UW defensive coordinator Bret Bielema entered the Big Ten conference in 1989 as a walk-on defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He coached at Iowa for nine seasons before leaving the Big Ten to coach for Big 12 champion Kansas State. After a two-year absence, Bielema has now returned to the conference where he began his career.

“I’m a Big Ten guy,” Bielema said. “I was a guy that grew up in the Big Ten playing and then initially coaching … I think every coach is going to do what he does regardless of where he’s playing, but the one thing that I appreciate and understand right now is the Big Ten conference is unique in the fact that any given Saturday, it can happen. From last place in the Big Ten to first place, there’s always somebody that’s looking to knock you down.”

Before coming to Wisconsin, Bielema coached the linebackers and served as co-defensive coordinator for a dominant Kansas State defense. In his first year with the Wildcats, Bielema’s unit led the nation in scoring defense (11.8 points per game) and ranked second in total yards allowed (249 per game). In the 2003 campaign, Bielema’s Wildcats ranked sixth in yards allowed (283.1 per game) and eighth in scoring defense (16.3 points per game).

The Prophetstown, Ill. native will now bring the formula that generated success at Kansas State to Madison, where he hopes to improve a Wisconsin defense that ranked eighth in scoring defense (23.5 points per game) in the 2003 season.

“What we want to do as a defense is we want to be physical, we want to be smart, we want to play together,” Bielema said. “If we have those three things, we’re going to be successful.”

Bielema, who sprints from the sidelines to deliver encouragement after nearly every play during practice, has brought a new level of excitement and energy to Wisconsin’s defense.

“Coach Bielema brings a lot more fire to the defense,” senior cornerback Scott Starks said. “You see him out there every play running onto the field, whether it be good or bad. If we do something good, he’s going to pat us on the back, and if we don’t, he’s going to be there to correct us. Every small little change that he’s made has been for the better so far.”

Bielema’s positive approach has eased the transition for the new defensive coordinator and endeared him to the Wisconsin program.

“He brings a new enthusiasm, some new ideas, and that’s always healthy,” UW head coach Barry Alvarez said. “It’s always healthy to get that type of positive feedback. He’s always chasing after the kids and very positive with the kids, and I think they’ve really taken to him very well.”

Entering a new program, Bielema faced the challenge of introducing his system and convincing the players to buy in. While this challenge can disrupt a team’s chemistry, Bielema has managed to implement his system smoothly.

“Our guys are learning,” Bielema said. “I think they’ve really been receptive as far as what we’re trying to get them to do and how we’re trying to get them to do it, and the intensity that we need to get it done.”

In order to ensure a smooth transition, Bielema has introduced his system without dramatically altering the style of play that characterized the Kevin Cosgrove era.

“One thing I didn’t want to do is come in and throw out the playbook and do something that is totally new to them,” Bielema said. “What we try to do is build some continuity within what we already do before I got here and transform it into what we got here now.”

Rather than devising elaborate schemes that require flawless execution, Bielema has minimized the complexity of his system, opting to focus on speed.

“We want to try to keep things as simple as we can so that the guys can play fast,” Bielema said. “I don’t want to have any confusion before the snap, during the snap or any time in between there. We want those kids, when the ball is snapped, to play as fast as they can, so you don’t want them thinking.”

Despite the departure of two of the team’s three leading tacklers — linebackers Alex Lewis and Jeff Mack — Bielema has noted similarities between Wisconsin’s defensive corps and the elite groups he coached at Kansas State.

“Well, there’s some of the same basic elements,” Bielema said. “Those defenses [at Kansas State] were extremely strong up front. We had a couple of defensive ends and a couple D tackles that were pretty good players, and I think that is true here as well.”

Though the Badgers ranked fifth in the Big Ten in passing defense (213.4 yards per game) in 2003, Bielema believes Wisconsin’s secondary has the potential to rival his 2002 Kansas State unit that featured All-American Terence Newman, the only player in school history to win the Jim Thorpe Award.

“We had a good corner by the name of Terence Newman [at Kansas State], and I think we have a couple good candidates here to be that type of player,” Bielema said. “They got to learn to play every play, but the ability is there and they basically just got to get the confidence.”

In his impressive career, Bielema has participated in six bowl games as a coach and played in two bowls at Iowa. He has coached national top-ten-ranked defenses at Iowa and Kansas State and started on the 1991 Iowa squad that earned a No. 5 national ranking. The former walk-on even enjoyed a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks in 1993 before turning to coaching. Throughout his career, Bielema has learned that the most important aspect of assembling a successful team is depth.

“I think the big thing is that you’re probably only as good as your twos,” Bielema said. “You’re going to have some guys that are going to be great players at your ones, but they’re really one play away from being down, so you better be able to win with your twos; you better have them in position to make some plays. Depth is something that I’ve learned as a coach.”