The checklist wasn’t long, but in order to keep the optimism flowing around Gary Andersen’s Wisconsin program, the checklist had to get crossed off — at least before the Badgers would head west next weekend.
Ever since Andersen arrived and hosted better press conferences and took his team to a water park and was enthusiastic about being the Wisconsin head football coach, the optimism around the program sprouted like liana.
It was about as much optimism a program could muster following an 8-6 season and another orientation sequence of assistant coaches. A starting performance similar to the 2012 opener against Northern Iowa — a tooth-and-nail, 26-21 struggle just to illuminate the win column — would turn grins into groans. Certain things needed to happen for that optimism to withstand, and thus far, they have.
The checklist started with fall camp, mastering the new 3-4 defense, choosing a starting quarterback, refilling positions of the departed just like any other school, etc. Check.
The next step was last Saturday’s victory over UMass, the day of debuts for Andersen, his assistants and plenty of newbies on the field. A Wisconsin shutout victory — check.
And finally, the most recent phase was crossed Saturday afternoon in Wisconsin’s 48-0 drubbing of FCS opponent Tennessee Tech. The defense proved its Week 1 shutout was no fluke, Joel Stave proved Andersen correct in selecting him as the starting quarterback and the offensive line proved they are no slouch from the history of big boys before them. Check, check, check.
Pen running dry from incessant check marks, that pre-fall optimism can now remain, at least for another week.
But quickly the pessimist sees little value in stomping the wilting flowers of UMass and Tennessee Tech that traveled into Camp Randall to begin the season. They may not resemble the highest quality of college football, and the Badgers may have paid their way into the stadium, but this Wisconsin team needed straightening. They needed to make some checks on that list.
Naming a starting quarterback is one thing, but to get that quarterback some confidence and reacquaint him with Camp Randall was another. Implementing a new defense is one thing, but doing so in shutout fashion, with a secondary blanketed in new faces was another. Not everything is hammered out, but enough has been done to keep that optimism around. The updated checklist from fall camp to Saturday shows Wisconsin is about as ready as it could be to take on Arizona State.
In a sense, the gears have seemed set on Sun Devils from early on. Wisconsin wasn’t going to have trouble with either of the floundering programs they’ve matched up against this season. The Badgers have now won 28-straight times against nonconference opponents in Camp Randall. Chris Borland said that a pair of shutouts were exactly what was supposed to happen against “these opponents.”
“No one wants to go out and win 70-to-nothing every game. That’s not very fun,” senior safety Dezmen Southward said following the game. “You want to be challenged and I think Arizona State will present that. We’ll be ready and I’m sure they will be, too.”
Gary Andersen seems like he has been ready, too. Even before the UMass game Andersen was concerned that his team didn’t get enough days of practice in intense heat like the Badgers are bound to find next week in Tempe, Ariz. But when asked about that heat again Saturday, Andersen replied without a worry that the sun will be down and the heat won’t be an issue. Having made his way through two victories and a wide-ranging checklist, there’s no surprise there.
The check marks made against Tennessee Tech, coupled with those made against UMass show just how vital the opening games of the season were for the Badgers. Travelling to Arizona likely became a whole lot easier knowing that there are fewer and fewer capacities to worry about — a list now trimmed to the ever-inconsistent kicking game or a few wrinkles in the passing game, as nominated by Andersen.
So while the outlook for Sept. 14 couldn’t have changed much, the idea that Wisconsin is progressing should keep that optimism far from fading.
The end result from Saturday could be viewed as a 48-point mockery and loss of $500,000 through a contract with the visiting Golden Eagles, or it can be viewed as a key point on the progression trail leading up to Wisconsin’s first substantial opponent of the season, one they’ve seemingly been targeting all along.
On Saturday, we saw the passing game and we saw the running game. We saw a successful 2-minute drill and we saw the defense dominate. We even saw a debut victory for the Andersen-endorsed red helmets.
We saw Wisconsin make enough marks on that checklist. And next week, we’ll see what that all means.
Sean is a senior majoring in Journalism and Communication Arts. Has Wisconsin helped you remain optimistic? Let him know with a tweet to @sean_zak or an email to [email protected].
