INFOCUS
TAKING THE LONG VIEW After a month-long training camp, senior CB Derrick Tindal and the Badgers finally have kickoff in sight. Ninth-ranked Wisconsin seeks to win its 22nd-consecutive home opener when Utah State comes to Camp Randall Stadium for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Friday. PHOTO BY BRANDON HARRISON
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BADGERS DOWN UNDER The men’s basketball team got an early start to the 2017-18 season going 4-1 on a 12-day trip to New Zealand and Australia. Among the activities Down Under, the Badgers visited Auckland, New Zealand, and Melbourne, Australia before finishing in beautiful Sydney Harbor. PHOTOS BY PATRICK HERB
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FULL HOUSE The sixth-ranked volleyball team sold out its first two matches of the season during the Big TenACC Challenge, drawing more than 6,000 fans per match. Wisconsin has already sold out nine home matches this year. PHOTO BY GREG ANDERSON
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PICKETT IS THE TICKET Returning to the Badgers after a year spent playing for Team Canada, sophomore Victoria Pickett (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring her first goal of the season to help the Badgers to a 2-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday. PHOTO BY LEONARD CEDERHOLM
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KING OF THE COURT Freshman Kobe King was one of many standouts on the Badgers’ foreign tour of New Zealand and Australia. King (9.2 points per game) was one of five players who averaged at least 9.0 points per game, joining D’Mitrik Trice (12.4 ppg), Ethan Happ (12.0 ppg), Brevin Pritzl (11.4 ppg) and fellow freshman Brad Davison (11.2 ppg). PHOTO BY PATRICK HERB
CONTENTS
AUGUST 30, 2017 ▪ VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 DAVID STLUKA
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STUDENT OF THE GAME His teammates see it day in and day out. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook spent his offseason in deep study of the playbook and his position. And he’s ready to lead the Badgers this fall.
FEATURES 2
IN FOCUS
16 LUCAS AT LARGE 19 BEHIND THE DESK
22 WHAT TO WATCH
EX P ERT O P I N I O N
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ESPN College GameDay’s Kirk Herbstreit gives his take on the Badgers and season ahead.
25 BADGERING
DAVID STLUKA
21 BY THE NUMBERS
LUCAS AT LARGE
27 BADGERS GIVE BACK 37 INSIDE MEN’S BASKETBALL 39 INSIDE VOLLEYBALL 41 INSIDE MEN’S SOCCER 43 INSIDE WOMEN’S SOCCER 45 INSIDE CROSS COUNTRY 48 THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
TOUR DOWN UNDER Catch up with men’s basketball fresh from the Badgers’ five-game tour of Australia and New Zealand. 13
Wisconsin Athletic Communications Kellner Hall, 1440 Monroe St. Madison, WI 53711
VIEW ALL ISSUES Brian Lucas
Director of Athletic Communications
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Director of Digital Content Managing Editor
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Editor/Designer
Mike Lucas
Senior Writer
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Contributors
Paul Capobianco, Kelli Grashel, A.J. Harrison, Brandon Harrison, Patrick Herb, Brian Mason, Diane Nordstrom Photography
David Stluka, Neil Ament, Greg Anderson, Bob Campbell, The Players Tribune, Cal Sport Media, Icon Sportswire Cover Photo: David Stluka Problems or Accessibility Issues? VarsityMag@UWBadgers.com Š 2017 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved worldwide.
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LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM
Herbstreit respects Wisconsin’s culture, strength
DAVID STLUKA
O
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hio State-Indiana. Alabama-Florida State. Tennessee-Georgia Tech. Kirk Herbstreit is up for the ambitious challenge: three games/broadcasts in five days. Herbstreit is to college football what Jay Bilas is to college basketball. A knowledgeable voice. A credible source. An advocate for the sport but not an apologist. Both are former college players. Both have star power. Both know their stuff. Bilas, 54, is edgier, bolder, more caustic in his commentary. The 48-year Herbstreit is not shy about sharing his opinions. Just maybe not to that extreme. Like most high-profile analysts, including Bilas, a Dukie, he’s fair game to fans claiming bias. Herbstreit gets it from both sides. He played in the Big Ten (Ohio State) and lives in the SEC (Nashville).
Bilas is a lawyer. Herbstreit doesn’t even play one on TV. But he usually makes reasonable, sound arguments for the side of a topic that he’s representing. Reason enough to quiz Herbstreit on Wisconsin football. (Full disclosure: Herbstreit has a healthy respect for Barry Alvarez as a Hall of Fame coach and athletic director. They’re also friends.) “They’re a very consistent brand,” Herbstreit said. “I don’t think nationally people give them the respect that they probably deserve. To me, they’ve become a consistent top-10 or top-15 program year-in and year-out. “It will always have that blue collar, lunch pail mentality. But I don’t ever want to slight them.” Slight, he explained, as in stereotyping them as just a team of tough guys and nothing more. “Because,” Herbstreit said, “they always seem to have great
skill at cornerback and running back. And they always seem to have a very cerebral quarterback. Going into the 2017 opener, the Badgers are a top-10 team in both preseason polls. But they’ve already taken one hit to their starting defense with the loss of inside linebacker Jack Cichy. “I’m concerned,” Herbstreit said. “It’s one thing for them to lose Leo Musso, T.J. Watt, Vince Biegel and Sojourn Shelton. It’s only four guys but you lose a lot of intangibles, a lot of the leadership. “But to lose Cichy before the season starts, that’s devastating. I’m not saying that they can’t overcome that injury. But Cichy, Watt and Biegel were the three war daddies in my opinion. “Now you’re taking all three of them off the defense. I probably still think they’re the co-favorite in the West. But I would put
“THEY’RE A VERY CONSISTENT BRAND,” HERBSTREIT SAID. “I DON’T THINK NATIONALLY PEOPLE GIVE THEM THE RESPECT THAT THEY PROBABLY DESERVE. TO ME, THEY’VE BECOME A CONSISTENT TOP-10 OR TOP-15 PROGRAM YEAR-IN AND YEAR-OUT.”
that weakness at some point in the game. “He does a really good job of communicating and getting his team to believe whether they’re playing LSU, Ohio State, Northwestern, whoever they’re playing.” Unlike some coaches, Chryst is not selling himself. He’s selling his players on what it takes to be successful at Wisconsin. As Herbstreit echoed, “If you follow our system, we can beat anybody.” Chryst understands the culture, Herbstreit stressed, the right formula for the Badgers. “You’ll see the longer he’s there,” he said, “the more that team takes on that personality, and the more they get into the weight room, you’re just going to see Wisconsin get stronger and stronger.” ▪ DAVID STLUKA
Northwestern right up there with them. “Their quarterback (Clayton Thorson) could be a first rounder and they still have Justin Jackson. They’re loaded. Still, I’d probably give Wisconsin a little bit of an edge.” Northwestern and Wisconsin will square off in the Big Ten opener on Sept. 30 at Camp Randall. Depending on how everything plays out nationally, it might be a plausible option for ESPN’s College GameDay. Herbstreit is an unabashed fan of Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald, a Northwestern alum; and Badgers coach Paul Chryst, a Wisconsin alum. It’s no coincidence since they inspire the same respect. “I was always concerned when Paul left (for Pitt) because I think he’s the perfect fit for this school,” Herbstreit said. “And I’m not saying this because he’s there now. “While I think Gary (Andersen) is a great coach, I don’t know if he fit the Alvarez culture of what they want. Gary is more of a West Coast guy, a little bit more of a finesse kind of guy. “And Wisconsin is more
about 400-pound bench guys, 600-pound squat guys. It’s more about that tough guy, a Cichy type of guy, someone with a chip on their shoulder.” Chryst has posted a 21-6 record over the last two seasons. One of his Big Ten fraternity brothers, and friends, Jim Harbaugh, is 20-6 at Michigan. Harbaugh steals the spotlight, Chryst avoids it. “He has the right mindset and kind of demeanor that plays well in Madison,” Herbstreit said. “He’ll give you that, ‘Aw, shucks …’ That kind of thing, the soft-spoken kind of thing. “But he and his team become warriors when the game starts. He’s a genius play-caller. He’s very good at dissecting a team’s weakness and how to set up
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BEHIND THE DESK BY BARRY ALVAREZ ▪ UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Start of season exciting for all of us
T
o be outstanding, Lou Holtz used to say, you don’t need a whole team full of great players. If you have five great ones and nobody below average, you’d have a chance to be a great team. The supporting guys just had to be solid players that didn’t hurt you. As a coach, I’ve gone through a year and didn’t realize a guy was a great player until the season was over. That was the case with Mark Tauscher, an offensive tackle on the 1999 Big Ten champs. That’s why I tried not to judge until the end of the year. I haven’t put a number on this year’s team. Our tight end Troy Fumagalli is exceptional and cornerback Nick Nelson could be exceptional. Yes, Jack Cichy would be one of the five because of what he brings to the table. He was a very productive player. But it was his charisma, energy and leadership that made him a great player. We’ll miss him. He brought excitement and personality to the defense with his vocal leadership. He was also an explosive player who could give you big plays like Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt. But Jack missed the last seven games last season and those other guys at inside linebacker held up pretty well without him and without Chris Orr, who was injured in last year’s opener. I think Chris is similar in some ways to Jack. He likes football.
He’s smart. He’s very vocal. T.J. Edwards has made a lot of plays the last two years and Ryan Connelly has stepped up big when needed. Like I said, I don’t know how many great players we have. Or will have. But there are a lot of really good ones. I think we’re a much faster team than what people will expect. Lou mentioned that to me after watching one of our practices. He was surprised at our team speed. Defensively, he thought we were really fast. And he was impressed with our receivers. People usually don’t think much of our receivers. But we’ve got some good young ones. I’m seeing depth develop in the offensive line which we’ve lacked the last few years. It was patchwork and we were forced to play some guys who weren’t quite ready. I really like our O-line. I’m also looking forward to seeing our running game. The Pitt transfer, Chris James, is real solid. So is Bradrick Shaw. I think the freshman, Jonathan Taylor, could be a difference-maker. He’s a guy who can hit a home run. We saw that in the scrimmage the other night against the No. 1 defense. He outran some angles. He makes people miss. He’ll be a great change-up guy. Someone asked me about our top-10 ranking in the preseason polls. You can look at it any way you want. But if you listen to Coach Chryst, he keeps his guys level-headed and focused.
I don’t see anybody patting themselves on the back because everyone is picking them to win the West Division. That’s now how we’re built. The players know what they need to focus on. Rankings make for interest in college football. It makes for discussion. It’s a starting point. Teams that are ranked high have veterans and people coming back who have accomplished something. But it really doesn’t mean anything until you start playing games. It takes time for teams to develop their identity. Things will play themselves out. They always do in college football. When I was with the playoff selection committee, we didn’t rank teams until the first week of November. Instead of seven weeks, we could have probably waited until the ninth week. I won’t miss the travel or the grind of being on the committee. But I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, it was really a great group to be around. And I will miss the people. I’ve received positive feedback on our Camp Randall 100 — our 100-year celebration of the stadium’s history. I’ve gotten some nice notes back from alums. It has been fun to hear from them. I was just telling someone I love this time of the year. I love the excitement of a new football season. And it’s no different this year. I can’t wait for it to start. I’m sure I speak for a lot of Badger fans. ▪
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BY THE NUMBERS
15.00 PATRICK HERB
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▲ MEN’S BASKETBALL In the Badgers’ five games Down Under, five different players led the team in scoring and none were returning All-American Ethan Happ. Instead, UW got feature performances from Brevin Pritzl, Andy Van Vliet, Kobe King, D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison.
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VOLLEYBALL ▶ After opening weekend, the Badgers lead all Big Ten teams in kills per set (15.50) and assists per set (15.00). Freshman Sydney Hilley leads the league with 13.17 assists per set while freshman Dana Rettke has a conference-best 5.00 kills per set. ◀ MEN’S & WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY UW is one of six programs in the country to have both its men’s and women’s teams (7th and 14th, respectively) ranked in the top 15 in the preseason U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll. ▼ WOMEN’S SOCCER The Badgers are an untouched 3-0 at home, not allowing a single goal by opponents at the McClimon Soccer Complex. Additionally, the Badgers are holding opponents to an average of only 3.33 shots per game.
WALT MIDDLETON DAVE GAUSTAD
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WHAT TO WATCH
ROAD TEST
WOMEN’S SOCCER AT #3 VIRGINIA THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 ▪ 7PM CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. ▪ ACC NETWORK EXTRA
DAVE GAUSTAD
Wisconsin hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to play Virginia Thursday. The match will be livestreamed via ACC Network Extra at 7 p.m. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
FOOTBALL VS. UTAH STATE FRIDAY, SEPT. 1 ▪ 8PM CAMP RANDALL STADIUM ▪ ESPN
BUY TICKETS
DAVID STLUKA
YOUTH NIGHT
MEN’S SOCCER VS. GRAND CANYON SATURDAY, SEPT. 2 ▪ 7PM McCLIMON COMPLEX ▪ BTN PLUS Wisconsin opens its home season Saturday against Grand Canyon and will honor former alum Bram Dorresteijn with a youth night event for area kids’ teams. Watch the action live on BTN Plus.
ticket info 22
DAVID STLUKA
Ninth-ranked Wisconsin seeks to win its 22nd-consecutive home opener when Utah State comes to Camp Randall Stadium for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Friday. Catch the game live on ESPN.
WEDNESDAY 8/30
THURSDAY 8/31 WOMEN’S SOCCER at #3 Virginia Charlottesville, Va. 7:00 p.m.
FRIDAY 9/1 VOLLEYBALL vs. Syracuse Manhattan, Kan. 10:00 a.m. VOLLEYBALL vs. Arkansas Manhattan, Kan. 5:30 p.m. FOOTBALL vs. Utah State Madison, Wis. 8:00 p.m. Watch: ESPN Buy tickets »
SUNDAY 9/3
MONDAY 9/4
TUESDAY 9/5
SATURDAY 9/2 MEN’S & WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY at Indiana Open Bloomington, Ind. 8:20 a.m. VOLLEYBALL at Kansas State Manhattan, Kan. 1:30 p.m. MEN’S SOCCER vs. Grand Canyon Madison, Wis. 7:00 p.m. Ticket info »
WEDNESDAY 9/6
WOMEN’S SOCCER at William & Mary Williamsburg, Va. Noon
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
VIEW FULL CALENDAR ON UWBADGERS.COM »
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BADGERING...
TIONNA WILLIAMS
Tionna Williams is a 6-foot-2 junior middle blocker for the Wisconsin volleyball team whose offseason was a mix of pain, healing and worldly enlightenment. A leg injury kept her from participating in spring practice, but she recovered in time to take part in an invitation-only European tour with peers from around the Big Ten Conference. Williams, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, spoke recently about being a leader, the evolution of a young team and following in some big footsteps. This is a very young team with eight new faces and you’re one of four upperclassmen. What’s the key to leadership in this case? “Being a leader, you always want to be on the lookout for the good of the team individually, like how they’re doing on the court and away from the court as well. They look to you for help with school, volleyball, anything like that. You have to keep an open mind and really making sure you establish what our culture’s about is really important.” Are the newcomers fitting in the way you hoped? “We weren’t exactly sure what to expect early on, but as soon as they stepped out on the court we saw what they were capable of, so that raised the bar and they’ve been exceeding so far.” You had the honor of being chosen to participate in a European tour with players from around the Big Ten in June. Did the experience help you more on the court or off it? “On the court it was a really great experience because of getting a feel for the international level was insane. It opened your eyes to the different rules; I wasn’t aware of some of the rules. Off the court was a great experience as well. Seeing all the different cultures and just going out into the community because we did some of that while we were there.” Most everyone focuses on the Badgers losing four-time All-America setter Lauren Carlini to graduation, but the departure of senior middle blocker Haleigh Nelson would seem to impact you a great deal. Are you ready to move out of her shadow, or were you ever in her shadow? “I wouldn’t say I was in her shadow. She definitely was a great player, a great leader for us and a great friend. She had a lot of strengths that I hope to embrace and work on as I go along. I want to make a name for myself.” ▪
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BADGERS GIVE BACK SPOTLIGHT
badgers give back
T
he envelopes arrive almost daily with messages of gratitude and inspiration tucked inside. Most are delivered by old-fashioned mail, one pile defined by the impeccable penmanship of an adult and another with the crooked scrawl of a child. They are comingled with the collection of emails, all forwarded to Jackie Davenport, the director of community relations for the Wisconsin Athletic Department. From her windowless, basement-level office in Kellner Hall, she oversees the popular Badgers Give Back program, which connects UW student-athletes to various civic causes in the area. Hospitals, schools, nursing homes, food pantries and community centers are familiar destinations for UW student-athletes from all 23 sports programs. The goodwill generated by these year-round outings does not go unnoticed. Davenport receives numerous cards and notes from those who have crossed paths with her volunteers. Letters to Bucky. They come from different parties, but they share the same grateful tone. Like this thank-you note from four Madison teachers: “On behalf of the sophomore classes, please thank the AWESOME students for their time, sharing their stories and their engagement with our students,” they wrote. “We wish them luck in their classes, games/meets this year.” Like this hand-crafted thank-you note, signed by an entire classroom quoting John F. Kennedy: “We must find a way to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” Like this handmade card: “Thank you so much for
joining us today at our middle school run,” a teacher wrote. “Our students really appreciate hearing from you.” Like this email from a family friend: “As a parent with a couple kids in college, I know how busy college students are,” a father wrote. “I also know that college students that are in sports have even less free time. “For these college students to take time to visit children in the hospital and ask nothing in return is priceless. They need to understand that what they do can impact children’s lives in a very positive way. “They get cheered for what they do on the football field or basketball court, but they need to know there is even a greater appreciation for what they do off the field/court. “So I am passing along heartfelt appreciation to these student-athletes.” Davenport thought it would be a good idea to spotlight some of the feedback UW student-athletes get from those they touch in the community. Letters to Bucky. During the coming school year, cards, notes and letters received from Badgers fans will be featured in Varsity, our digital magazine. Have you had a memorable encounter with a UW student-athlete? It might be as simple as a high-five in the mall or an impromptu selfie walking on State Street. It might be an encounter that boosts the spirits of a sick child or a brightens the day for a long-time Badgers fan. Whatever the case, share it with us. We’d love to hear from you. ▪
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DAVID STLUKA
FEATU RE STO RY
STUDENT OF THE
GAME
HIS TEAMMATES SEE IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
QUARTERBACK ALEX HORNIBROOK SPENT HIS OFFSEASON IN DEEP STUDY OF THE PLAYBOOK AND HIS POSITION. AND HE’S READY TO LEAD THE BADGERS THIS FALL.
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER
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JOHN FISHER
A
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t the very moment of the solar eclipse, Alex Hornibrook sat in darkness. It was really nothing out of the ordinary for the 20-year-old Wisconsin quarterback who was breaking down the film of that day’s practice. On Aug. 21, the day the moon played press coverage on the sun, covering it up, Hornibrook was in his own universe. He went from the field to lunch to the QB meeting room at Camp Randall Stadium. There, alone, he evaluated over 80 cut-ups, runs and passes, while still fresh in his mind; something which Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, the quarterback whisperer, has always endorsed. “It just gives him a chance to confirm what he saw or what he did or what he thought he did,” said Chryst, adding that such a routine is fundamental in “continuing to learn” the position. Hornibrook, a redshirt sophomore with nine career starts, knows the tape doesn’t lie.
“I’m excited to watch it after practice,” Hornibrook said. “I was just doing it on the field and now I want to see if there’s something I missed, something I did wrong. “I want to see if my reads were right, my footwork was right, all that stuff. I usually watch right after practice by myself because I like to see the film and take my own notes before I go upstairs.” Upstairs is the eighth floor of Camp Randall, the football offices. After buzzing through the film, jotting down thoughts, he goes over the same plays with Chryst. Together, they expand the picture and address concepts within coverages and related things. “Every single step helps,” Hornibrook said. “Watching it on my own, seeing it for myself and then there may be something that Coach Chryst is going to tell me that I can apply and learn from.”
MANNY FLORES
Each time you watch the film, he noted, “His knowledge is further along. And the something new may come up you didn’t see more knowledge you have, the more you realbefore. Hornibrook has been conditioned to ize there’s more to learn. You just keep peeling think this way since he first “peeked at film” in back the layers of the onion. high school. “In this camp, he’s “I was a backup when trusting in his prepara“I DEFINITELY FEEL A LOT MORE I was a sophomore and tion and it’s helping him COMFORTABLE WHEN I’M ON THE that’s when I got ahold in his performance.” FIELD, JUST MORE RELAXED,” of the varsity films,” he That self-assurance HORNIBROOK SAID. “I FEEL LIKE said of his real starting and trust has grown I’M MORE IN CONTROL OF THE PLAY AND EVERYTHING GOING point with video. “I’d fill over the last year. ON WITH THE OFFENSE.” up a notebook on every “I definitely feel a lot player and the scouting more comfortable when report.” I’m on the field, just more relaxed,” Hornibrook By the time that he left Malvern (Pennsylvasaid. “I feel like I’m more in control of the play nia) Prep, there was no shortage of quality film and everything going on with the offense. on No. 12, Hornibrook. He finished his career with a school-record 3,356 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. “Over the summers,” he said, “when I was at camps, and I went to a bunch of them, they’d teach you what to look for on film and so I kind of had an idea.” Hornibrook graduated at semester break and enrolled at Wisconsin in the spring of 2015. Like most freshmen, he wasn’t watching film as much as he was watching TV, a standard line among coaches. “College is a whole different animal,” he said. “You’re really honing in on what you’re doing.” With his work habits, it didn’t take long to get acclimated. The best way to steal reps without being on the field during the winter is by watching tape. The UW has a library full of game clips. “Guys develop like they study off the field,” Chryst said. “He’s continuing to evolve. He puts a ton of time into it. I do like the way he does it. He has an edge to him as far as working.
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“It’s not like every single day is perfect or anything like that. There are still improvements to be made. And it can help me by watching these plays (on film) over and over and over again.” To paraphrase a rule of thumb in Wisconsin’s quarterback meeting room: “If the read and decision is right, you give yourself a chance to win with timing and location.” After the Aug. 21 practice, Hornibrook earmarked some plays from the skelly period (7on-7 offense versus defense, minus linemen). With clicker in hand, he supplied the soundtrack to the video. Play No. 1 “When I’m watching this play, the first thing I’m looking at are the safeties. It’s a three-man route and I’m looking for the one-on-one. “The first thing I’m seeing on film is that guy taking out the safety with his route. And that’s what I saw on the field. The next thing I’m looking for is over the middle. The only thing that could take him away is this linebacker right here (laser circling the inside LB). “If my looks are cloudy at all, if it’s not open, if I don’t have a great look downfield, and the check-down is wide open, I take the checkdown. It’s first-and-10. It’s not like I need to force a throw.”
PHIL ELLSWORTH / ESPN IMAGES
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Play No. 2 “On this play, we had a five-man protection. So, if a linebacker is coming on this play, I know I’m ‘hot’ and there’s someone unprotected. I see T.J. (Edwards) coming up in the gap (before the snap) and I’m thinking he might be pressuring. If he’s coming up the field, I have to get rid of the ball. “I have two ‘hots’ on this play. I can either throw it here (circle) to the running back or here (circle) to the slot receiver. I looked to the running back first and he was open, so I got rid of it.”
But the pass was juggled and tipped into the hands of a defender. Interception. “When you’re watching this on film, you try to focus on the things that you can control. So, I’m looking at my read, my location and my timing. Sometimes you can’t control what happens after that. Obviously, it was an interception. But I wouldn’t see it as a completely negative play.” Play No. 3 “This play is designed to throw to A.J. (Taylor). This guy (circling Danny Davis) is consuming the safety. That’s where the ball should be going (Taylor). But something kind of trumped it for me. “I knew the safety was being consumed and I knew A.J. had a one-on-one, but there was also a one-on-one to that first read with the consumed route and nobody over the top. I knew I had Danny out there and he can make
some plays, so I just put the ball out for him and he did the rest.” Davis, a true freshman, made a tremendous catch. He will be in the rotation this season. “For sure, I would have taken the Dig, if I didn’t have trust in Davis. It was a first-and-10. You know that you have two more downs to work with. You also want to get the ball moving so you don’t have be forcing stuff like this (on third-and-long). If you have a shot, you might as well take it.” Chryst was later asked what he saw on Play No. 3 as it unfolded. “The only thing I thought was, ‘Don’t wait on it to open up,’” he said of Hornibrook targeting Davis. “It’s a two-man pattern and you want him to be conscious of timing. Everything you do has a timing element to it. Down and distance does matter. That was a dealer’s choice, I thought.”
▼ TAP TO WATCH - Wisconsin Football 17 for ’17: Alex Hornibrook
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“ALEX WORKS HIS (BLEEP) OFF,” FUMAGALLI SAID. “HE WANTS TO BE GREAT.”
STEVEN KING / ICON SPORTSWIRE
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To paraphrase another rule of thumb in the Wisconsin quarterback room: “You may not always know what a defense is going to do. But you want to know what they’re not doing.” In late June, Hornibrook got essentially the same message from the Manning Passing Academy, a four-day elite skills high school camp managed by Team Manning (Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli). Hornibrook was among the college QBs serving as counselors on the Nicholls State campus (Thibodaux, Louisiana). It was a full-circle experience since he attended the camp as an eighth grader.
“Peyton (Manning) said, ‘People always thought I knew what defenses they were going to be in on every single play, and we’ll just let the defense think that,’” Hornibrook related. “He was being modest. He probably knew what people were going to do a majority of the time. “But he said, ‘Sometimes, it helps just to know what they’re not going to be playing.’ If you can eliminate three coverages based off the pre-snap read then it will help you figure out what coverage they’re actually playing. That made a lot of sense. That stuck with me.” At the camp, Hornibrook naturally gravitated to the other Big Ten quarterbacks: Purdue’s David Blough, Indiana’s Richard Lagow, Michigan’s John O’Korn, Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson and Nebraska’s Tanner Lee. His roommates were from the SEC and Pac-12. Star power abounded with Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the Heisman winner; USC’s Sam Darnold, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, and Wyoming’s Josh Allen among the 40-plus counselors. Hornibrook more than held his own competitively, taking second to Texas’ Shane Buechele in the Air-It-Out Challenge. The exercise involved hitting moving targets: sign boards mounted on golf carts at 15 yards (moving left to right) and 25 yards (moving right to left). The final task was putting the ball in a 3-by-3 truck bed on a golf cart moving vertically away from the QBs starting at the 25-yard line. “I almost won it,” said Hornibrook. “But I didn’t get the last target.” Not only did Hornibrook get to renew his friendship with Lee, the Tulane transfer who will be starting for the Cornhuskers — they first met in San Diego while training under George Whitfield — but he filled up a good number of
notebooks from what he learned at the Manning academy. “I was just trying to soak in everything I could,” said Hornibrook, a meticulous note-taker. His closet is full of spiral notebooks. He has saved everything. “I have one active notebook, I guess you could say, of what we’re doing right now,” he said. “I’ll have one sitting on my desk in my room for things that are happening daily.” Like a diary? “A little bit,” he said. “I also have an app on my phone; kind of a notes folder.” He prefers hand-to-paper because he retains more. Hornibrook went to school on former UW quarterback Scott Tolzien, who’s also known for his commitment to film study and note-taking. Hornibrook asked Tolzien, who’s now with the Indianapolis Colts, “When you write down all these notes, what do you do with them? Do
you look at them every night?” Good questions. So were the answers. “He (Tolzien) says after each day he will go back and highlight everything that is relative and important and review that. Once done with that notebook, he’ll highlight again, while still relevant. “That helps you retain the information.” By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what goes into the making of a quarterback. At least this 6-foot-4, 215-pound, left-handed throwing quarterback from West Chester, Pennsylvania. During a recent Big Ten Network interview in Madison, Fumagalli cut to the chase on Hornibrook when he stated in no uncertain but colorful terms, “Alex works his (bleep) off.” Fumagalli was seated next to Hornibrook on the BTN stage. “He wants to be great,” Fumagalli said.
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INSIDE MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (0-0)
Home events in bold. Times TBA. Exhibitions in New Zealand & Australia:
Aug. 15 vs. NZ Breakers W, 85-75 Aug. 17 vs. NZ Breakers W, 87-53 Aug. 19 vs. Hawthorn Magic W, 75-68 Aug. 20 vs. Melbourne United L, 89-90 Aug. 22 vs. Sydney Kings W, 83-71 Oct. 22 Red/White Scrimmage Nov. 5 UW-Stout (Exhibition) Nov. 10 South Carolina State Nov. 12 Yale Nov. 16 Xavier ▲ TAP TO WATCH - Badgers End Trip Down Under with Win
G’DAY MATES The first official basketball game of the 2017-18 season is still nearly three months away, but the Badgers already have five games under their belts thanks to a foreign tour Down Under in August. Facing professional teams from New Zealand and Australia, Wisconsin came home with a 4-1 record and a ton of experience for a roster that features only one returning starter from last season.
BALANCING ACT One of the big takeaways from UW’s trip to the Southern Hemisphere was the offensive balance on display. The five games featured five different leading scorers with a total of eight players having a double-digit scoring night. In fact, all eight of those players averaged at least 6.0 pointsper-game on the trip, including four in double figures. Sophomore D’Mitrik Trice led UW with 12.4 ppg, junior Ethan Happ averaged 12.0 ppg, sophomore Brevin Pritzl scored 11.4 ppg and freshman Brad Davison averaged 11.2 ppg during the tour.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Badgers Down Under
2017 Hall of Fame Classic, Kansas City:
Nov. 20 vs. Baylor 8:30 p.m. CT Nov. 21 vs. Creighton/UCLA Nov. 24 Milwaukee Nov. 27 at Virginia View full schedule » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ Lucas: Three biggest takeaways from Down Under ▶ Badgers wrap up trip with a win
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INSIDE VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE (2-0)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Madison, Wis.:
Aug. 25 Louisville
W, 3-0
Aug. 26 #11 N. Carolina W, 3-0 at K-State Invitational, Manhattan, Kan.:
Sept. 1
vs. Syracuse
10 a.m.
vs. Arkansas
5:30 p.m.
Sept. 2
at Kansas State 1:30 p.m.
HotelRED Invitational, Madison, WI:
Sept. 7
Lipscomb
7 p.m.
Sept. 9
Texas A&M
7 p.m.
Badger Classic, Madison, WI:
THIS WEEK No. 6 Wisconsin (2-0) takes to the road for the first time this season, traveling to Manhattan, Kansas, for the K-State Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Badgers face Syracuse (2-2) and Arkansas (3-0) on Friday before taking on host Kansas State (2-1) on Saturday.
OF NOTE Freshman Dana Rettke led UW on the weekend, averaging 5.0 kills, 1.83 blocks and 0.83 digs per set. The 6-8 middle blocker had a career-high 15 kills in both matches while hitting .619 on the weekend. She led the Badgers in blocks in both matches.
LAST WEEK The Badgers opened the season 2-0 with wins over Louisville, 3-0, and No. 11 North Carolina, 3-0, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in the UW Field House. UW went 7-1 in four years of the tournament.
GOOD TO KNOW All three matches at the K-State Invitational will air in the Madison area on 100.9FM or online with the iHeartRadio app. Live stats are available on K-StateSports.com while Saturday’s match vs. the Wildcats airs live on ESPN3.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Rettke, Hilley honored by Big Ten
7 p.m.
Sept. 16 Southern Miss.
7 p.m.
Sept. 22 #23 Michigan St. 7 p.m. Sept. 24 #19 Michigan
7 p.m.
Sept. 29 at Iowa
7 p.m.
Sept. 30 at #12 Nebraska
7 p.m.
Oct. 4
#2 Minnesota
Oct. 7
at #23 Michigan St. 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 11
#12 Nebraska
8 p.m.
Oct. 13
Indiana
7 p.m.
GREG ANDERSON
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Badgers finish strong in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Sept. 14 Marquette
7 p.m.
View full schedule » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ Badger volleyball returns to airwaves ▶ Next up: Hilley leads watch list of talent on the rise
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INSIDE MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE (0-0-2, 0-0-0)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Aug. 16 #14 Creighton
L, 0-1
Aug. 19 at UIC
L, 0-1
Aug. 25 at Tulsa
T, 2-2
Aug. 27 vs. Oral Roberts
T, 1-1
Exhibition Exhibition
Tulsa, Okla.
Sept. 2
Grand Canyon
7 p.m.
Sept. 8
at Michigan
6 p.m.
Sept. 13 Northwestern 8:30 p.m.
LAST WEEK UW opened its season in Tulsa, Oklahoma against the Uni-
7 p.m.
Sept. 19 at Duke
6 p.m.
Sept. 23 Penn State
7 p.m.
Sept. 26 Wright State
7 p.m.
versity of Tulsa and Oral Roberts. The Badgers tied Tulsa, 2-2, and ORU, 1-1. UW’s goals came from Tom Barlow, Mike Catalano and Isaac Schlenker.
Oct. 1
at Rutgers
Oct. 4
Marquette
Oct. 7
#13 Michigan St. 7 p.m.
GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers have three goals on the season in just six shots on goal. Senior Tom Barlow leads the squad with two shots on goal while Catalano leads the team with five shots on the season.
Oct. 21 at #7 Indiana 6:30 p.m.
DAVID STLUKA
THIS WEEK The Wisconsin men’s soccer opens up at home on Saturday night against Grand Canyon University at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday’s game will be dedicated as “Bram Dorresteijn Youth Night” in honor of former Badger Bram Dorrestejin. There will be FREE admission to youth soccer players wearing their team jerseys and Madison Area club and high school soccer youth teams receive FREE admission. Additionally, there will be a poster giveaway and post-match autographs.
Sept. 16 Loyola Chicago
2:30 p.m. 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 Green Bay
7 p.m.
Oct. 13 #6 Maryland
6 p.m.
View full schedule » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
NEED TO KNOW Saturday’s match will be streamed live through BTN Plus while fans can also find live statistics on UWBadgers. com and live updates on Twitter (@BadgerMSoccer).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Badgers and Golden Hurricane battle to 2-2 tie
FOLLOW US:
▶ From the Hunter to the Hunted ▶ Trio of Badgers headline All-Big Ten preseason honors
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INSIDE WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE (3-1-0, 0-0-0)
Home events in bold. All times CT. Aug. 6
Detroit Mercy
Exhibition
W, 1-0
Aug. 10 Marquette
W, 4-1
Aug. 18 Kentucky
W, 1-0
Exhibition
Aug. 20 vs. #2 Stanford
Milwaukee, Wis.
Aug. 24 Creighton
L, 0-5 W, 2-0
Aug. 27 Northern Illinois W, 2-0
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Badgers take down Northern Illinois, 2-0
THIS WEEK The Wisconsin women’s soccer team hits the road for the first time this season, facing Virginia at 7 p.m. (CT) on Thursday before heading over to William & Mary on Sunday for a 12 p.m. contest. UW trails the all-time series with Virginia 2-3-0 and the series with William & Mary 4-7-1. LAST WEEK The Badgers went 2-0 on the weekend with 2-0 shutouts over Creighton and Northern Illinois. Freshman Cameron Murtha scored the opening goals in both matches. Sophomores Dani Rhodes and Victoria Pickett had the second goals in the matches.
GOOD TO KNOW After only having one shot against Stanford, the Badgers have had a strong rebound, firing off 24 shots against Creighton and 18 against NIU while holding both opponents under four shots. NEED TO KNOW The match against William & Mary will be live streamed while both matches will have live statistics available. All links can be found on UWBadgers.com while live updates for both games will be available on Twitter (@BadgerWSoccer).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Offense shines, Wisconsin clips Creighton
7 p.m.
Sept. 3
at William & Mary Noon
Sept. 7
at Drake
7 p.m.
Sept. 16 Minnesota
4 p.m.
Sept. 21 Michigan State
8 p.m.
Sept. 24 #23 Michigan
1 p.m.
Sept. 29 at Maryland
2 p.m.
Oct. 1
at #16 Rutgers
Noon
Oct. 6
Purdue
7 p.m.
Oct. 8
Indiana
1 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Illinois
LEONHARD CEDERHOLM
Aug. 31 at #3 Virginia
7 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Northwestern 3:30 p.m. View full schedule » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
FOLLOW US:
▶ Offense and defense click as UW knocks off UNI ▶ WiscNews: Victoria Pickett tries to create her own path
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INSIDE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. All times CT. Sept. 2 at Indiana Open 8:20 a.m.
Bloomington, Ind.
Sept. 8 at ISU Country Financial Invitational 5 p.m.
Bloomington, Ill.
Sept. 16 Wisconsin “Mayflower Day” Open 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at Greater Louisville Classic 8:30 a.m.
Louisville, Ky.
Oct. 13 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational 11 a.m.
THIS WEEK Following an eighth-place showing at last year’s NCAA championship, the Wisconsin men’s cross country team opens its 2017 campaign on Saturday at the Indiana Open in Bloomington, Indiana. The meet begins with a women’s 5K at 8:20 a.m. CT with the men’s 8K to follow at 9:10 a.m. LAST YEAR Wisconsin won its 47th Big Ten men’s cross country title and its 30th NCAA Great Lakes Regional crown before finishing eighth at the NCAA meet. UW was led by Big Ten Athlete of the Year Morgan McDonald and senior Malachy Schrobilgen. The pair were
UW’s top two finishers at the Big Ten, NCAA regional and NCAA championship meets. NEED TO KNOW McDonald returns to UW after a busy summer as the Sydney, Australia, native finished 20th in the 5000 meters at the 2017 IAAF World Championships. McDonald also broke the UW school record in the mile twice during the summer and ran the fastest 5K time in school history by an undergrad.
Nov. 10 at NCAA Great Lakes Regional 11 a.m.
DAVID STLUKA
Oct. 29 at Big Ten Championships Bloomington, Ind. 9 a.m.
Terre Haute, Ind.
View full schedule » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
GOOD TO KNOW A recap of Saturday’s meet will be available on UWBadgers.com while fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Pair of Badgers shine at IAAF World Championships
FOLLOW US:
▶ UW Athletics Hall of Fame adds fantastic 11-member class ▶ Camp Randall 100: Don Gehrmann
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INSIDE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Home events in bold. All times CT. Sept. 2 at Indiana Open 8:20 a.m.
Bloomington, Ind.
Sept. 8 at ISU Country Financial Invitational 5 p.m.
Bloomington, Ill.
Sept. 16 Wisconsin “Mayflower Day” Open 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at Greater Louisville Classic 8:30 a.m.
Louisville, Ky.
Oct. 13 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational 11 a.m.
Nov. 10 at NCAA Great Lakes Regional 11 a.m.
THIS WEEK The Wisconsin women’s cross country team opens its 2017 campaign on Saturday morning with the Indiana Open in Bloomington, Indiana. The meet begins with a women’s 5K at 8:20 a.m. CT with the men’s 8K to follow at 9:10 a.m. LAST YEAR Wisconsin returns four of its five scorers from last year’s NCAA squad that earned the program’s 21st top-15 finish. Three-time All-American Sarah Disanza returns for her senior season after leading UW at the NCAA meet last year with a 54th-place showing.
NEED TO KNOW Also returning for UW is sophomore Alicia Monson, who earned valuable experience on the cross country course last January. The Amery, Wis., native finished third in the junior race at the 2017 U.S. Cross Country Championships to qualify for the 2017 IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championship.
WALT MIDDLETON
Oct. 29 at Big Ten Championships Bloomington, Ind. 9 a.m.
Terre Haute, Ind.
Nov. 18 at NCAA Championships Louisville, Ky. 11 a.m. View full schedule »
SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
GOOD TO KNOW A recap of Saturday’s meet will be available on UWBadgers.com while fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Badgers to host 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championship
FOLLOW US:
▶ Camp Randall 100: Gwen Jorgensen ▶ Grambeau, Wagner selected to NCAA Sports Forum
47
THIS WEEK IN BADGER HISTORY
CAMP RANDALL 100 SPOTLIGHT:
PAT RICHTER
The Camp Randall 100 honors a prestigious group of 100 people who shaped the first century of Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin Athletics has been revealing a new honoree every day from May 24 until the Badgers’ 2017 opening game on Sept. 1 against Utah State. BY MIKE LUCAS UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
P
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at Richter is synonymous with Wisconsin Athletics. A three-sport letterwinner (football, basketball and baseball) he was a two-time All-American receiver for the Badgers. He twice led the Big Ten in receiving and helped the Badgers win the 1962 conference title and earn a berth to the Rose Bowl. In 1997, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Richter was a first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 1963 and played nine seasons in the NFL. After a successful business career, he returned to UW in 1989 as the Badgers’ Director of Athletics. He was responsible for overseeing a renaissance of Wisconsin Athletics, hiring head football coach Barry Alvarez and helping mold the successful all-around program that still prospers today.
▪▪▪▪ As a 10-year-old growing up on Madison’s east side, Pat Richter’s earliest memory of Camp Randall Stadium was watching Ohio State’s explosive single-wing tailback Vic Janowicz, whose No. 31 would be retired by the school not unlike Richter’s No. 88 would be one day at Wisconsin. In 1951, Richter was in the Camp Randall stands for a fiercely-contested 6-6 draw between the Buckeyes and the Badgers. Janowicz, the 1950 Heisman Trophy winner, was a non-factor on offense as the fabled Hard Rocks defense limited him to just 11 yards on 11 carries. Janowicz was completely neutralized as a runner, much to the chagrin of Ohio State’s first-year head coach who was making the jump from Miami (Ohio) to the Big Ten. It was one of the few times that Woody Hayes didn’t walk away with a “W” against the Badgers.
When Richter got to Wisconsin in 1959 — after in the sixth game with his 26th catch, a play that covdecommitting from a basketball scholarship to the ered 36 yards against Michigan. But it was costly. University of Kansas — he was a member of the “Benny McRae tackled me and pulled my arms back,” freshman football team that was coached on defense he said, “so I wasn’t able to break my fall.” by former All-American defensive end Pat O’DonaRichter landed on his shoulder and broke his colhue, a feisty stalwart of larbone, sidelining him those Hard Rocks. for the remainder of “I HAD TO STRETCH OUT TO CATCH THE BALL ON “Freshmen weren’t the season. That was MY FINGERTIPS AND WHILE I WAS TRYING TO GET eligible,” said Richter, his most painful Camp MY BALANCE, I COULDN’T AND ENDED UP GOING whose most vivid recolRandall moment. WithTHUMP, THUMP AND FLOPPING ON THE TURF.” lections of Camp Ranout prodding, Richter IT WAS A RARE AWKWARD MOMENT. “BUT I HELD ON TO THE BALL,” RICHTER SAID, dall that first year were volunteered that his “AND I DIDN’T BREAK ANY BONES, EITHER.” from playing in the most embarrassing mo“shadows of the stadiment came the followum” on the adjoining practice fields that are now Lot ing season during a 55-7 dismantling of Illinois. 17 and the McClain Center. The frosh scrimmaged “I got behind the defense and it was the longest the varsity on Mondays. pass that I caught in Camp Randall Stadium,” Richter It was during one of these scrimmages that the said of the 56-yard play. “But I had to stretch out to mild-mannered Richter did something totally out of catch the ball on my fingertips and while I was trycharacter. He lost his poise. While playing defense ing to get my balance, I couldn’t and ended up going and lining up opposite the tight end, an upperclassthump, thump and flopping on the turf.” man, he exchanged some elbows during and after It was a rare awkward moment. the play. Push came to shove. “But I held on to the ball,” he said, “and I didn’t “We went back and forth,” Richter said, “and the break any bones, either.” next thing I know I was swinging.” To read the whole story click here. For the complete Richter landed a right hand through the single-bar Camp Randall 100 list, visit CampRandall100.com. facemask and broke the tight end’s nose. What in the world possessed him to throw a punch? “I guess we have a little bit of a boiling point,” conceded Richter, whose laid-back demeanor belied his intensity and toughness, even as a freshman. “Luckily, I missed his facemask or I probably would have split my knuckles.” Richter, who was on a partial basketball tender, made his college football debut in 1960 and set a UW record by catching seven passes in the opener at Stanford. A week later, Richter’s first home game was upstaged by Marquette’s last appearance at Camp Randall Stadium. Richter had three catches in a 35-6 win; the 36th and final meeting between the in-state rivals who had met every year since 1932. All the games were staged in Madison and Wisconsin dominated the series (32-4) against Marquette, which dropped football at the end of the season. As a sophomore, Richter matched Jerry Witt’s single-season record for receptions
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