In the final weekend of preparation before the Big Ten schedule, the Wisconsin football team looks, for the first time, to assemble all of its pieces into an entire game.
Some say that the first impression is everything, so when the No. 22 Badgers (4-0) take the field for the first time against the Pac-10’s Arizona Wildcats (2-0), that notion will be on the line.
In order for the Badgers to improve upon their 17-1 mark against non-conference foes at Camp Randall, their offensive woes from last week’s come-from-behind-win against Northern Illinois will need to be alleviated.
“Every week you have a different problem, and that is our job to fix them,” said head coach Barry Alvarez, who is 4-0 for only the third time during his stint at UW.
Much of the needed remedy relies on the ability for the offensive line and running back Anthony Davis to once again click. After posting consecutive career lows with 81, 75 and 49 yards the last three weeks, Davis and the offensive line have been witnessing multiple looks of 8- and 9-man fronts designed to do just that: stop the run. Yet it is hard to believe that Davis and the offensive line can be contained for a fourth straight week.
“We have to find different ways to get people out of the box,” Alvarez said. “I have seen times when there have not been holes. I have seen times when [Davis] has been impatient and made cuts before the read has actually shown up. We are not playing like we did at the end of last year.”
However, the UW offense is missing a major piece to its puzzle in wide out Lee Evans and may not have the services of sophomore receiver Darrin Charles, who is battling an ankle injury. Both Charles, who creates match-up problems with his size and Evans, who is always a scoring threat, can change the complexion of a game, something UW quarterback Brooks Bollinger hasn’t had at his disposal in recent weeks.
“If [Evans is] ready, he will play,” said Alvarez. “We are going to prepare as if he will not. If Darrin cannot play, he will not play. [Charles] played early in the year, probably the first game, and was probably 90 percent and we can play him at that.”
More importantly will be the Wildcats inability to pile defenders in the box to stop the run and instead having to turn their focus to outside. This would allow for Davis to face lessened pressure and allow Bollinger to play with a bit more freedom.
“Bollinger is like a Joey Harrington,” Arizona head coach John Mackovic said. “He is active in the pocket, he throws, he can get out of trouble, and he can pull the ball in and run with it when he has to.”
Mackovic, like Alvarez, has seen his own running game dissipate before his eyes. Senior Wildcat tailback Clarence Farmer has only racked up 149 yards this year after managing to total 1,229 just one season ago.
Farmer, however, has at his disposal a receiving corp that is intact and has totaled 823 yards in the past two games. Quarterback Jason Johnson’s main threat is wide out Bobby Wade, who has been a consistent deep threat, with all three of his touchdowns at least 24 yards.
“If you’re a defensive back, you can’t give up the deep one,” said UW defensive back coach Ron Cooper. “You can’t let it go over your head.”
The Badgers know the importance of bouncing back and getting back into the right mind set and, given their undefeated opponent, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“I think our guys understand . . . that they did not play well,” said Alvarez. “They are smart enough to understand if they want a chance to beat Arizona they are going to have to play much better.”
This is the last chance for the Badgers to hone their pieces before it counts.
