Badger Football Preview, Offense
Ashley Hearn
Despite a let down in the Rose Bowl, a slur of un-Wisconsin-like point explosions highlighted the Badgers 2010 campaign on offense including the 83-point slaughter of Indiana and 70-point annihilation of Northwestern. It is a tall order to demand a repeat of last years success, but for the 2011 Badgers a similar point barrage may not be necessary for Bucky to make a return trip to the Rose Bowl. The goal this year is simple - grind out enough wins to make it to Indianapolis for the first Big Ten Championship game.
Quarterback: Considered a position of weakness coming out of spring camp, the Badgers, to much media hype, acquired the services of 5th year senior Russell Wilson from North Carolina State. While Coach Brett Bielema will not name Wilson as the starter yet, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will be the man under center for the Badgers this fall. The addition of Wilson changes the entire face of Wisconsin's offense. He will be expected to step in smoothly for steady and dependable Scott Tolzein and lead the Badgers with veteran savy and skill. If Wilson can come close to repeating his production for the Wolfpack last year with the Badgers this year (3563 yards, 28 touchdowns, plus 9 rushing TD's) than Bucky will be in good hands.
Running Back: Despite the coup surrounding the Badger’s quarterback position, Bucky’s offense will still live and die by the success of the ground game. There’s no denying the fact that this year's duo of backs are championship caliber. Though junior Montee Ball (996 yards, 18 touchdowns, 6.1 yards per carry) shed weight in the off-season, he is still expected to be the powerful back to compliment sophomore James White’s (1,052 yards, 14 touchdowns, 6.7 yards per carry) elusive, speedy style. Both backs could easily pass the 1,000 yard mark in 2011.
Full Back: Bradie Ewing can block, pass catch, and run the ball when needed. The well-rounded senior excels at whatever the Badgers ask of him including play special teams. He will presumably get all the snaps at full back while mentoring a trio of freshman behind him including spring game standout Jason Hengel (redshirt freshman).
Wide Receiver: The addition of Wilson at QB puts the spotlight on the suspect wide receiver position. Senior Nick Toon heads up the particularly young core of pass catchers with the only other player of note being redshirt sophomore Jared Abbrederis. Behind Toon and Abbrederis, inexperienced sophomores Manasseh Garner and Jeff Duckworth will get long looks in offensive coordinator Paul Chryst’s offense which likes to rotate receivers. Garner, a converted TE, lead all receivers with four catchers for 57 yards receiving in the spring game. Most importantly for this group, Toon must prove he can stay healthy and be a leader, and Abbrederis will have to prove he can fill the shoes of departed David Gilreath.
Tight End: Jake Byrne is the heir apparent at Lance Kendricks' vacated tight end spot, but as a power player (6 foot 4, 253 pounds), the blocking force is not expected to be the same type of pass catcher as Kendricks, Garrett Graham, and Travis Beckum before him. Instead, pass catching duties will be left up to sophomores Brian Wozniack and Jacob Pedersen. The latter saw action in thirteen games last season, with four starts, and made a key 33 yard catch in the win over No. 1 Ohio State.
Offensive Line: Despite the loss of two first team All-Americans in tackle Gabe Carimi (49 starts) and guard John Moffitt (42 starts), most positions along the line appear already solidified. Line coach Bob Bostad shuffled around his crew of 6 foot 5 plus, 320 plus pound players to assemble a line of mostly players with sporadic starting experience. The presumed starting line will include junior Ricky Wagner at right tackle and senior Josh Oglesby at left, although freshman Rob Havenstein (6-8, 343 pounds), the biggest player on the roster, could make it a competition for the left spot. Travis Frederick, who saw action in five games as a freshman but has since overcome an onslaught of injuries, is expected to make the start at left guard. The two true veterans on the line are junior center Peter Konz and senior right guard Kevin Zeitler. Konz earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten and is shortlisted for the Remington Award for best center. Zeitler is a three-year starter, All-Big Ten honorable mention, and Big Ten Academic All American who will be expected to lead the charge in opening up holes for Wisconsin's fearsome ground game.
This articles was oringally published on the WSUM Sports Blog here.
Ashley Hearn
Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus— two preeminent names on a list of four players 22-year old Rory McIlroy eclipsed at 111th US Open this weekend with a record-setting 72-hole total of 268.
The performance was thorough wire-to-wire devastation, a kid making one of golf’s greatest challenges look like a round of put-put. At 22 years-old He broke dozens of records en route to becoming the youngest Open winner since Bobby Jones at 21 won in 1923.
Because of his outing, as well as his promising showings at the 2010 British Open and 2011 Masters, McIlroy has been anointed as golf’s next great thing— the heir to the throne of Woods and Nicklaus. Now, many fans are tuning in to see whether or not the young man from Northern Ireland can give professional golf what it has been missing since the unraveling of Woods 2009— a bona fide superstar.
One majors win does not a sports legend make, but there is not much to dislike about Rory McIlroy. He may not be an American, but his humble, happy-go-lucky demeanor resonated with the crowd at Congressional screaming Rory-Rory-Rory as the young professional made his way down the 18th fairway, the win sealed.
McIlroy was introduced to golf at an early age by his father Gerry— on hand for Father’s Day as his son cruised to victory. According to his personal website, McIlroy recorded a 40-yard drive at just two-years-old and his first hole-in-one at nine. He became touted as a teen prodigy after playing in his first professional European Tour event at 16.
The talent for McIlroy has always been there. Even his competitors have taken notice to the immense promise he presents both as a golfer and admired competitor. ‘‘The good thing about Rory is that he’s a great guy,’’ said runner-up Jason Day. ‘‘So it’s a hard guy to hate. He’s a really, really great bloke.’
Three time major champion Padraig Harrington lauded the manner in which McIlroy dominated the competition. ‘‘I think this is what makes a difference: There might be people capable of winning a major, but there’s not too many people capable of dominating and running away from the field in a major.”
Nevertheless, McIlroy is still the same player who blew the lead at the Masters only weeks ago. He is not invincible, or even the most feared player on the tour. However, he exploded into the discussion last weekend with one of most dominating performances in the history of the majors.
His play coupled with his age, attitude, and raw-talent are breathing life into the world of golf that has been searching for an answer to Tiger Woods since 2009. The reins are now in the hands of young Irishman, Rory McIlroy, and the world will wait to see what he does next.
This article was originally published on the WSUM Sports Blog here.
