After a series of fist pumps, chest bumps, hoots and hollers from other teammates, Wisconsin football outside linebacker Joe Schobert, a redshirt junior, approaches fellow OLB Vince Biegel, puts his hands on Biegel’s shoulder pads and simply walks away.
The exchange occurred five minutes into the third quarter of last season’s 59-24 blowout against Nebraska.
It was a perfect characterization of the duo; mirroring their juxtaposed positions on the field, they are opposites in demeanor.
Before the exchange, Biegel, now also redshirt junior, shot his gap as the sun set and snow fell at Camp Randall Stadium, and stripped the football from then-Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah. The Badgers recovered the ball, and the play sparked the second-half rout of the Cornhuskers.
What ensued immediately after is vintage Biegel, who describes his playing style as “controlled chaos.”
Biegel, a self-proclaimed emotional leader, hyping everyone around him, and Schobert, even-keeled and level-headed, provide a dynamic on the field that is essential for every football team, Biegel said.
“You don’t want to get too high or get too low,” Biegel said. “You want to be right in that happy medium. Speaking from a defensive standpoint, you want to play with high emotion, but also knowing your assignment and technique.”
Being the emotional leader is something Biegel prides himself on, he said.
“We’ll be backed up against the wall — we need a guy that’s going to be able to step up in there and get the guys rolling,” Biegel said. “That’s a role I take on and cherish.”
He adds, “I think it pays off and rubs off.”
It rubs off so much that Schobert said Biegel gets so fiery he doesn’t even need to open his mouth to the other team.
“He’s loud and he’s obnoxious to the other teams,” Schobert said. “It’s great for us. It’s a way for us to get pumped up. Always edgy.”
Schobert takes a toned down approach, which creates a good balance.
“I try to be a little bit more sneaky about it. He’ll get up right in your face. I might say a couple of things but I try to stay a little more calm … I don’t talk as much, because I know [Biegel] will be doing that for us.”
When Biegel’s “controlled craziness” teeters on instability, he has Schobert there to bring him back to earth and the dynamic works inversely when Biegel’s enthusiasm helps motivate Schobert.
“I’m a great guy to calm him down if he gets a little too high,” Schobert said. “And he’s a great guy to pick me up if I get a little too low.”
Whatever the system is, it works, and the stat sheet shows it.
The pair played key roles on a Wisconsin defense that finished with a national ranking at the end of last season.
In 2014, Biegel recorded 56 total tackles and led the team with 16.5 tackles for loss, forcing two fumbles. Schobert was fourth on the team with 69 total tackles, 13.5 for loss.
For all of their differences in on-field demeanor, Biegel and Schobert have fostered a friendship throughout the years. They live two houses away from each other and are roommates on the road.
“Off the field, he’s just a normal guy,” Schobert said of Biegel. “He’s a good guy to hang out with.”
And the competitive nature in both that pushes them on the field translates to the occasional video game tournament.
“We’re always competitive in everything we do,” Schobert said. “On or off the field.”
On the field, the two have an understanding of the other’s tendencies, a product of them playing together for four seasons now.
“We can kind of feel each other out. I know what he’s thinking, he knows what I’m thinking,” Biegel said. “We’ve been playing with each other for a while now.”
Biegel used the old Chinese symbol “yin-yang” to summarize the relationship.
“It’s a fun duo,” he said.
For them, definitely. Maybe not so much for opposing offenses on Wisconsin’s schedule this season.
