Blogging With the Enemy: Wisconsin Badgers, Part 2

The Rose Bowl is three weeks from today, believe it or not, and there's been a fair amount of news out of Madison as the Badgers prepare to head west to take on our Mighty Card. A head coach has defected, a legend has decided to temporarily take his place, and -- shocker! -- Boise State's Chris Peterson sits atop Wisconsin's wish list. (As an aside, what exactly does Peterson have to do to convince people he's staying in Boise?)

But back to the Rose Bowl. As I continue to scour the globe for the greatest minds in Badger Nation, I've come across Mike Fiammetta from Bucky's 5th Quarter, a comprehensive Wisconsin site, and he happily agreed to chat. (And if you're wondering what the 5th Quarter is, just keep reading.) Mike sheds light on Wisconsin's mysterious five losses, explains their huge showing in the Big Ten championship game, and makes a prediction in the end. Great stuff, top to bottom. Enjoy!

GoMightyCard:
At Stanford, our band is... not quite the same as Wisconsin's. Please explain your band's Fifth Quarter tradition for any Stanford fans who might not be aware of it.

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
I have to say, this might be the first opponent Q&A leading with (or mentioning, for that matter) Wisconsin's band. After every home game, win or loss, the UW Marching Band comes on to the field for a show that lasts up to an hour. Featured are several Wisconsin classics -- "On Wisconsin," "You've Said it All," and "Varsity," to name a few. Songs like "Tequila," or the "Beer Barrell Polka" will be thrown in, and the choreography and stunts of the band members make it a sight to be hold.

The band's website asserts that 30,000-40,000 fans stick around for the Fifth Quarter, and I think that's an accurate number. It's something that if you're a student who goes to every game merely to get your drink on and stand in the cold, or an otherwise jaded season-ticket holder, you might gloss over or elect to leave prior to. But many, many people do always stick around, and I think particularly after a loss, you get a pleasantly surprising quantity of Wisconsin spirit.

Sappiness aside, it's also in our blog's title, so there's that.

GMC:
And now for the game. The Wisconsin quarterback situation has been fairly tumultuous this season, with three different quarterbacks taking turns at the starting spot for various reasons. Now we're reading that the original starter, Joel Stave, has recovered from his collarbone injury and is participating in workouts. Is there any chance he takes some or all of the snaps away from current starter Curt Phillips? If Stave gets into the game, how will that change the Badger offense?

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
We discussed this on B5Q on Monday, and I do believe Stave is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the broken collarbone. Bret Bielema said as much before he jumped ship. That said, I'd be shocked if he starts. I wouldn't be so shocked to see him make an appearance given an injury or unusually poor play from Curt Phillips. You can never discount the former, especially for a guy who's had three torn ACLs. The latter, though, would surprise me. Phillips's numbers (55.4% comp., 4 TD, 1 INT) are hardly impressive, but they indicate generally mistake-free football. If that trend holds up, Barry Alvarez & co. will lean on the ground attack that blossomed in the Big Ten Championship Game against Nebraska.

If Stave does enter the game, I don't think the offense would change too much. In fact, you could argue that Stave, a redshirt freshman, knows the offense better than Phillips, a fifth-year senior. Stave has appeared in seven games this season to Phillips's four, and most fans believed Stave was in the midst of his finest game before suffering the injury in the third quarter of the overtime loss to Michigan State.

GMC:
Can you explain what happened in the Big Ten championship game? How exactly did the Badgers manage to do what they did to Nebraska?

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
To be honest, I'm still not quite sure what happened vs. Nebraska. I'm not sure many Wisconsin fans are, either. I've heard the Badgers began preparations for Nebraska as early as three weeks before the game, and however much merit that holds, it's at least intriguing. In a 70-31 rout, there has to be some element of preparation that tipped the scales. After all, Nebraska did erase a 17-point deficit in the regular-season game vs. Wisconsin. Were the Huskers unprepared for the jet sweeps and rushes to the edge that the Badgers utilized -- particularly with redshirt freshman Melvin Gordon?

Perhaps, but those plays hardly reinvented the wheel. Apologies for the lack of a more concrete X's and O's explanation, but we've seen Wisconsin truly thrive in that beloved "underdog role" and I believe that's what happened vs. Nebraska. Previously, the Badgers had endured three overtime losses in four games -- the first of which broke Stave's collarbone and advanced the quarterback carousel for a third time.

That close regular-season game in Lincoln also suggested that the Badgers and Huskers were pretty well-matched teams. Quarterbacks aside, Wisconsin was significantly healthier for the Big Ten Championship Game. That could've been enough to turn the tides, and the lopsided result could be due more to the underdog mentality and the confidence developed by thorough preparation.

GMC:
The perceived weakness of the Stanford defense has been the secondary, but that's been less of a problem this year. Even so, that's still probably the best area to attack this defense, but Wisconsin's offense obviously leans heavily towards the running game. Is the passing game strong enough to exploit Stanford's defensive backs, or do you expect the Badgers to stick to their strength even if that means challenging the Cardinal's front seven, the strength of its defense?

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
I wouldn't ever predict Wisconsin to sway from attacking a defense's front seven (or eight or nine) with its rushing attack. Especially considering how well Montee Ball, James White and Melvin Gordon or rolling, the ground game rightfully deserves to be the focus of Wisconsin's offense.

GMC:
Defensively, how do you think the Badgers will attack Stanford? 

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
I don't expect Wisconsin's defense to do anything much differently. The keys will likely once again be, in no specific order, stopping the run, preventing big pass plays, and continuing a third-down defense that ranked third in the Big Ten. Granted, that's essentially the definition of sound defensive football. But outside of a third-down package that has some nifty wrinkles -- occasionally six or seven down linemen with as many as four defensive ends, as well as a more traditional 4-2-5 nickel look -- Wisconsin's defense doesn't do a whole lot differently from week to week.

GMC:
How do you expect Barry Alvarez's presence on the sidelines will influence the Badgers' performance in the Rose Bowl? Just how big is the Alvarez legend in Wisconsin?

Bucky's 5th Quarter:

Alvarez' legend is huge in Wisconsin, primarily for his 3-0 Rose Bowl record (even greater now given Bielema left UW with an 0-2 mark in Pasadena) and his success in improving so many of the university's athletic programs. Alvarez has the sort of swagger that is developed, refined and warranted on the biggest stage, and that's why he's one of the top five highest paid ADs in the country. It's also why he can throw himself into the Rose Bowl picture and presumably shake off the coaching dust while still finding the best possible head coach for the future. The move might warrant significant criticism if it was made by someone else, but there's been hardly any of that around Wisconsin.

As for his influence on the actual Rose Bowl, that depends on exactly what sort of role he plays on game day. The consensus seems to be that Alvarez will delegate heavily to assistant coaches, both in advance preparation and game-day management. That said, I also wouldn't underestimate the effect he'll have on the players coming out of the tunnel for both halves.

GMC:
Finally, who's your winner on January 1st? What do see as the final score, and how do you think we'll get there?

Bucky's 5th Quarter:
Yes, Wisconsin's five losses stand out even more alongside Stanford's two. But given the result of the Big Ten Championship Game and whatever else comes from Alvarez coaching, I think this game will be close. I'll do my best to stick to this prediction, though I do see some wavering over the coming weeks. I'll say 34-28, Wisconsin.