries in time for Saturday’s matchup.
Bielema said Havenstein could possibly return to practice later this week coming off a mild MCL sprain. Chris Borland’s status is looking positive after he suffered a hamstring injury against Indiana. The junior linebacker’s aggressive, consistent this season have helped anchor the 14th-best scoring defense in the nation.
“[Borland’s] feeling very, very well,” Bielema said. “He’ll get in the pool and do some more running here today and we’ll hopefully see where he can be for tomorrow afternoon’s practice.”
Bielema noted that given Wisconsin’s proximity to the end of the season, the team may adjust its practice schedule as it prepares for the Nittany Lions.
“I gave [the team] Sunday to get a jump start on Penn State, we have today off and then we’ll jump into tomorrow’s practice,” Bielema said. “I think it’s important for us to know that we are at the end of a 12-game stretch here where they’ve battled their all, they’ve gotten to a 7-4 mark.
“I think the mental fatigue and the physical fatigue is real, so as a head coach I’ve got to be smart with what we ask guys to do this week, especially with the Thanksgiving week and all the scheduling things that brings.”
The Badgers will look to build momentum heading into the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis Dec. 1. Additionally, Wisconsin’s seniors will be looking to play their way into the Badger record book, as a win over Penn State would tie the mark of 40 victories in a four-year span set by the class of 2007.
The next class to come through the Wisconsin program will likely have a completely different slate over four years as two new teams – Maryland and Rutgers – are planning to join the Big Ten in 2014-15. At the time of the press conference, Bielema had limited time to think about the move, but he noted that it does benefit UW’s recruiting efforts on the East Coast.
“We do go against Rutgers quite a bit in recruiting when we’re in New Jersey, New York, even in on the eastern side of the country in Florida,” Bielema said. “I’m excited. Every time the commissioner and the athletic directors have come up with a plan, that’s been very, very positive. I’m assuming this will be as well.”
