When Michigan loses an angel gets its wings.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the joy of watching the men's hockey team beat Michigan 3-0 tonight. The team is back to .500 and that's impressive given their early season schedule. They were running some sort of an auction at the Kohl Center, and I think you could bid on having Adam Burish fight someone you dislike. I'm kidding of course. Actually, Burish was matching bids on some item or something to that effect in an effort to give money to charity, so good for him. I'm also thankful for former Badger hockey players who go on to have NHL careers as enforcers. Mark my words, Burish will be coaching at Wisconsin sometime in the future.
I've attached my personal favorite fight video and a link to Adam's blog. Also, I've put up a new pole on which assistant coach will be the first sacrificial lamb led to slaughter after this season is over.




(doing my best Cosell impression) Down goes Nystrom!

Context, it's all about context

A common and reasonable argument for Bielema is that Wisconsin will always have the occasional 7-5 (3-5) record. For the most part, those of us who think Bielema must go appreciate that Wisconsin is neither Ohio State nor Florida, and will have mediocre and down seasons. This season is different. This team is sufficiently skilled and experienced to have been competing for a Rose Bowl this season. Wisconsin football is consistently one or two losses away from going to a BCS bowl.
This year the Badgers are capable of superb play, but only two quarters per day. We started the season taking the second half off, and then we switched to taking the first half off. You can play this way and win against inferior teams.
As for Cal Poly, I concede that the triple option is a complicated offensive system. However, I point to: senior day as the final game of the season, two game winning streak, bowl ramifications, and what should be a desire to win every game. Every possession, the Badgers should take the ball down field and jam it down the Mustangs' throats. We should make their defense afraid to come back on the field.
On defense, we should blast them three yards backwards and destroy the option ball movement in the backfield. Instead, the Mustangs attacked us and played with confidence as we played on our heels. The triple option is complicated, but it's not like they have 14 players on the field. Finally, there is no reason to celebrate like we just beat Ohio state on a goal line stand. Cal Poly just spared you a massive embarrassment, so be a good sport and celebrate like you kicked an extra point to win after their kicker just ruined his own life.
Every week, the Badger football team is a circus. Yes this team is 7-5, but the win column does not tell the story. It's all about context. You judge a coach by what happens when he has the tools to win. This Badger team entered the season built-to-win, and turned into a train wreck. Bielema obviously won't be fired after this year or the next. Barry will let him finish his contract. The Badgers will scrap their way to a couple more bowl games on the backs of non-conference and Big Ten bottom-feeder wins. Then it's decision time.

Bielema mounts heroic 4th quarter comeback.

That's going to be the standard headline tomorrow. Every time the Badgers have won, I've praised the team and any areas of improvement. I thought it was unfair and hypocritical to demand change and then complain when the team wins, even if the win is ugly. Today, that standard is getting thrown out the window. I'm standing out there in the cold, and for the first time ever I don't feel happy that we won. I feel relieved, but also a little angry and dejected. I really don't like watching us celebrate like we clinched the conference when really we just barely avoided abject humiliation. The defense spent 4 quarters being mystified by the option and the offense somehow managed to not drop 60 points on Cal Poly. This game makes me not want to watch, talk, or even think about Badger football. I need to get some air and clear my head. More posts later and the poll is back up.

the good and the bad

Great game. While not as statistically dominant as the Indiana win, I believe this was definitely the best game of the season. With the exceptions of Barry's final win at home against Michigan and the 2003 win against Ohio State, this was the best football game I've watched in person. Unfortunately, the excitement from the win is tempered by Jefferson's injury. Anytime the ambulance pulls onto the field is a stark reminder of dangerous hits to the head and neck area can be. There was also a particularly dirty block in the back on a punt in the first half. I'm not sure how it would be implemented, but I would wholeheartedly support a rule, similar to hockey, that if you end another player's day with an illegal hit, you are out for the game as well. With any luck, Jefferson will be walking out of the hospital by 10 PM.

Keep hope alive.

I'd call it a basketball score, but Indiana didn't hold up their end. 443 rushing yards is incredible. P.J. looked great as did Gilreath. It would have been nice to play Indiana earlier in the season when the Badgers were in the midst of the slide, but today's game might be exactly what the team needs before facing Minnesota. Bowl game on the horizon.

I scalp Indiana football tickets, full-time.

Results to halftime:
Yes 1273 (74%)
No 258 (15%)
Not sure yet 175(10%)

So those are the results of the poll running from after the Michigan State game to halftime of today's game. Gilreath just scored, so it appears as though the Badgers are starting to pull away. Indiana is a great practice dummy squad. The Badgers should benefit from a game where they can focus on execution against a team that cannot effectively take advantage of mistakes. The real story of the game is the replacement of Bielema's windbreaker. The new coat looks good, and I'm hoping its presence inspires the team and propels us to victory.

...and say hi to your mother for me.

I spent this past weekend in Minneapolis with some friends from the business school and though the trip limited my posting, it did provide a surreal experience. The Gophers were off to an excellent start at 7-1 (3-1) before losing to Northwestern in a game they, arguably, should have won. Oddly reminiscent of the Badgers for the past 8 years. The Badgers are tumbling largely thanks to ineffective coaching and are struggling to make a bowl appearance. Oddly reminiscent of the Gophers for the past 11 years. It was a bizzaro world role switch. In the end, it didn't matter if you were wearing red or yellow because everyone left disappointed.

Obviously the penalty on Bielema is a topic of significant discussion. I read Bielema's explanation here. Bret's version of events:
"When I came down and asked the official what was the cause for the foul, he said he was being interfered with to do his job," Bielema said. "I told him that in my opinion he wasn't really doing a good job and that's what drew the 15-yard penalty."

What I want to know is whether Bielema's explanation is a witty summation of what he actually said or is he purporting that telling the official he wasn't doing a good job is the entirety of what drew the penalty. I find it hard to believe that a Big Ten official was so thin skinned as to throw a flag for "I don't think you're doing a good job." In fact, he's more likely to thank Bret for the well-mannered criticism. How have we not seen dozens of these penalties across college football if the standard is so low? I cannot remember ever seeing a similar penalty, and I've watched plenty of replays where you can literally read the coach's lips as he yells "you're a f-ing moron" at a ref and still no flag. Maybe it's because I've worked as an umpire and a referee, but I find it disingenuous to act so coy about the exchange. Anyone who has officiated will agree that you will not survive long as an umpire, judge, or referee if you have rabbit ears.
As a matter of necessity, referees do not discuss games with the media and so Bielema's statement is our only source of information. Further explanation is warranted, though likely not forthcoming.

Call timeout! Call timeout!

Tough loss today. We played really well and the dynamic duo of Clay and Hill trampled the Michigan State* defense. However, the story of the game is clock management. Some might say that spiking the ball when you have a timeout is a mistake. Those same people might also tell you that it's unwise to call timeout and allow the opposing kicker to settle himself when that kicker is about to attempt a game winning, 44 yard field goal. Bret Bielema disagrees with these people and their views on football. Who do you agree with?
On a side note, did the announcers have a bet over how many times they could use the word mayday in one minute?
mayday, mayday, mayday, mayday
*my apologies to MSU fans