[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]After three weeks of water-cooler discussion and speculation, the time has finally come for talk of head coach Barry Alvarez’s retirement to end and talk of the 2005 season to begin.

And, frankly, Wisconsin’s long-time leader wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Well, I’ve kind of done that for the last three weeks,” Alvarez said about focusing on Saturday’s game against Bowling Green.

Truth is, the coaching staff probably could have taken three months to prepare for the Falcons and still wouldn’t admit to being fully prepared. But that’s what happens when you face a multidimensional quarterback in Omar Jacobs, who was among the top passers in the nation last year and is already receiving Heisman Trophy hype.

“I’m always nervous. I’ve never gone into an opening game overconfident,” Alvarez said. “Even when we’ve had veteran teams, I’ve gone in very nervous about what’s going to happen and worrying about the guys who haven’t played before, and then whether the freshmen who will play will understand the speed of the game. All those things are things that we’re going to find out Saturday.”

Last season, Jacobs put together perhaps one of the top performances by a quarterback in college football history. Last year’s Mid-America Conference Offensive Player of the Year threw for 4,002 yards, 41 touchdowns, four interceptions and was sacked only 10 times. Jacobs also chipped in 300 yards and four more touchdowns on the ground.

“It all starts with him. The ball’s going to be in his hands all the time on offense. But it starts with him, and then you put all the playmakers like Bowling Green has with their running back and their wide receivers around him … you have a chance to be a really effective offense,” junior linebacker Mark Zalewski said.

Jacobs will be without his leading receiver from last year, Cole Mangar, who set the Falcon record with 215 career catches after a 77-reception, 746-yard, six-touchdown campaign last year. But the Delray Beach, Fla., native returns a pair of big-time targets in Charles Sharon and Steve Sanders, as well as last year’s starting tailback P.J. Pope.

Sharon had a breakout junior campaign last year, catching 66 balls for 1,070 yards and 15 touchdowns. Sanders himself was no slouch, posting totals of 55 receptions, 984 yards and eight touchdowns.

“[We have] great receivers that I don’t think get enough credit for being great receivers,” Jacobs said. “Charles Sharon, Steve Sanders, a couple young guys coming up. These guys can catch the ball. I know all my throws weren’t perfect, and they made some spectacular catches.”

A two-time all-MAC performer, Pope posted back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 yards rushing and is an integral part of the Falcon passing attack, catching 98 passes for 923 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore and junior. But in the spread offense run by Bowling Green, it’s Pope’s ability to run the ball that worries Alvarez.

“That’s the first thing I’ll tell our defense: ‘You better stop the run,'” Alvarez said.

Looking to revamp a paltry defense — one that allowed 391.9 yards and 23.5 points per game — the Falcons brought in John Lovett to take over as their defensive coordinator. Lovett joined Bowling Green after three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Clemson under Tommy Bowden.

Last year under Lovett, Clemson’s defense allowed 228 yards and 20.8 points per game. Lovett took over a defense in 2002 that had allowed 28.3 points and 395 yards per game the previous season.

“We’ve studied the Bowling Green defense of a year ago — what they did and their tendencies and their patterns — and we’ve also studied the Clemson defense as to what they did, what he seems to hang his hat on and that type of thing,” Alvarez said. “So it’s been a little more of a difficult preparation for us.”

In the end, it will be Wisconsin’s ability to contain the talented Jacobs that will be the deciding factor in the game.

“Definitely, it’s going to be difficult, but we’re looking at the whole team and just not an individual. He’s a standout player — a good player — but we’ve just got to hold our ground and play good.”