It’s hard not to be excited about Wisconsin’s defense after even a brief conversation with new defensive coordinator Bret Bielema. Though he won’t be drastically overhauling the defense’s style of play, the level of enthusiasm appears to have been elevated exponentially since Bielema has taken over. The defense is going to make people take notice this year.

Bielema came to Wisconsin from Kansas State, where he was the co-defensive coordinator. The move marked a return to the Big Ten, where Bielema started his career as a player for Iowa in the late ’80s and then as a coach from 1993 until his move to Kansas State two years ago. Though he held a prime position with the Wildcats, who were last season’s Big 12 champions largely due to Bielema’s defense, a move to a Big Ten school with a great football atmosphere was too hard to pass up.

“It’s a great environment to be around,” Bielema said. “Bottom line: I just thought it was a great position to have success.”

That success will come on the backs of a talented group of players that Bielema has inherited. As a one-time walk-on, Bielema understands the role that players like Jim Leonhard play in a successful defense. While there are plenty of former high school All-Americans on the Badgers’ roster, the group of lesser-known, hard-working players, who have something to prove because they were not as highly recruited, will add a lot to Bielema’s defense.

“I realized that [Wisconsin] had [success] with a lot of players who are similar to myself or guys I played with at Iowa, guys that weren’t on the All-American list coming out of high school, but they found a way to get there in the end,” Bielema said.

What Bielema brings with him from Kansas State is a history of building top-notch defenses. Over the past two seasons, the Wildcats have had one of the toughest defensive units in the nation. In 2002, Bielema’s first season as defensive coordinator, KSU led the nation in scoring defense (11.8 ppg) and ranked second in total defense (249.0 ypg) and rushing defense (69.5). The following season, when Kansas State won the Big 12 title, the defense was ranked sixth nationally in total defense (283.1 ypg) and eighth in scoring defense (16.3 ppg).

While there are some differences, like the level of speed, between the Big Ten and the Big 12, stopping the run is paramount for any defense.

“Football is football,” Bielema said.

It isn’t a complex defensive system that has made Bielema successful, but rather his simple, hard-work-based, team-first philosophy. That attitude is what Bielema hopes will make this defense tough against the run.

“I think they have to play with passion,” Bielema said. “The three things that all the kids wear on their shirts: play physical, play smart and play together. I think those are the three elements of a good defense.”

While his defense features a more aggressive, attacking style than his predecessor Kevin Cosgrove, Bielema is quick to point out that it is more a change in attitude than a change in the system. While it seems simplistic, Bielema insists that attitude is everything on defense.

“We really encourage enthusiasm, intensity and hustle to the football,” Bielema said.

While the Badgers are just one game into the Bielema era, the first impression was a solid one. In limiting Central Florida to just 53 rushing yards, the attitude was there. Even though the Golden Knights were able to pick up 177 yards through the air, the defense stiffened up around the goal line and held them to just six points.

Wisconsin has room for improvement, but the start was certainly encouraging. Bielema acknowledged that there is no such thing as a perfect game in football. The learning process is what keeps coaches employed.

“The reason the word ‘mistake’ is in the dictionary was, first off, it was never made on purpose, and it can be corrected,” Bielema said.

With Bielema’s quick ascent toward the top of the coaching profession, the concern is that his stay in Madison could be short. If Wisconsin’s defense can replicate the success of the Kansas State defense, Bielema could be on a lot of teams’ short list for a head coaching position. Even though there could be another step up in Bielema’s future, his focus is on the task at hand.

“The best advice I ever got as a young coach was from Coach Frey,” said Bielema. “When he gave me the job, he said, ‘There’s two types of coaches: there’s those who look for the next job and those who make people take notice of the one you’ve got.’ I really try to fall in the latter.”

People are starting to notice Bielema.