[media-credit name=’RAY PFEIFFER/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]The University of Wisconsin football team picked up a hard-fought, 35-10 win over Bowling Green. In the minutes following the game, head coach Bret Bielema spoke of satisfaction in victory, but also said there was a lot more work to do. He also noted his belief that most teams make the biggest jump from their first game to their second.
But that turned out not to be the case with the Badgers this season, as the team went on to turn in an uninspiring blowout over I-AA opponent Western Illinois.
This has left Wisconsin with only one more chance to get primed for the Big Ten season before conference play begins, as they welcome San Diego State into Camp Randall Stadium for Saturday's contest.
"It is extremely important, because all the preparation phases are almost over," said Badgers wide receiver Paul Hubbard. "This is our last game before the Big Ten season. So we need to go out and play a crisp game, hit on all cylinders on offense and defense so that we can make sure that we are ready for the opening Big Ten game in a hostile environment."
However, while the Badgers will have a great deal of focus on cleaning up their own house, they can't afford to look past San Diego State, who will almost certainly represent the most formidable opponent UW has seen to date on both sides of the ball.
"I know this, they have an experienced group of guys coming back on the defensive side," Bielema said. "Offensively, they lost one of their key players in their starting quarterback, but [Darren] Mougey came in and did some things to ignite that offense. I think he kind of brought a little spark and brought them back in that UTEP game."
Indeed, Mougey did spark a turnaround for the Aztecs, as he engineered three straight scoring drives late in the game, after coming in for injured starter Kevin O'Connell, who is expected to miss several weeks after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb. Mougey finished the game 12-for-16 for 178 yards and two rushing touchdowns and appears undaunted by the task of having sole control of the huddle now as the lead signal-caller for SDSU.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity," Mougey said. "I've been here for a couple years now and gotten some playing experience, but this is my first real test. I'm excited for my first test to be a big test, against the best in Wisconsin. I'm excited to prove to my teammates, myself and this community that I can play at this level."
Bielema doesn't foresee any drop-off in the quality of quarterback play from O'Connell to Mougey.
"The guys from San Diego State, both quarterbacks combine for [an] almost 80-percent completion percentage," said the first-year head coach. "And both of them had good numbers while they were in there."
Mougey, a mobile, dual-threat quarterback, will also have had two weeks of practice to get comfortable in the starting role and also to prepare for Wisconsin. This has to be something of a worry to Bielema, considering their offense probably was dynamic enough without double the preparation time.
"What I expect Saturday is they're coming in with the idea and the philosophy that they're going to be able to be probably very fast," Bielema said. "I like the team speed that they show. Their two wide receivers have done good things. I like their running backs. It'll be interesting to see how the game unfolds, and only Saturday will tell that."
While the Badgers are heading into the game with their minds set on improving and taking the next step forward in their evolution into a conference contender, the Aztecs are looking to send a message throughout the world of college football that SDSU is for real, with an upset victory on the road.
"We're excited to play," said Aztec head coach Chuck Long, who coached with Bielema at the University of Iowa from 1995-99. "This is the type of game that puts you on the map as a program not only for your own confidence, but also for recruiting. It gives you that national exposure that every football coach covets."
In order to get that coveted upset victory, the Aztecs will first have to figure out how to slow down UW tailback P.J. Hill, who has been impressive in his first two career starts, rushing for over 100 yards both games and breaking into the end zone four times.
"He reminds me a lot of (former Badger running back) Ron Dayne," Long said. "He's very strong and compact, and he runs hard. We have to do a good job of gang-tackling (him). That's going to be a big focus for us.
"They do have some guys up front that are 320-pounds-plus, and we know that they want to smash that football in there a number of times," said Long of a UW offensive line boasting five Badgers that weigh in at 314 pounds or more. "We have to make sure that we are very sound in our gaps defensively, because that's where they'll take advantage."
The Aztecs do realize that playing in Camp Randall can be quite harrowing for opponents and are mentally preparing for the hostile environment.
"I think the biggest thing is not getting overwhelmed by the environment," said Aztec wide receiver Chaz Schilens. "It's easy to go into a place and have more butterflies than you would in a regular game. We have to block out the crowd and realize it's just a football game, and when the crowd does get into it, we have to thrive on that."
Wisconsin, on the other hand, just wants to see its young team continue to grow. The team believes that if it takes the next step versus San Diego State, everything will finally fall into place.
"I've said that I believe that teams make the most improvement between Week 1 and Week 2," Bielema said. "That hasn't happened with us, so we'll just have to see if we can do that [this] weekend."