Saturday's game against Michigan State wasn't exactly a career outing for Wisconsin's top receiver, Nick Toon. It was his first game back after missing the last three games with a turf toe injury, so it's understandable that he would be somewhat rusty in his return. But Toon set the tone for a poor performance early, dropping a pass that hit him in the hands on Wisconsin's first third down of the game. Toon added another drop later, committed a silly block in the back penalty, and finished with only one catch for 28 yards in the game. Surely Nick Toon would be down on himself in the postgame comments, right?
"It was frustrating," Toon said. "I feel like I could have contributed a little bit more, but that's just the way the plays were called today. That's how it is some days. It is what it is."
"I just think the main issue was I just didn't get enough opportunities to make plays."
Toon did acknowledge that he wasn't perfect in the game, saying "I didn't capitalize on all the opportunities that I had today. We've just got to correct them and get ready for next week." Personally, I'd prefer that he said "I've just got to correct them," but I'll take what I can get. Also, Bret Bielema and Paul Chryst don't seem too worried about Toon's performance and comments.
The Tuesday Top Five: Ways in which the University of Wisconsin is better than the University of Minnesota
1. Wisconsin has superior athletics. No explanation necessary.
2. Better academics. Wisconsin is ranked 45th in the latest US News and World Rankings, while Minnesota is 64th. The 'safety school' label on Minnesota is still alive and well.
3. UW-Madison's campus actually has a phenomenon known as school spirit.
4. Minnesota's mascot Goldy is called a gopher but in reality looks like a chipmunk. Meanwhile, It's pretty obvious that Bucky is a badger and looks the part.
5. Wisconsin doesn't see the need to incorporate hooked on phonics into their fight song. Every time I hear M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, I feel like I'm back in preschool again.
Feel free to add your own in the comments, there's so many ways in which Wisconsin is superior that I probably overlooked a bunch of reasons.
More Links:
Good news on the injury front- Curt Phillips has been cleared by doctors to play. He will slide into the third spot on the depth chart at quarterback for now. Also, tight end Brian Wozniak returns from a shoulder injury suffered in camp, and he may be able to contribute on special teams.
J.J. Watt is getting a lot of playing time, but the coaches are wary of overworking him to the point of wearing him down near the end of the season.
Wisconsin Hockey lost seven of last year's top ten scorers, but the newcomers are ready to show what they can do.
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster assures Gopher fans that he is 50 times as frustrated as they are about how the season has gone for his team so far.
Wes Bunting of the National Football Post thinks Gabe Carimi projects to be a right tackle in the NFL
Adam Rittenberg has a good story on how James White's recent success could possibly earn him the starting job at running back.
Make sure you check out the Badgers Roundtable, featuring Bucky's Fifth Quarter's own Adam Hoge and Jake Harris. They discuss the Michigan State disappointment and look ahead to the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.