Three Big Ten road games, three losses
for the Wisconsin football team. If you count a near-loss at UNLV in
the nonconference season, the Badgers could easily be 0-4 away from
Camp Randall Stadium this year.

The common thread running through all
those games: the absence of sophomore running back Lance Smith.
Because of an altercation with his girlfriend this summer, the
running back was suspended for the team’s five road games.

Two weeks ago, Smith told The Badger
Herald he and UW head football coach Bret Bielema chose that
unconventional suspension over the missing the first five games of
the season, a fact confirmed by the head coach last Thursday.

There is a legitimate argument that can
be made saying Bielema and Smith should not have had the opportunity
to even make a decision on the format of suspension the running back
should receive — that discipline should not be left to the
discretion of the person being punished.

That is a fair and sound point, but not
one I wish to look at at this time.

Instead, given the situation presented
to both Bielema and Smith and the decision the university
administration allowed the two to make, was the correct tactical
football decision made?

Despite the three road losses for which
the running back was absent, the answer is a definitive "Yes."

With Wisconsin in the middle of what
has to be the program's most disappointing season (given preseason
expectations) since 2000, when the Badgers started the season fourth
in the Associated Press poll and were absent from the rankings within
a month, it is easy to armchair the coach and point to the decision
to have Smith miss the road games as a colossal mistake.

Could Smith have helped the Badgers'
chances in the three road losses?

Quite probably. In the losses to
Illinois and Ohio State, his presence might have even had a major
impact on the outcome.

At the time the decision needed to be
made was the right decision made?

Absolutely.

Had Bielema and Smith opted for the
first five games variety of suspension it would have meant starting
the season off with true freshmen and exactly zero career carries
behind oft-dinged up starter P.J. Hill at the running back position.

Hill's running style puts him in a
position to take a beating on a game-by-game basis, and you just
can't predict when injuries happen.

Were Hill to re-injure the shoulder he
had offseason surgery on, get a concussion or even, say, suffer a
severe leg bruise that rendered him unable to play for some time in
the first game of the season, then what would have happened? Playing
without your top two running backs is never a good option, as
Saturday's loss to Ohio State evidenced. Zach Brown is a fine
running back, but asking a true freshman to carry the load is a lot
to ask.

Don't forget either that over the
first five games of the season Wisconsin squeaked by in wins over
UNLV, Iowa and Michigan State and was booed off the field by the home
crowd at halftime in a tie game against Division I-AA The Citadel.

Had both Hill and Smith been out for
the early-season home games, chances are there would have been at
least one loss in there.

Another factor is rust. If Smith
doesn't play at all in the first five games of the season, there is
a good chance he would be rusty when he returned to the field and
take some time getting back into football condition, essentially
making his suspension longer than just five games.

But then there is the question of
consistency. Wouldn't the offense be better off not having to
adjust to a different backup running back depending where the next
week's game took place?

Bielema has handled this situation by
saying — at least publicly — that each week's backup is
determined off of which back has the strongest week of practice.

And whether you find it responsible or
not, Bielema was motivated to choose the five road games with the
intention of pushing UW administration to shorten the suspension
later in the season, reducing the punishment both to Smith and the
team.

To be fair, Bielema says on the field
issues weren’t the only consideration. By Smith missing the road
games, he is able to stay on campus and focus on his academics, the
coach points out.

As they say: Hindsight is always 20-20.
If you are looking for someone to blame for the suspension working
out the way it has, don’t point the finger at Bielema.

Instead, point it at Smith, whose
carelessness put the coach and team in a no-win situation.

Ben is a junior majoring in
journalism and political science. Feel free to e-mail him at
[email protected] to talk about sports or offer up
some fantasy basketball advice.