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Wisconsin vs. Miami (OH)
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Gameday: Miami (OH)
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Badgers break down in season opener By Lorin Cox The daily Cardinal
Some say first impressions are everything. Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst probably doesn’t agree. When he took over as head coach at Pittsburgh, his Panthers lost in their debut in 2012 against FCS opponent Youngstown State. He didn’t have much better luck in his first game running the show for the Badgers. It was a failure on a number of different levels for Wisconsin in its loss to Alabama. Some players got hurt, some players were out of place and others were just overpowered. The Badgers’ performance was a reminder that football is a team sport, and the positive showing by a few were overshadowed by the struggles of many. As it has for so long in Wisconsin, it all started up front. The Badgers offensive line featured three new starters, redshirt freshman left guard Michael Deiter, redshirt junior right guard Walker Williams and redshirt sophomore Hayden Biegel. The three of them were given the very difficult task of facing one of the strongest and most experienced
defensive lines in the country, and it didn’t go well. The young right side of the line struggled early on, but both Biegel and Williams improved as the game continued. They each gave up a sack, but by the fourth quarter, they both found consistency. What helped, though, was that Alabama dialed back its blitzes once its lead was large enough. The defense was able to coast a bit, and that made things easier on the inexperienced line. Deiter might have had the worst showing of the three. When Joel Stave was under pressure, more often than not, it seemed Deiter would be the offensive lineman who let his defender go by. The redshirt junior center Dan Voltz didn’t do himself or Williams any favors in the middle, but Deiter was vulnerable, and it made it more difficult for the Badgers to scheme their protection. The early offensive line failures were the first dominoes that led to the Badgers’ defeat. Wisconsin could not get its running game going early on, averaging less than 2.5 yards per carry in the first half. They couldn’t get a good push up front, and to make things worse,
their running backs really struggled to make plays one-on-one against defenders. Part of the issue was Corey Clement’s injury, but even a healthy Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal couldn’t make guys miss. Lacking a threat on the ground, the Badgers were frequently put into third and medium/long situations. Nick Saban would dial up an exotic blitz, pass protection would break down and Wisconsin was forced to punt. There’s a reason the Badgers only ran 11 plays on offense in the first quarter. Saban wasn’t coy about his defense’s success up front when he spoke to the media after the game. “We were able to dominate the line of scrimmage and stop their run,” Saban said plainly. The Wisconsin offense worked into a little more of a rhythm in the second quarter, finally putting points on the board, but the same thing was happening for the Alabama offense. The Crimson Tide had a scoring opportunity on each of their third quarter drives (scoring two touchdowns and missing a field goal), and the Badgers had to quickly abandon their running game. They handed it off only
three times in the third quarter, and by the time they tried it again in the fourth, they were down by 25. The Badgers’ offensive line issues were compounded by the mistakes on defense, particularly in the middle. Sophomore nose tackle Conor Sheehy was bullied for most of the game by Crimson Tide redshirt senior center Ryan Kelly, affording Alabama a lot of success running up the middle. Sheehy didn’t have the best support behind him, though. Junior linebacker Leon Jacobs struggled quite a bit prior to his injury. He filled incorrect lanes at times, and when an Alabama offensive lineman would meet him at the second level, he was almost always taken out of the play completely. His fellow starter, redshirt freshman T.J. Edwards, was much more reliable, but he also missed a tackle or two in important situations. The run support issues continued in the secondary. After Michael Caputo went out with his concussion, redshirt junior safety Leo Musso was relied on to step into the box and make a play, and he was not up to the task. On each of Alabama’s four
rushing touchdowns, Musso was out of place. He was the last line of defense, and he seemed to lose track of the ball and the runner, completely over pursuing to a side. He was a sure tackler when he got to the ball carrier, but he really hurt his defense with his lack of awareness on the back end. “Defensively, we’ve got to do a better job of leveraging the football,” Chryst said. “Some of the big plays are guys getting out of a gap and just got to be able to feel comfortable and confident in doing their job and that others will do theirs, as well.” On both sides of the ball, the issues built on each other. There was a lot of rust and a distinct lack of awareness and understanding by a number of players. This was to be expected with so many new players making their first start, but across the board, Wisconsin players failed to do their job. It was not a strong debut for many of the new Badger starters. Some of that falls on the coaching staff, and it is up to them to make the necessary adjustments to build a more successful unit moving forward. Fortunately for Chryst and Wisconsin, first impressions aren’t everything.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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Wisconsin vs. Miami (OH)
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Three keys to moving on from Bama By Andrew Tucker the daily cardinal
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Dealing with injuries
Losing to the third-ranked team in the country will never kill a season. However, having key contributors go down in that game has the potential to be very harmful. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, three starters went down last weekend.
Michael Caputo was set to be one of the top safeties in the country this season, but after sustaining a serious head injury against Alabama, there’s a chance he could be out for quite a while, and Wisconsin needs to find a viable long-term replacement for him. The Badgers could use the Miami game to get some experience for sophomore D’Cota Dixon, who replaced Caputo against the Crimson Tide. UW
could also go a different route and use the game as a testing ground between redshirt senior Tanner McEvoy and sophomore Lubern Figaro, who each started alongside Caputo the past two seasons. Junior linebacker Leon Jacobs and junior running back Corey Clement also left the Alabama game due to injury, and while they were not as serious as Caputo’s, giving them time off while the team manhandles less-
er quality opponents could pay dividends later in the season.
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Stabilizing the front seven
Going into the season, Wisconsin’s biggest defensive question mark was the youth of its front seven, only bringing back three starters from the previous year. The game against Alabama did little to quell these worries. The Crimson Tide rushed for 238 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. However, due to college rushing statistics including sacks as negative yardage, a clearer rushing total would be 264 yards, averaging 7.8 per carry with three sacks. Last season, the Badgers only allowed 126 rushing yards per game, meaning they let up nearly double the yards against Alabama than they did in the average contest last season. Miami’s first game was against mediocre FCS school Presbyterian, so take this with a grain of salt, but they ran the ball well, rushing for 205 yards, averaging 5.1 per carry. Starting running back Alonzo Smith averaged 7.2 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns, and while he may not be as talented as Alabama’s Kenyan Drake or Derrick Henry, whether the Badgers can keep him in check will be something to keep an eye on.
3 Winning the field-position battle
Wisconsin kept it close against Alabama in the first half, only down seven at halftime, but were blown away in the second half, being outscored 21-10. Much of this has to do with how different the field-position battle was in the two halves. In the first half, none of Alabama’s six drives started further than its own 20-yard line. In the second half, only one of
its seven drives began behind their own twenty, and that one was once the game was already essentially over.
The Stat Line 25: Rushing yards
Alex Erickson had, which lead Wisconsin
36.8: Average punting distance for J.K. Scott 42.8 percent: UW’s third-down conversion rate
The reason behind this disparity is complex, but it boils down to a weak special teams game that couldn’t compensate for a lack of offensive production. In the first half, when the Badgers punted, they had driven at least 23 yards, meaning a 35-yard punt could pin Alabama deep in their own territory. However, when the offense went three and out in the second half, the same punts weren’t going to cut it. Wisconsin’s senior punter Drew Meyer has never been fantastic, but if the Badgers want to be able to recover from the occasional offensive miscue, Meyer will need to improve. Last season, the Badgers ranked 121st out of 128 teams in the country in terms of average punt length at 37.1 yards per punt, meaning if the Badgers stall on their own 25 yard line, like with the many three-and-out situations in the Alabama game, the opposing team will start on their own 38. The Badgers’ offense will likely impose its will on Miami, but the few times they punt during the game, pay attention to how far Drew Meyer is able to boot it, and whether or not the RedHawks are able to capitalize on whatever field position they are given.
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Wisconsin vs. Miami (OH)
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Miami hopes to get out of MAC cellar By Jake Powers The Daily Cardinal
Fresh off a 26-7 win over Presbyterian Sept. 5, Miami (1-0), of the Mid-American Conference, comes to Madison Saturday to take on Wisconsin (0-1) in the Badgers’ home opener. The matchup Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams, even though Wisconsin has played games against MAC teams in eight of the last 10 seasons. After struggling to a 2-10 finish in 2014, the RedHawks clinched their first seasonopening win since 2007 last weekend. In the first start of his career, redshirt senior quarterback Drew Kummer went 14-of-19 for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and running backs Alonzo Smith and Kenny Young combined for 145 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Miami returns just four offensive starters from a year ago, including redshirt sophomore receiver Jared Murphy, a 5-foot-10-inch, 184-pound target
who caught five passes for 101 yards against Presbyterian. Redshirt freshman receiver Chris Hudson plays Murphy’s foil, standing at 6-feet-6 inches tall and 226 pounds. He didn’t register a catch against Presbyterian and he’s still very raw, but his size could prove difficult for the Badgers’ undersized secondary. Defensively, head coach Chuck Martin has eight starters returning, led by defensive ends JT Jones and Bryson Albright. Junior Heath Harding and redshirt junior Marshall Taylor hold down the fort at cornerback and are two of the more experienced RedHawks in the secondary. The outlook for Miami has been bleak the last few years. Martin, who was an assistant coach with Notre Dame prior to coming to Oxford, has the glowing accolade of snapping the RedHawks’ 21-game losing streak last October, which dated back to 2012. Amid a conference boasting prolific offenses, while
defense falls by the wayside, Miami doesn’t shine on either side of the ball. In 2014, the Redhawks went 2-6 against the MAC, and lost its lone Big Ten matchup to hapless Michigan Sept. 13. Miami averaged just 5.45 yards per play on offense last year and, with major losses on that side of the ball, it will again struggle to put up points within its fast-paced spread offense that thrives on catching defenses off guard. They will be hard-pressed to move the ball against Wisconsin, which went against one of the best pace-oriented offenses in Alabama last weekend. As with most MAC teams, Miami will have to play above its head to have a shot at ending Wisconsin’s 32-game winning streak at home against non-conference teams. Despite suffering an array of injuries on both sides of the ball, Wisconsin should have little difficulty disposing of one of the bottom feeders of the MAC.
Name that Miami
gameday A special publication of
Fall 2015, Issue 2 2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 News and Editorial 608-262-8000 fax 608-262-8100 edit@dailycardinal.com sports@dailycardinal.com l
1. Which Miami has won five national championships? A) Ohio B) Florida 2. Which Miami once compiled a 34-game winning streak? A) Ohio B) Florida 3. Which Miami has won the GoDaddy.com Bowl? A) Ohio B) Florida 4. Which Miami once endured a 21-game losing streak?
Editor-in-Chief James Dayton Managing Editor Emily Gerber Gameday Editors Bobby Ehrlich Sports Editors Jake Powers Zach Rastall Photo Editors Will Chizek Kaitlyn Veto Graphics Editor Brittany Dahl Social Media Manager Madison Schiller Copy Chiefs Theda Barry, Ellie Borstad John Joutras, Sam Wagner
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A) Ohio B) Florida 5. Which Miami did Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger play for? A) Ohio B) Florida 6. At which Miami did Hall of Famers Woody Hayes Bo Schembechler coach before moving on to Ohio State and Michigan, respectively? A) Ohio B) Florida 7. For which Miami did Heisman winners Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta play for? A) Ohio B) Florida 8. Which Miami has won more conference titles in its history?
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A) Ohio B) Florida C) Both. On Wisconsin.
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Answers: 1) B; 2) B; 3) A; 4) A; 5) A; 6) A; 7) B; 8) A; 9)B; 10) Take your pick.
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UW vs Alabama: Numbers never lie do it in a much smaller role: Wisconsin is just 1-5 when he attempts at least 30 passes.
By Thomas Valtin-Erwin the daily cardinal
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Wisconsin ran the ball just 21 times against Alabama, its fewest rushing attempts in a game this millennium. The Badgers have long been known for their rushing dominance, churning out great offensive linemen and running backs. In the last five years alone, they’ve sent nine offensive linemen and four running backs to the NFL. Wisconsin has ranked in the top two in rushing yards in the Big Ten each of the last eight seasons, including four first-place finishes. During that time, the Badgers’ passing game has been noticeably lackluster. They’ve finished in the top half of the conference in passing yards just once since 2007, thanks to Russell Wilson. Because of this dichotomy, in that eightyear span they’ve run the ball more than they’ve passed in all but seven games. Of those seven games, they’ve lost every one by an average margin of 12 points.
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Redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave threw for 228 yards against the Crimson Tide, his highest yardage total since 2013. Stave was one of few bright spots
48.2%
kaitlyn veto/the daily cardinal
The play of quarterback Joel Stave was one of the lone bright spots for Wisconsin in its loss to Alabama. The redshirt senior threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing. in the Badgers’ season opener, looking nothing like the signal caller we saw last season. He completed 26 of his 39 passes for a 66.6% mark, including two touchdowns and one garbagetime interception. Stave was a big target of criticism last year, after tossing
more interceptions than touchdowns. It’s yet to be seen what this improvement in his game is a product of. It could be a renewed sense of confidence, as he was named the starter in the spring, while last year he lost the job to Tanner McEvoy. It could be a new offensive scheme
that didn’t seem to allow him to throw the ball farther than ten yards downfield (5.8 yards per attempt). Or it could just be that Stave worked hard this offseason to improve himself. While it’s nice to see him showing signs of the player he could be, it would be better if he could
The Badgers were in possession of the football less than 50% of the time against Alabama, a historically bad sign. Since 2012, Wisconsin has lost the possession battle 15 times. The Badgers have gone a paltry 4-11 in those games, and lost some that they really shouldn’t have: Northwestern last year, Arizona State two years ago and Oregon State and Michigan State the year before that. They’ve gone 24-2 during that span when they control the ball for more than 50% of the game. This hints at the Badgers’ recent inability to throw the ball downfield. Since incomplete passes stop the clock, it’s not rare for a good passing team to lose the possession game but win on the scoreboard. For instance, in 2011, with Russell Wilson at the helm, Wisconsin went 3-2 in games where it lost the possession battle. This reliance on possession has meant that running backs like Melvin Gordon have been heavily leaned on to keep the game under control. If Stave’s improvement is real, though, Corey Clement might not have to shoulder as big of a load as recent Badger backs.
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Wisconsin vs. Miami (OH)
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Gophers, Wildcats impressive in openers Serving Badger Serving Badger Fans Fans Since Since 1984 1984 By Zach Rastall The Daily Cardinal
Week one of the 2015 college football season is in the books, and the Big Ten has once again come stumbling out of the gates. Utah spoiled Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan debut, BYU bested Nebraska on a last-second Hail Mary, Penn State and its porous offensive line lost to Temple for the first time since the FDR administration, Alabama rolled over Wisconsin, Marshall beat Purdue and a failed two-point conversion was the only thing that kept Indiana from falling to FCS school Southern Illinois. However, all was not lost for the conference. Ohio State avenged its lone loss from last year by downing Virginia Tech, Northwestern upset Stanford and Minnesota gave No. 2 TCU just about all it could handle. The result: mass confusion in our power rankings outside of Ohio State and Michigan State.
1. Ohio State, 50 points
There’s no chance at the top in this week’s power rankings, as Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes stormed into Lane Stadium and gained a measure of redemption against the Hokies. Despite the fact that it was missing four players, including All-American defensive end Joey Bosa, due to suspension, Ohio State avoided an upset at the hands of Virginia Tech for a second straight year. With a stacked roster, a manageable schedule and a formidable QB combo of J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, the Buckeyes don’t look like they’ll be knocked off their Big Ten perch any time soon.
2. Michigan State, 40 points
4. Minnesota, 19 points
The Spartans’ 37-24 win over Western Michigan may not have been as convincing as some would have liked, but they still escaped Kalamazoo with a season-opening victory. Quarterback Connor Cook had an uneven afternoon, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns but completing just 48.4 percent of his passes. However the Spartans won’t have much time to dwell on their shaky performance, as they now must prepare to welcome Oregon into East Lansing for a top-10 showdown next Saturday night. A win against the Ducks would be huge for both Michigan State and the Big Ten after a subpar opening weekend.
The Gophers may have lost their season opener, but they impressed many observers by putting a scare into No. 2 TCU. Minnesota held the Horned Frogs and their high-powered offense, led by Heisman candidate quarterback Trevone Boykin, in check, only allowing them to score 23 points. That’s the lowest point total that TCU has put up since a 21-7 win over Iowa State in November of 2013. The Gophers are still searching for a dependable playmaker that can power their offense, but a solid overall performance against a national championship contender can certainly serve as a confidence booster for Jerry Kill’s team as it looks to once against compete in the wide-open Big Ten West.
3. Wisconsin, 28 points
5. Northwestern, 7 points
Head coach Paul Chryst had the misfortune of making his Wisconsin debut against the Dark Lord Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, resulting in a convincing defeat for the Badgers. But despite the loss and a few injuries, there are positives to draw from this game for UW. For example, quarterback Joel Stave reached Joe Flacco-levels of eliteness in the first half, which could bode well for the offense moving forward. Throw in the fact that Wisconsin’s schedule becomes ridiculously easy from here on out, and it’s clear there’s no cause for panic in Madison following the Badgers’ loss to Bama. Just like last season, Wisconsin is still set up nicely to be a favorite in the Big Ten West despite an 0-1 start.
Saturday, Northwestern proved once again that for ranked teams, Evanston is an unexplainable parallel dimension and Pat Fitzgerald is its gatekeeper. The Wildcats upset the No. 21 Stanford Cardinal 16-6, giving fans hope that they can be a factor in the race for the Big Ten West after back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Of course, you don’t want to put too much stock into a single win. After all, Stanford could end up not being as good as the prognosticators thought, and David Shaw and his coaching staff were criticized for their level of conservative play calling that could make Ted Cruz look like Bernie Sanders. Still, the Wildcats took care of business against a quality opponent in their opener, something very few other teams in the conference can say.
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WEEK 2’s BIG GAMES No. 11 Notre Dame at Virginia 2:30 p.m. Saturday Charlottesville, Va. ABC Iowa at Iowa State 3:45 p.m. Saturday Ames, Iowa FOX No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 25 Tennessee 5 p.m. Saturday Knoxville, Tenn. ESPN Kentucky at South Carolina 6:30 p.m. Saturday Columbia, S.C. SEC Network No. 7 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan State 7 p.m. Saturday East Lansing, Mich. ABC Temple at Cincinnati 7 p.m. Saturday Cincinnati, Ohio ESPNews No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State 8:15 p.m. Saturday Starkville, Miss. ESPN No. 23 Boise State at BYU 9:15 p.m. Saturday Provo, Utah ESPN2
betsy osterberger/cardinal file photo
Senior defensive back Eric Murray had an interception in Minnesota’s narrow loss to No. 2 TCU.
Rankings updated through 9/7/15.
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photos by kaitlyn veto/the daily cardinal
Not all is lost in loss to Alabama By Jake Powers The Daily cardinal
Wisconsin’s blowout loss to Alabama Saturday was nothing like its opening-night debacle against LSU a year ago. Save for a brief period in the second quarter, when it looked like the
Badgers could keep up with the Crimson Tide after tying the game at seven, UW never showed it had the ability to beat the No. 3 team in the nation. The Badgers never led, they were bested in every offensive category and were clearly outclassed both physically
and from a coaching standpoint. The loss to LSU Aug. 30 of last year was a completely different beast. Wisconsin ceded a 24-7 third-quarter lead because its defensive line was hammered with injuries and Melvin Gordon, for some mysterious
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reason, stopped getting the ball. That night in Houston was a disaster, and it hovered over the team until its Oct. 4 nightmare at Northwestern provided further proof that 11 a.m. games in Evanston, Ill. exist in some foggy, joy-depleted parallel universe. What happened at the Jerry Dome Saturday isn’t going to loom over the Badgers, but instead is going to provide a road map for a return visit to the Big Ten Championship game in December. As head coach Paul Chryst and a number of players pointed to after the game, playing against Alabama was a privilege for UW. It sounds like a football coach buzzword, along with “24-hour rule,” “high motor” and “he had a really great camp,” but in this case, “privilege” holds real weight. What separates elite teams in college football from the rest of the pack, in combination with superior talent, is the ability to make in-game adjustments to fight off what’s working for opposing teams and to take advantage of weaknesses that become evident. Alabama clearly has that weapon, shutting down Joel Stave’s running back dump pass over the middle that was effective in the first half, attacking the middle of the field when Michael Caputo left in the first drive of the game and squeezing its secondary toward the line of scrimmage, forcing Wisconsin to turn to a vertical passing game with little success. Teams like Miami, Troy and Hawaii, Wisconsin’s next three opponents, incidentally, can’t make changes on the run like that. They won’t put pressure on the Wisconsin coaching staff to move to its secondary game plan, nor will they provide the same type of physical challenge
Alabama did. The Badgers are essentially going from competing on the American Ninja Warrior course in Las Vegas to the jungle gym at Vilas Park, but that’s just fine. The Wisconsin football program is undoubtedly in a state of flux right now. With Chryst making himself comfortable as head coach, the team still does not have much of a grasp on its identity, but the matchup against Alabama helps. It created questions the team will have to address, namely how to solidify its interior front seven, maintain pressure on the quarterback, work the ball vertically and find an effective mix between the run and pass. Wisconsin would only be vaguely aware of those concerns if it had faced off against some other unranked opponent, like nearly every other Top 25 team did this weekend. And now it has the ideal time, and opponents, to answer those questions. Peer ahead at the schedule, consider how deeply Wisconsin has already cut its teeth and think about how the Badgers should be 4-1 when they head to Lincoln Oct. 10. And 9-1 when they take on Northwestern, the football embodiment of the grim reaper, just before Thanksgiving. And 11-1 when they hop on the bus to Indianapolis in December. Was Wisconsin’s trip to Arlington, Texas, a lost visit, or are the Badgers better off for taking on an SEC opponent early in the year? Do you think the rest of the Big Ten Conference should follow suit and schedule tougher non-conference games? Were you impressed with Paul Chryst’s debut as a head coach, or is his play calling and game management falling short? Let us know what you think at sports@ dailycardinal.com.
Jsm Propert
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In high school, tight end Troy Fumagalli not only excelled on the football field, but was also an All-Conference pitcher in baseball, going 6-1 during his junior year.
Badger bio: Fumagalli on the mound By Bobby Ehrlich The Daily Cardinal
At 6-feet-6-inches and 250 pounds, Troy Fumagalli is nothing short of intimidating. Now imagine his massive frame on the pitcher’s mound, hurling fastballs in the upper 80s. Growing up in Naperville, Ill., Fumagalli was a force on the diamond and had aspirations of playing college baseball before elbow surgery derailed his career. In 2012, as a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School, the left-handed Fumagalli went 6-1 and was named to the AllConference team. In the last baseball game he pitched, he
received a no decision in a regional final contest that went to extra innings, where his Warriors lost. The redshirt sophomore tight end may be done playing baseball, but besides football, he is an avid golfer, especially in the summer. “I’m okay. I like to say I’m good but I just go up there and hit it as hard as I can,” Fumagalli said. He also enjoys watching the PGA Tour to relax and said that Dustin Johnson is currently his favorite golfer on the circuit. As for his favorite athlete, Fumagalli stayed true to his
Chicago roots, saying that Derrick Rose was the face of the city. That being said, he isn’t one to brag about his Bears fandom in the locker room. “I kinda try to stay low just because if I’m going to say something about the Bears I just get immediately shut down because we usually know how that goes,” Fumagalli said. However, not all is gloomy for the teams in the Windy City. After all, the Blackhawks just won their third Stanley Cup in the last six years over the summer and the Cubs have the third-best record in the National League. Fumagalli is
WEEK 2’s BIG TEN SCHEDULE Bowling Green at Maryland 11 a.m. Saturday College Park, Md.
Minnesota at Colorado State 2:30 p.m. Saturday Fort Collins, Colo.
Buffalo at Penn State 11 a.m. Saturday University Park, Pa.
Washington State at Rutgers 2:30 p.m. Saturday Piscataway, N.J.
Indiana State at Purdue 11 a.m. Saturday West Lafayette, Ind.
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern 3 p.m. Saturday Evanston, Ill.
Miami (OH) at No. 20 Wisconsin 11 a.m. Saturday Madison, Wis.
Iowa at Iowa State 3:30 p.m. Saturday Ames, Iowa
Oregon State at Michigan 11 a.m. Saturday Ann Arbor, Mich.
Flordia International at Indiana 7 p.m. Saturday Bloomington, Ind.
Western Illinois at Illinois 11 a.m. Saturday Champaign, Ill.
No. 7 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan State 7 p.m. Saturday East Lansing, Mich.
Hawaii at No. 1 Ohio State 2:30 p.m. Saturday Columbus, Ohio
South Alabama at Nebraska 7 p.m. Saturday Lincoln, Neb.
trying to be optimistic about the Cubs and their future, but had a reserved tone when talking about the team with the longest championship drought in professional sports history. “Yeah it’s exciting to watch the Cubs finally be important again after the last 10 years,” Fumagalli said. While the tight end may have to exercise caution when it comes to the Packers-Bears rivalry, he can certainly afford to boast about his Cubbies this year, who have won 18 more games than the Brewers. Fumagalli didn’t make a catch in Saturday’s loss to
Alabama, and he’s still slightly banged up from camp, but he figures to play a key role in the Badgers offense, especially with Joel Stave’s strong performance in the opener. Fumagalli caught 14 passes last year, including a big catch late in the game against Auburn in the Outback Bowl, which he cited as his favorite memory as a Badger. Head coach Paul Chryst has been known to dial up a few trick plays. If they’re lucky, maybe the Badger faithful will get to see Fumagalli show off his powerful arm that made him a stud on the mound.
Troy Fumagalli’s favorite... Restaurant: Great Dane Hobby: Golf Athletes: Derrick Rose, Dustin Johnson Pregame playlist: Rick Ross and whatever’s popular
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Rankings updated through 9/7/15. -
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DEPTH CHART MIAMI REDHAWKS
OFFENSE First Team
WISCONSIN BADGERS OFFENSE First Team
QB RB FB WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
2 6 34 86 3 46 61 63 70 62 74
Stave, Joel Clement, Corey Watt, Derek Erickson, Alex McEvoy, Tanner Traylor, Austin Marz, Tyler Deiter, Michael Voltz, Dan Williams, Walker Biegel, Hayden
Second Team
QB RB FB WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
13 23 20 16 15 81 52 71 75 75 62
Houston, Bart Ogunbowale, Dare Ramesh, Austin Love, Reggie Wheelwright, Robert Fumagalli, Troy Maxwell, Jacob Ball, Ray Kapoi, Micah Kapoi, Micah Williams, Walker
6-5 5-11 6-2 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-7 6-6 6-3 6-7 6-7
219 219 236 197 231 245 325 316 301 321 299
RS SR JR SR SR SR SR SR RS FR JR JR SO
6-4 5-11 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-6 6-6 6-7 6-3 6-3 6-7
224 200 246 216 202 247 309 321 330 330 321
JR JR SO JR JR SO RS FR SR RS FR RS FR JR
6-3 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-1 5-10 5-9
296 272 268 246 238 233 236 187 206 186 176
JR SO SO JR RS FR JR SR SR SR JR JR
6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-0 5-10 6-0 5-11
273 335 264 233 233 228 223 191 203 181 176
SR RS FR SO SR RS FR FR SO SO SO SO SO
6-3 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-0
189 240 172 225 189 197 191
SR SO JR JR SR SR SO
6-3 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-3
199 175 199 255 199 176 202
RS FR SR RS FR RS FR RS FR JR JR
DEFENSE First Team
DE NT DE OLB ILB ILB OLB CB SS FS CB
95 94 34 47 53 32 58 5 7 19 8
Goldberg, Arthur Sheehy, Conor Obasih, Chikwe Biegel, Vince Edwards, T.J. Jacobs, Leon Schobert, Joe Hillary, Darius Caputo, Michael Musso, Leo Shelton, Sojourn
Second Team
DE NT DE OLB ILB ILB OLB CB SS FS CB
93 92 57 41 43 50 48 12 14 31 25
Keefer, Jake Patterson, Jeremy James, Alec Hayes, Jesse Connelly, Ryan Orr, Chris Cichy, Jack Jamerson, Natrell Dixon, D’Cota Figaro, Lubern Tindal, Derrick
SPECIAL TEAMS First Team
P FG KO LS H PR KR
90 10 37 60 90 86 12
Meyer, Drew Gaglianone, Rafael Endicott, Andrew Udelhoven, Connor Meyer, Drew Erickson, Alex Jamerson, Natrell
Second Team
P FG KO LS H PR KR
38 97 38 91 38 8 15
Rosowski, P.J. Russell, Jack Rosowski, P.J. Neuville, Zander Rosowski, P.J. Shelton, Sojourn Wheelwright, Robert
5-9 6-3
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
8 26 83 6 88 44 65 58 73 66 53
Kummer, Drew Smith, Alonzo Martin, Sam Williams, Rokeem Murphy, Jared Becker, Nate Brown, Trevan Rousher, Jimmy Cook, Brandyn McCollum, Sam Davis, Terry
Second Team
6-3 5-9 6-3 6-1 5-10 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4
211 225 199 198 184 265 300 289 307 306 290
RS SR RS FR SO RS JR RS SO RS FR RS SR RS JR SR FR RS SO
14 3 10 87 18 82 77 52 56 76 78
6-3 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-3
263 285 272 225 227 240 205 185 200 190 199
RS JR RS SO SO SR SO SR JR JR SO RS SR RS JR
32 96 99 11 9 46 51 8 2 14 28
6-0 5-10 6-1 5-10 5-10 5-10
186 167 244 184 179 179
RS SR SR RS SO RS SO RS JR RS JR
45 97 79 8 3 3
Ragland, Gus Young, Kenny Shisso, Sam Hudson, Chris McRae, Fred Smith, Ryan Skibinski, Matt Rigg, Jordan Palmer, Mitch Heideman, Randy Leever, Ian
6-3 5-10 6-5 6-6 5-10 6-4 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-6 6-5
213 200 213 226 180 261 276 287 278 309 295
RS FR RS FR RS JR RS FR RS JR SO FR RS FR RS FR RS SO FR
6-2 5-11 6-5 6-5 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-1 5-9
247 318 292 250 229 231 230 185 200 194 161
RS SO FR SR RS JR RS FR RS SR SR RS FR FR SO RS SO
6-4 5-8 5-11 6-3 5-10 5-10
214 205 225 211 200 200
RS FR FR SR RS SR RS FR RS FR
DEFENSE First Team
DE DT NT DE OLB MLB STAR CB SS FS CB
91 69 55 95 36 43 49 24 30 35 21
Jones, JT Burdine, AJ Allen, Ikeem Albright, Bryson Moses, Paul Kern, Kent Williams, TJ Harding, Heath Okafor, Buchi Burris, Brison Taylor, Marshall
Second Team
Smierciak, Zach Trawick, Nate Winters, Mitch Gearing, Austn Earnest, Brad Donlan, Joe Dooley, Josh Thompson, Daryus Allen, Josh Reid, Tony Birdsall, Bert
SPECIAL TEAMS First Team
P KO LS H PR KR
39 13 62 88 18 18
Koch, Christian Patterson, Kaleb Walter, Nick Murphy, Jared McRae, Fred McRae, Fred
Second Team
Martin, Justin Dowd, Nick Lehwald, Bryce Kummer, Drew Young, Kenny Young, Kenny
Head on over to The Nitty Gritty! THE #1 PLACE TO CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS Drink FREE Beer, Speciality Cocktails or Soda all Day on Your Birthday in Your Memento Mug! All Ages Welcome Serving Food Late A Campus Tradition Since 1968 MADISON 223 N. Frances St. 608-251-2521 SUN PRAIRIE 315 E. Linnerud Dr. 608-837-4999 MIDDLETON 1021 N. Gammon Rd. 608-833-6489