INFOCUS
SIGHT SET ON WHAT’S AHEAD Led by preseason All-American Jonathan Taylor, the No. 4 Wisconsin football team has its sights set on season-opening opponent Western Kentucky. The Badgers host the Hilltoppers at Camp Randall Stadium for an 8 p.m. (CT) kickoff on ESPN. PHOTO BY BRANDON HARRISON
INFOCUS
GOALLLLL! All eyes were on Lauren Rice’s long-range rocket to the back of the net as the shot beat several Marquette defenders and the goalie’s stretching hands. A worthy opportunity to celebrate together en route to a 2-0 victory against the in-state rivals. PHOTOS BY UW WOMEN'S SOCCER
INFOCUS
SERVING UP WINS Sophomore Dana Rettke serves the ball at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last weekend in Minneapolis. The Badgers went 2-0, defeating North Carolina and Florida State. PHOTOS BY KELLI GRASHEL
INFOCUS
REUNITED AGAIN Former Badgers Mellissa Channell and Sarah Nurse were drafted on Sunday by the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. The duo helped UW reach fourstraight NCAA Frozen Fours during their time with the Badgers. PHOTO COURTESY MELLISSA CHANNELL
CONTENTS
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AUGUST 28, 2018 ▪ VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
MY WORDS: NOBODY CARES. WORK HARDER. Wisconsin senior outside linebacker T.J. Edwards takes a look across the field at UW’s offense and shares why the Badgers are ignoring the hype.
FEATURES 2
IN FOCUS
RISING STOCK 14 LUCAS AT LARGE
14 LUCAS AT LARGE
The Big Ten Network’s analysts are bullish on the Badgers and other rising stocks in the league.
17 BY THE NUMBERS 19 WHAT TO WATCH 23 BADGERING
27 VIRAL VIDEO 37 INSIDE FOOTBALL 39 INSIDE VOLLEYBALL 41 INSIDE MEN’S SOCCER 43 INSIDE WOMEN’S SOCCER
GREG ANDERSON
25 BADGERS GIVE BACK
39 HOME COURT VOLLEYBALL
Ranked eighth in the country, Wisconsin opens home play and the upper deck this weekend against No. 2 Texas. 11
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LUCAS AT LARGE
BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM
Big Ten experts bullish on the Badgers
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f each football program in the Big Ten’s West Division was a stock, which one would you buy? Wisconsin? Iowa? Northwestern? Nebraska? Purdue? Minnesota? Illinois? “On a five-year term investment, I’d certainly continue to buy Wisconsin,” said Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine. “I’d buy Purdue as long as (Coach) Jeff Brohm is going to be there. “I’d buy Northwestern. I think the Hunter Johnson transfer (from Clemson) is huge. They’re going to have one of the best quarterbacks in the country.” Johnson, a five-star prospect from Brownsburg, Indiana, must sit out this season. But he will have three years of eligibility starting in 2019. “I’d hold on Minnesota,” Revsine continued. “I’d be interested to see how this year looks like and whether there is any improvement. “I would certainly buy Nebraska. That’s the biggest growth stock in the league. That’s the one with the highest upside right now in terms of what it is and
where it could be. “But if you’re looking for steady performance, Wisconsin is your stock.” Revsine’s BTN colleague, Gerry DiNardo, agreed with him on the Cornhuskers. “The arrow is pointing up in the West,” said DiNardo, a former head coach at Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana. “But can you close the gap between you and Wisconsin? I think it’s going to be one of the most balanced divisions in college football.” Howard Griffith, a fellow BTN analyst, also sided with Revsine in most cases. “Listen, Nebraska is going to be a team that is on the rise,” Griffith said. “It just depends on how aggressive you want to be (in buying that stock). Maybe the upside might be there. “For me, I’d rather stay with a blue chip … Wisconsin. When you look at what they have coming back, you have a proven quarterback and you have a running back who can go for 2,000 yards.” Griffith is well-versed on Alex Hornibrook and Jonathan Taylor.
Especially the latter since Griffith was a starting running back for three seasons at Illinois and played another eight-plus years in the NFL. As a senior (1990), Griffith rushed for 1,115 yards and 15 touchdowns, including an NCAA record eight touchdowns, all the Illini scored, against Southern Illinois. As a pro, he was known as the “Human Plow” in Denver for his blocking prowess clearing a path for Terrell Davis. Griffith wound up earning two Super Bowl championship rings with the Broncos. During a training camp visit from the BTN crew, the 50-yearold Griffith broke down Taylor’s game, sizing up strengths and weaknesses, and areas of potential growth as a sophomore and beyond. “What I saw was a tough kid and patient runner,” he said. “He understands where his blockers are going to be and utilizes them. This is a downhill running attack, so he’s going to take some shots. “And he took them. The fact
that he was able to sustain that for an entire year — that level of performance — was really impressive and speaks to his off-the-field work ethic in the weight room. “If he can continue to build on this” — 1,977 rushing yards breaking Adrian Peterson’s freshman record — “he’s got a chance to break a lot more records and do some tremendous things.” Standing in the south end zone, Griffith had a Camp Randall Stadium flashback. “I didn’t have a problem with fumbling,” he said, “but I actually fumbled twice here (in 1988) and lost them both.” The Illini still won handily, 346. Last season, Taylor fumbled eight times and lost six. “You can’t worry about that,” Griffith said. “And nobody is going to be harder on him than himself. Everybody is going to be ripping at it (the ball) so he just has to really protect it.” Ball security has been one of Taylor’s priorities. Another has been goal-line and short-yardage running. He’s confident that he can be a bigger asset and more productive in that facet of the offense. “There’s going to be an unblocked guy and you’ve got to know that,” said Griffith, who accounted for two 1-yard touchdown runs in Denver’s win over Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII. “When it’s condensed, you’ve got to have a feel and trust the guys up front. You can’t block them all, you can’t block them perfectly. The guy who’s coming free is going to be your guy.
“You have to be patient and when you see that crease, you have to explode through it. “It’s not that he’s not a tough runner,” Griffith went on to say of the 221-pound Taylor, “we know he’s a tough runner. So now it’s just about continuing to develop the mental side of the game. “He has to develop … call it a database … for what defenses are trying to do specifically to stop him. Those guys (defensive coordinators) make a lot of money to figure out how to stop this run game — not that they’re going to be able to — but that’s what they’ve been doing all summer.” Such offseason game-planning for Taylor, Griffith said, particularly given the Badgers historically potent rushing attack, is not all that uncommon. UW coach Paul Chryst has even talked about it. “It seems our running back and the run game has always had a lot of focus put on it by opponents,” Chryst said during his Sunday press conference. “That hasn’t changed. “Certainly, if you’re going to play us, you know that we’re going to run the football. And we’ll always get a lot of attention on that. There’s a natural narrative because of JT and what he has done. “But when you play us, that’s probably a pretty natural approach. I don’t know that if you can do it more than maybe what teams have in the past.” What are they scheming in the defensive meeting rooms before facing the Badgers?
“Can you stop them from converting third-and-1, fourthand-1, third-and-2?” Griffith said. “It’s a high percentage they’re going to run and teams aren’t going to allow the run game to beat them.” In theory, at least. “So, they may sit back and say, ‘Alex (Hornibrook) is going to have to do it.’ But with this offensive line and their athletic ability up front, they’re going to have a lot to do with what happens. “The expectations are enormous for Taylor and for this team. And he’s going to be the first or second name out of people’s mouths when they talk about what is going to happen here.” Therein is the challenge. “That’s part of it,” said Griffith, cognizant Taylor is on everyone’s Heisman short list. “It’s being able to guard against everyone else’s expectations that are going to be heaped upon him. “The one thing you can say: they’re going to line up to stop the run. They’re going to do that. “So, he’s got to be patient enough not to get frustrated and not get outside of his game and try to do more than what is already there for him because that can happen with all the expectations. “But, to be honest, from everything I’ve seen watching him — and having a chance to talk with him — he doesn’t appear to be that kind of kid …” That kind of kid to get outside of his lane, he was implying, even though Taylor is squarely in the fast lane, a Bull Market tailback. ▪
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FOOTBALL ▶ Junior Alex Hornibrook owns a 20-3 (.870) record as the Badgers’ starting quarterback. The Badgers averaged 31.4 points in the 23 games Hornibrook started over his first two seasons.
◀ VOLLEYBALL Wisconsin opened the season 2-0 behind great team play last weekend. The Badgers set or tied 13 personal bests on the weekend, including four (digs, service aces, assists and attack attempts) by sophomore Grace Loberg.
31.4
MEN’S SOCCER ▼ Less than an hour into his collegiate playing career, freshman Andrew Akindele picked up his first goal as a Badger thanks to an assist from teammate Mitch Guitar at 58:00 on the road against Grand Canyon. He also had his first career assist in the Badgers’ home opening win over Hartford on Monday.
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58:00 ◀ WOMEN’S SOCCER Cameron Murtha had a hand in all three of UW’s goals in the Badgers’ 3-1 win at Kentucky. The sophomore tallied four points, notching a goal and two assists. Her five points this season are tied for the team lead.
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WHAT TO WATCH
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
FOOTBALL VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 ▪ 8PM CAMP RANDALL ▪ ESPN
BRANDON HARRISON
Fourth-ranked Wisconsin seeks to win its 23rd-consecutive home opener when Western Kentucky comes to Camp Randall Stadium for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Friday. Catch the game live on ESPN.
buy tickets
HOME COURT
VOLLEYBALL VS. TEXAS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ▪ 7PM UW FIELD HOUSE ▪ BTN No. 8 Wisconsin hosts the fifth-annual HotelRED Invitational to open home play on Saturday and Sunday. The Badgers will face No. 2 Texas at 7 p.m. Saturday live on the Big Ten Network.
BEAUTIFUL GAME
MEN’S SOCCER VS. VALPARAISO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 ▪ 2:30PM McCLIMON COMPLEX ▪ BTN PLUS Wisconsin continues home play on Monday against Valparaiso at 2:30 p.m. Watch the action live on BTN Plus and follow the Badgers on Twitter (@BadgerMSoccer).
ticket info 19
WEDNESDAY 8/29
THURSDAY 8/30
FRIDAY 8/31
SATURDAY 9/1
WOMEN’S SOCCER at Washington Seattle 10 p.m.
FOOTBALL vs. Western Kentucky Madison, Wis. 8:00 p.m. Watch: ESPN Buy tickets »
VOLLEYBALL HotelRED Invitational vs. #2 Texas Madison, Wis. 7:00 p.m. Watch: BTN SOLD OUT MEN’S SOCCER vs. Fordham Madison, Wis. 7:30 p.m. Watch: BTN Plus Ticket info »
SUNDAY 9/2 WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Portland Seattle 1:30 p.m. Watch: BTN Plus Ticket info »
MONDAY 9/3
TUESDAY 9/4
WEDNESDAY 9/5
MEN’S SOCCER vs. Valparaiso Madison, Wis. 2:30 p.m. Watch: BTN Plus Ticket info »
VOLLEYBALL HotelRED Invitational vs. High Point Madison, Wis. 6:00 p.m. Watch: BTN Plus Buy tickets »
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
VIEW FULL CALENDAR ON UWBADGERS.COM »
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BADGERING...
ANDREW VAN GINKEL SENIOR ▪ OUTSIDE LINEBACKER ▪ ROCK VALLEY, IOWA
What is your hometown of Rock Valley, Iowa known for? “Hmm… that’s a tough one. It’s a small town. But we just got our second stoplight, ha ha. There are just a lot of small town businesses, industries. It’s a big farming community.” Tell us about your dog… “Yep, I have a Siberian Husky named Piper. She’s about a year and a half old, so she’s still a bit of a puppy. She’s still a little wild, too. At first she was chewing on everything, but she’s gotten better. I never had a dog growing up, but I grew up around them because my family members had dogs on their farms.” Do you study any particular pass rushers? Do people try to compare you to Clay Matthews, for the hair if nothing else? “Yeah, I get that every now and then. I like watching Von Miller of the Broncos. His speed and quickness and his different moves. He’s an all-around player. I like watching T.J. Watt and guys that have come through Wisconsin and have done what we’re doing now.”
DAVID STLUKA
How’s your golf game? “It’s alright, I’m about a bogey golfer. I played about once a week this summer. I picked up golf in high school, but I didn’t play on the team — although I wish I would have. I played about 10 times a year in high school and started playing even more in college.” Are you a big hitter? “I’m alright. I can hit it over 300 yards off the tee. I’m probably the best driver on the team, from what I’ve seen. Nah, I’m just kidding. I golf with guys like T.J. Edwards, Beau Benzschawel, Michael Deiter, Micah Kapoi, Garrett Groshek.” You played at South Dakota and Iowa Western CC before Wisconsin. What is a luxury you have now that you didn’t have then? “Definitely the flying to games. That’s huge. I remember when I was at Iowa Western and we drove to Boulder, Colorado for a game. It was about 16 hours. We’d cram into the bus right after the game and drive home through the night. It was brutal and that’s one thing I’m very grateful for at Wisconsin.” ▪ 23
SAVING LIVES & SERVING WISCONSIN The UW School of Veterinary Medicine helps make both animal and human lives better. Our discoveries have advanced cancer treatments, we’ve created new ways to fight the flu, and we’re a world leader when it comes to figuring out what keeps cows healthy and happy. We make sure Wisconsin’s dairy industry remains the best.
MORE THAN
We have trained over half of the veterinarians in the state and serve as a resource and referral clinic for all.
Our livestock experts launched The Dairyland Initiative, a program that works directly with farms to optimize cow comfort, health, and production.
Our scientists conduct 75% of the infectious disease research at UW-Madison, including work to prevent pandemic influenza.
AnimalsNeedHeroesToo.com
Our teaching hospital provides exceptional care for animals throughout the state. Of our 27,000 patient visits last year, 80% were from Wisconsin.
BADGERS GIVE BACK SPOTLIGHT
badgers give back
School House Rocked
Local students prepare for school with donations from UW Athletics BY BADGERS GIVE BACK STAFF
S
chool bells will ring soon and young children will shuffle in and sit at freshly cleaned desks, anxiously awaiting the start of another school year. For more than 200 children in the Madison Metropolitan School District, school supply donations from the Wisconsin athletic department will help welcome them to another year. Supplies donated include everything from markers and pens for kindergarteners to backpacks for high-school aged children. “We are happy to provide over 300 items and a monetary gift to help students in the Madison area,” said Jackie Davenport, Director of Community Relations for Wisconsin Athletics. “It’s a nervous, but exciting time for many students, and we are proud to get them excited for school in any way that we can.” A partnership with the Lussier Community Education Center on Madison’s far westside led the call to action again this year. Cristina Johnson, Community Engagement Manager at Lussier, organizes the drive in July once a year to help families with insecurities prepare their children for the year ahead. Or-
ganizations across Madison offer donations for the children in Lussier’s programs, bringing in over 2,000 school supply items donated, in which Johnson sorts through and distributes into backpacks based off grade. The donations help over 200 children at Lussier from over five zip codes in Madison prepare for the school year ahead. “We’re able to give the school supply donations to kids before school starts,” Johnson said. “So kids are already ready when they go to school. They also won’t stand out as a kid that doesn’t have materials on the first day of school.” This year for the first time, UW Athletics staff helped distribute the school supplies to kids at Lussier. Kids beamed as they received their gifts, often saying “Thank You,” and sharing their excitement for entering a new grade. “This year, we were excited to be a part of the distribution process, too,” Davenport said. “Being able to interact with the children and parents firsthand was a great way to see the fruit of our labor from this year’s drive.” For more information on Badgers Give Back, visit UWBadgers.com/BadgersGiveBack. ▪
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VIRAL VIDEO
MADISON: HOME OF THE BADGERS UP NEXT:
DRIVEN || SEASON 4 || EPISODE 1
PREGAME PRIMER: UW VS. WKU
FOLLOW THE BADGERS â–¶
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his might come as a surprise to some of you, but I used to be a quarterback and once dreamed of playing one at the college level. I started 20 games for Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, Illinois, and we won 17 of them. I threw for a combined 2,500 passing yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior and senior while doubling as a linebacker on defense. I had a pretty good arm, but we had a really good running back. A beast by the name of Direll Clark — he was recruited by Purdue and Western Kentucky — so the offense was more of a read-option. He would cut all the way back and I’d be blocking for him. That was my thing. That’s what I enjoyed. I think that’s the only reason I had some good tape for college recruiters.
But every school that reached out to me wanted me for defense. Toledo wanted me to be a super back. Most everyone else, including Wisconsin, wanted me to play linebacker. I figured once I didn’t get any offers at quarterback, I must not be that good, so I put that dream on the backburner. Funny, not only am I getting ready for my fourth season as a starter at inside linebacker for the Badgers, I look around our defensive meeting room and see five teammates who have a similar history. Ryan Connelly played quarterback at Eden Prairie (Minnesota) High School. So did Zack Baun (Brown Deer, Wisconsin), Jaylan Franklin (Brownstone, Michigan), Tyler Johnson (Menasha, Wisconsin) and Andrew Van Ginkel (Rock Valley, Iowa).
“AS A QUARTERBACK-TURNEDINSIDE-LINEBACKER, I ALSO APPRECIATE HOW MUCH THIS WISCONSIN OFFENSE HAS EVOLVED DURING MY CAREER AND HOW DANGEROUS IT LOOKS HEADING INTO THE NEW SEASON.”
How does my time as a QB in high school help me now? For one thing, it gives me a greater appreciation for the quarterbacks we have here and have to face every day in practice. Alex Hornibrook, Jack Coan, Chase Wolf, Nate Carter and Danny Vanden Boom manage a very elaborate offense and are a lot better than I ever was. I have a lot of respect for Alex and how well he responds to things. He’s the same guy every day. He’s the first guy in and the last guy to leave. He’s mentally tough, too. I remember games at Camp Randall where Alex has thrown a pick and he’s hearing it from the stands from our own fans. “You suck.” I know me, and that kind of stuff — it wouldn’t affect how I played — but it would be some-
thing I’d think about. Alex is wired differently. He doesn’t get rattled. We ask him all the time if he’s talking crap out on the field because of the way some opponents react. He gets hit late and he’s going to give the guy a hug and start laughing just to mess with him. I know if he did that to me it would mess with my mind. It’s definitely something I couldn’t respond to. As a quarterback-turned-inside-linebacker, I also appreciate how much this Wisconsin offense has evolved during my career and how dangerous it looks heading into the new season. During preseason practice I’ve noticed some new wrinkles. Even guys like Connelly, a fifthyear senior, and Chris Orr, another inside linebacker who’s a junior, are going, “We’ve never seen that before.” I think the new looks are tied to our offensive linemen — the guys on the cover of Sports Illustrated — and their ability to execute and master more details. My best friends on the team are fifth-year seniors on the O-line: Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel and Micah Kapoi. It’s funny. They started as redshirt freshmen in 2015 and I remember Deiter saying, “Man, we are bad. We’re going to get a quarterback killed back there.” Now they’re the talk of the town and it’s funny to see how they’ve come full circle, just gaining their experience and how far they’ve come. They’re a really good group. During my 40-game career at Wisconsin, I’ve had to chase down a lot of great running backs. Derrick Henry of Alabama won the
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DAVID STLUKA
“THE IDEA OF BEING A LEADER IS SOMETHING THAT BROUGHT ME BACK FOR ONE MORE SEASON. I THOUGHT ABOUT DECLARING FOR THE NFL DRAFT BUT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I FELT I NEEDED TO COME BACK. I HAD A LOT OF THINGS TO IMPROVE ON.”
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Heisman Trophy in 2015. Leonard Fournette of LSU and Saquon Barkley of Penn State were top-five picks in the NFL draft. I was on the scout team here in 2014 when Melvin Gordon ran for more than 2,500 yards. Jonathan Taylor is right there with them, I believe. His combination of balance, power and speed is scary. He’ll hit a front-side play and you’ll know where his hole is and where his read is and, all of a sudden, he’s out the back side and you can’t do anything about it. He’s that fast. He’s that deceptive with his moves. He’s truly right there with those elite backs and he’s only a true sophomore, which is un-
believable to think about. I remember when he came in last year — before he broke all those records — we had a team game of paintball and the freshmen ran the gauntlet. He was running out in front of everybody and you couldn’t hit him because he was so fast. In my time here I don’t remember us being this deep at wide receiver and tight end. As a group, the ones and twos can make a play when they need to. It’s different. Not only can we run the ball, but once you stack the box we can throw it, too. With Alex being the player he is now, I think it’s definitely something special. How will opposing defenses try to han-
DAVID STLUKA
dle us? I think linebackers that go against our offense are going to have to have their best games. Even simple things like getting a good play-action read. If you don’t get a good drop, those receivers are going right behind you and run for days. Our offensive line, if you take one false step, they’ve got you leveraged, they seal you off and there goes JT running right by you. It’s scary. One of the best things to happen to our defense during training camp is having to face our offense. We’re young in the secondary and on the defensive line and those new faces are going up against some really good, veteran players every day in practice. It definitely benefits us. We had tremendous team chemistry last year, which helps explain why we went 13-1, setting a school record for most wins. But chemistry doesn’t replicate itself every year. Rosters change. Roles change. Relationships change. Right now I think each position group has good chemistry. Now we just have to bring it together as a whole, but I think we’re on track. Earlier this month I was humbled to be chosen as one of four captains, joining Alex, Deiter and D’Cota Dixon. We’re all grateful to be singled out this way by our peers. It’s one of the biggest honors you can receive. D’Cota is serious, Deiter is always talking — always keeping things interesting — and Alex is Alex. As for me, I prefer to lead by example. I think it’s a good group because we all have the same priorities. But when it comes to leadership, we’re hardly alone. Ryan Connelly and Chris Orr and Olive Sagapolu are guys that come to mind for setting a quality example. The idea of being a leader is something that brought me back for one more season. I thought about declaring for the NFL draft but it was one of those things where I felt I needed to come back. I had a lot of things to improve on.
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Insider insight from the Badgers. In their own words.
BRAD DAVISON: NEVER AGAIN »
DANA RETTKE: ABOVE IT ALL »
NIAMH MARTIN: WISCONSIN WAY »
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We’ve been to the last two Big Ten title games, but fallen short both times. Those memories hurt as much as they motivate. I want to get back to Indianapolis — it’s easier said than done, I know — and it’s what drives me. Playing in the NFL is a dream of mine, but I felt like I had more to do here. There are all sorts of what-ifs, but I’m happy I came back. People have asked me about our motto for this season. “Nobody Cares, Work Harder” comes from the fact that all these outside forces — media, fans, etc. — have an opinion about us and it’s important that we keep them in perspective. We know that people are expecting big things from us. Our guys are on the cover of SI. Preseason polls pick us to win the Big Ten title and make it to the College Football Playoff. Multiple guys are preseason All-Americans. We’re getting all this attention even though we haven’t played a single game yet. “Nobody Cares, Work Harder” means we don’t listen to the outside noise because that’s when complacency sets in. We did a lot of special things last year, but that’s in the past. I think all the outside talk is dangerous just because it allows for people to sit on their high horse and believe they’re as good as everyone says they are. No one outside our locker room has higher expectations for us than we do. For most of the time I’ve been here we’ve been seen as the underdogs. Being the favorites is a new challenge. It’s an opportunity to change the script. It’s important that we never lose sight of the little things. What makes us so good is we really care about the details about what we do and how we do things. On the defensive side of things, there are a lot of things we do that are complicated and if one person is out of his gap or fit, the play doesn’t work. We need to lock into those details in all facets of our game. “Nobody Cares, Work Harder” means we’re
just going to keep pushing as hard as we can, take what we came to get and anything less is unacceptable. I have a buddy back home who was asking me about all those recruiting rankings. He wanted to know how these other schools get these crazy high recruits and we don’t and yet Wisconsin is still right there. Good question. It’s always been weird to me how this place operates. You get here. You work as hard as you can. Good things happen. The next guy follows the next. It all starts with the character — guys who love football, plain and simple. Do you like football and are you willing to work as hard as you possibly can to help the team? You know what else makes this place great? The coaches. We have different types, different personalities working toward the same goal. They love to be around the game and they love to be around us. I was recruited by Gary Andersen — I’ll always be grateful to his assistant, Jeff Genyk, for lobbying hard for me — but all my snaps have come under Paul Chryst, a really good dude
who truly cares about our team and wanting to win. That’s all you can ask for. I’ve had three defensive coordinators and learned important things from all of them. Dave Aranda was a big Xs and Os guy. Justin Wilcox talked as much about life lessons as how the game works. Jim Leonhard truly knows what it takes to be an elite college football player and has a way of teaching things so we can all understand. It’s hard to believe I’m about to start my last season at Wisconsin. It’s hard to believe I’ll be graduating in December with a degree in Life Sciences Communication. I’m very appreciative of what this place has given me. It’s made me work as hard as I’ve ever had to, to overcome adversity, to fight through things I’m not used to fighting through with injuries, time management, things like that. I’m thankful for people who genuinely root for us and how much they care about the Badgers even though I’m a Chicago Bears fan through and through. A new season is almost here. Time to get back to work.
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2018
Game Day Headquarters Kicking off Friday, August 31 at 4 pm Augie’s TAvern Aug. 31: sept. 8: sept. 15: Oct. 6: Oct. 20: nov. 3: nov. 24:
uW uW uW uW uW uW uW
vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs.
Western Kentucky new Mexico BYu nebraska illinois (Homecoming) rutgers Minnesota
Augie’s Tavern is esPn Wisconsin’s Post-game HQ! Parking, Brunch, round-Trip stadium shuttle, Live Post-game Broadcast from esPn Wisconsin TheEdgewater.com/gameday Game day events free and open to the public; parking, shuttle, food and beverage available for purchase.
INSIDE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (0-0, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. Aug. 31 Western Kentucky 8 p.m. Sept. 8 New Mexico Sept. 15 BYU
11 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 22 at Iowa Oct. 6
TBA
Nebraska TBA
Oct. 13 at #14 Michigan Oct. 20 Illinois
TBA 11 a.m.
Homecoming
Nov. 3 ▲ TAP TO WATCH - ‘The Camp’ 2018: Episode 4
THIS WEEK The 130th season of Wisconsin football begins Friday with a prime-time matchup between the fourth-ranked Badgers and Western Kentucky in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers have won 22 straight home openers, dating back to 1996, and are in search of their 40th consecutive win over a non-conference opponent at Camp Randall Stadium.
LAST SEASON Wisconsin returns five All-Americans from a 2017 squad that won a school-record 13 games, claimed its second straight Big Ten West Division crown and tallied its fourth consecutive bowl win by downing Miami in the Orange Bowl.
NEED TO KNOW Friday’s game kicks off at 8 p.m. (CT) and airs live on ESPN, with Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer and Olivia Dekker on the call. Matt Lepay, Mike Lucas, Mark Tauscher and Patrick Herb will call the game statewide on the Badger Sports Network and worldwide via iHeartRadio. Live stats are available via UWBadgers.com and the Badger Gameday app.
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▶ Training Camp Confidential: Surprise! You’re on scholarship!
TBA
Rutgers TBA
Nov. 10 at #10 Penn State
TBA
Nov. 17 at Purdue
TBA
Nov. 24 Minnesota
TBA
Dec. 1
Big Ten Championship
Indianapolis, Ind.
DAVID STLUKA
Oct. 27 at Northwestern
View full schedule/results »
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▶ On the Inside: Training Table ▶ Training Camp Confidential: New defensive linemen
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INSIDE VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE (2-0, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. at Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Minneapolis:
Aug. 24 vs. UNC
W, 3-0
Aug. 25 vs. Florida State W, 3-1 HotelRED Invitational, Madison, Wis.:
THIS WEEK The eighth-ranked Badgers open their home season with the fifth-annual HotelRED Invitational in the UW Field House on Saturday and Sunday. Wisconsin (2-0) takes on No. 2 Texas (2-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Longhorns face High Point (0-2) at 1 p.m. on Sunday before the tournament wraps up at 6 p.m. with the Badgers vs. Panthers. LAST WEEK Wisconsin opened the 2018 season with a 2-0 mark after downing North Carolina (30) and Florida State (3-1) in the fifth-annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. UW opens the season undefeated for the thirdstraight year and improves to 9-1 in the Challenge.
GOOD TO KNOW For the first time since 2008, the upper deck of the Field House will be open for fans. UW opened six sections of the upper deck for the 2018 season, upping the capacity of the Field House to 7,052, an increase of 1,050 fans. Wisconsin has sold 6,423 season tickets in 2018, an increase of 1,538 tickets sold from 2017. That number breaks last season’s record attendance of 5,980 fans per match. NEED TO KNOW Saturday’s match vs. Texas airs live on the Big Ten Network while Sunday’s match vs. High Point will be streamed on BTN Plus. All Wisconsin matches can be heard in the Madison area on 100.9FM or anywhere online with the iHeartRadio app. Live updates are also available on Twitter @BadgerVB.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Wisconsin tops Florida State in back-and-forth battle
#2 Texas
7 p.m.
Sept. 2
High Point
6 p.m.
Sept. 7
at #12 Baylor
6 p.m.
Sept. 9
at North Texas
1 p.m.
KELLI GRASHEL
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Driven || Season 4 || Episode 1
Sept. 1
at Marquette Invitational, Milwaukee:
Sept. 14 vs. Marquette
7 p.m.
Sept. 15 vs. Illinois State 11 a.m. Sept. 19 Ohio State
6 p.m.
Sept. 22 Rutgers
1 p.m.
Sept. 26 at #3 Minnesota 8 p.m. Sept. 29 at #20 Purdue
6 p.m.
Oct. 3
at Illinois
8 p.m.
Oct. 6
at Iowa
7 p.m.
Oct. 12 Northwestern
8 p.m.
Oct. 13 #11 Illinois
7 p.m.
View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
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▶ Badgers dominate Tar Heels in season opener ▶ My Words: Above It All by Dana Rettke
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We didn’t invent the term “gemutlicHKeit” but we did perfect it. Welcome to a state of gemutlichkeit.
INSIDE MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE (1-1, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. Aug. 24 at Grand Canyon L, 1-2 Aug. 27 Hartford
W, 2-0
Sept. 1
#16 Fordham 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3
Valparaiso
Sept. 7
at SIUE
7 p.m.
Sept. 9
at Bradley
2 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 #2 Indiana
3 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Maryland
7 p.m.
Sept. 26 at Marquette
7 p.m.
Oct. 3
Milwaukee
7 p.m.
Oct. 7
Rutgers
1 p.m.
Oct. 10 Green Bay Oct. 14 at Penn State Oct. 19 #21 Michigan
7 p.m. TBA 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 Ohio State ▲ TAP TO WATCH - Wisconsin wins home opener
THIS WEEK After successfully opening the home season on Monday with a 2-0 win against Hartford, the Badgers continue home play in a Saturday night contest against Fordham at the McClimon Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. LAST WEEK No. 12 Wisconsin was upset by Grand Canyon University in its season-opening game in Phoenix on Friday. The Lopes proved to be too much for the
Cardinal and White and took the contest 2-1. Wisconsin turned it around in the Badgers’ home-opener on Monday, notching a 2-0 victory against Hartford.
Nov. 4-11
3 p.m.
Big Ten Tournament
LARRY RADLOFF
Oct. 24 at Northwestern 7 p.m.
View full schedule/results »
SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:
GOOD TO KNOW Freshman Andrew Akindele tallied his first career goal as a Badger against the Lopes. NEED TO KNOW Keep up with all things Badger soccer on Twitter (@BadgerMSoccer).
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Lopes hurdle Badgers in season opener
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▶ Hawks grounded: Wisconsin wins home-opener ▶ 5 Things to Know: Wisconsin hosts a pair
41
INSIDE WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE (2-1, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. Aug. 20 at Marquette
W, 2-0
Aug. 23 #10 Florida State L, 0-3 Aug. 26 at Kentucky
W, 3-1
Aug. 30 at Washington
10 p.m.
Sept. 2
vs. Portland
1:30 p.m.
Seattle
Sept. 6
Illinois State
6 p.m.
Sept. 9
Loyola-Chicago
1 p.m.
Sept. 14 #19 Northwestern 7 p.m. Sept. 16 Illinois Noon Sept. 20 at Michigan
5 p.m.
▲ TAP TO WATCH - Building Badgers – Paula Wilkins
THIS WEEK Wisconsin takes on two Pacific Northwest opponents in Washington and Portland. The game versus Washington is set for Thursday at 10 p.m. Wisconsin kicks off against Portland Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Both games will be played in Seattle. LAST WEEK The Badgers suffered a shutout defeat versus No. 10 Florida State in their home opener. Fortunately, Wisconsin was able to bounce back on the road in Lexington, defeating the Wildcats, 3-1.
GOOD TO KNOW Junior Dani Rhodes, 2017 team leader in goals, points and shots, saw her first ingame action of the season against Florida State after not playing in the season opener in Milwaukee against Marquette. NEED TO KNOW Sophomore forward Cameron Murtha is now tied for first on the team in points following her four-point game against Kentucky. Murtha assisted on two of Wisconsin's three goals and scored the third.
RELATED STORIES (Click to read)
▶ Badgers trounce Wildcats
Sept. 27 Rutgers
7 p.m.
Sept. 30 Maryland
1 p.m.
Oct. 5
at Indiana
6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7
at Purdue
Noon
Oct. 13 at Minnesota
4 p.m.
Oct. 18 Nebraska
7 p.m.
Oct. 21 at Ohio State
1 p.m.
LEN CEDERHOLM
Sept. 23 at Michigan State Noon
Oct. 28-Nov. 4 Big Ten Tournament View full schedule/results »
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▶ Wisconsin drops home opener ▶ Badgers cruise to first win of the season
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