Bucky's 5th Quarter - Western Illinois vs. Wisconsin: Badgers rout Leathernecks in home openerWelcome to the unofficial online tavern of the Wisconsin Badgers. Please seat yourself.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47803/buckys-fave.png2014-09-10T15:15:37-05:00http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/rss/stream/58607762014-09-10T15:15:37-05:002014-09-10T15:15:37-05:00Reaction Formation: Everything is Awesome!
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<figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Please, the couch is not for humping. Now, tell me about your Badgers.</p> <p><i>Author's Note: Throughout the season, I'll be sitting down with my sports therapist to chat about the latest in Wisconsin athletics. We're not going to be touching on much technical info here. This is a safe space, everyone. It's time to open the vents. [G] denotes something I said, [T] denotes something my therapist said.</i></p>
<p>[G] You out of breath yet, Doc?</p>
<p>[T] Why is that?</p>
<p>[G] You wasted a lot of it last week helping me make no sense of anything, and all you needed to say was "Winning makes everything awesome".</p>
<p>[T] Would you have preferred your $200/hr went to me saying things like "everything is awesome?"</p>
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<p>[G] Well, obviously not. But last week was such a confusing time for me, and I just felt that you weren't helpful in getting me answers...</p>
<p>[T] Did the answers matter that much to you?</p>
<p>[G] I guess not. Whatever happened is whatever happened. It was weird and kind of nice to chat conspiracies for a couple days, but once we got to Saturday I just wanted the Badgers to win.</p>
<p>[T] So winning changed everything for you?</p>
<p>[G] Not quite. Did you see that first half? Woof. Didn't take long for me to start saying mean things to the television. I was bored. I even texted a friend that if <span>Tanner McEvoy</span> didn't orchestrate a touchdown before the half, Gary Andersen was basically required to bench him. They were gross in that first half. Our best player was basically shut down. I was ready for a Bart "The Cannon" Houston second half...</p>
<p>[T] Do you really believe that?</p>
<p>[G] ... Well, no. I want McEvoy to be good. He's supposed to be talented. So I want to see that. <span>Melvin Gordon</span> and <span>Corey Clement</span> can't succeed if there are nine guys in the box every down. The whole team can't succeed if we're one dimensional.</p>
<p>[T] Why the lack of patience then?</p>
<p>[G] We looked so bad!</p>
<p>[T] What happened in the second half, Greg?</p>
<p>[G] We lit up the scoreboard... McEvoy looked pretty good. We actually had a receiver step up. Man, did we look good! We actually had a passing game. We used our tight ends! The defense looked unstoppable! We almost covered the spread! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTqXEQ2l-Y">It was awesome!</a></p>
<p>[T] Greg... what did we talk about last week... regarding expectation?</p>
<p>[G] Oh come on, we have a bye week coming up... if I'm not excited about it now I'll have nothing to go off of for the next week.</p>
<p>[T] All the more reason to temper expectation through the bye week. This team is growing. They will need time to gel. There was a lot to build off of this week, but don't let that cloud your judgement.</p>
<p>[G] Ah right, the whole "I must question everything I know before I can know the truth" thing...</p>
<p>[T] Something like that, but alas, our time is up. I have to research the story of Samson before my 12:30 with the young man with the yips.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/10/6128219/wisconsin-badgers-football-reaction-formation-everything-is-awesomeGreg Guenther2014-09-10T10:01:03-05:002014-09-10T10:01:03-05:00[Br]eaking [Bu]bble: Inside UW's bubble screens
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<p>A look at how Wisconsin kickstarted its offense with quick passes to Alex Erickson and excellent blocking from a variety of teammates.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/">Wisconsin Badgers</a> <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/9/6124609/wisconsin-western-illinois-badgers-offense-tanner-mcevoy-melvin-gordon-alex-erickson" target="_blank">got the passing game going</a> during their <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/6/6114373/wisconsin-western-illinois-score-recap-tanner-mcevoy-michael-caputo-alex-erickson-sam-arneson/in/5860776" target="_blank">37-3 rout of Western Illinois on Saturday</a>. For the vast majority of the first half, however, it appeared that improvement from the LSU game would never happen. It took the unit nearly 28 minutes to put points on the board, finally breaking the dam shortly before halftime with a <span>Tanner McEvoy</span> 7-yard touchdown run.</p>
<p>UW's inability to gain yards on the ground was the biggest reason for this. The Badgers began their first four drives with runs on both first and second down, generating a minuscule 11 yards on those eight carries. Then the air waves started to open, but not without major blips along the way. First, McEvoy missed <span>Sam Arneson</span> on a 15-yard out route after a play-action fake and an <span>Alex Erickson</span> fly route created a 10-yard radius of green grass around Arneson's feet.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994700/McEvoy_Misses_Arneson.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="Mcevoy_misses_arneson_medium" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994700/McEvoy_Misses_Arneson_medium.png" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Shortly after, a seemingly imminent touchdown was lost after McEvoy delivered a perfect deep ball to <span>Reggie Love</span> down the sideline, only for Love to drop it as UW's woes continued. Frustration peaked after <span>Corey Clement</span> was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 4th-and-1 to end an erratic 17-play, 90-yard drive that ate up over eight minutes of play.</p>
<div class="read-more">
<strong>Week 2 Offense Review</strong>: <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/9/6124609/wisconsin-western-illinois-badgers-offense-tanner-mcevoy-melvin-gordon-alex-erickson" target="new">McEvoy, UW passing game shine</a>
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<p>Western Illinois' defensive strategy was obvious. The Leathernecks were not going to allow Wisconsin to run its way to victory. The defense packed the box, mercilessly attacked downhill and held <span>Melvin Gordon</span> to a putrid 38 yards on 17 carries. WIU was able to manage that feat by giving Wisconsin looks like this:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994708/Bubble_Screen_Opening.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="Bubble_screen_opening_medium" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994708/Bubble_Screen_Opening_medium.png" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>At one point during the first half, one of my compadres practically screamed for a bubble screen after viewing all of the space to the outside. The bubble screen eventually came; in fact, it first came on the play highlighted above. Instead of success, <span>George Rushing</span> whiffed on the block and Erickson was limited to a single yard despite the vast amount of cushion the receivers were afforded.</p>
<p>Luckily for Ludwig, he didn't let that single play deter him from going with the look early and often in the second half. For future attempts, he had an ace up his sleeve: bona fide road-grader <span>Jordan Fredrick</span>, who led the way for Erickson.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994716/Start_of_2nd_Bubble.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="Start_of_2nd_bubble_medium" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994716/Start_of_2nd_Bubble_medium.png" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>UW faces a familiar look to start the half. The defense lines up with an outside cornerback about 8 yards off the ball and a safety shading towards the middle of the field a few yards deeper. McEvoy quickly sends it out to Erickson, Fredrick chops the cornerback and Erickson is able to race upfield for 24 yards.</p>
<p>This is where the presence of a wide receiver that can block like Fredrick becomes such a benefit. After a 16-yard bubble screen that features another successful chop block, the cornerback begins to play on his heels. Instead of attacking Erickson, the cornerback now sits back and waits for Fredrick to reach him.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994724/Scared_DB.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="Scared_db_medium" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994724/Scared_DB_medium.png" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>The cornerback is able to fend off Fredrick, stay on his feet and limit Erickson to a 9-yard gain, but he's also guaranteeing the Badgers a gain of at least that. Without a safety in position to aggressively defend the play, the cornerback is conceding relatively large chunks of yards by sitting back.</p>
<p>In the fourth quarter, Fredrick displayed his ability to handle an attacking defender when he turned the cornerback inside and sealed the sideline for Erickson. Erickson was able to squirt behind him and earn the 10-yard touchdown.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994732/Seal.png" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="Seal_medium" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4994732/Seal_medium.png" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>I would be remiss if I didn't also talk about how perfectly Erickson handled his responsibilities. The beauty of Erickson on this route is that he has no wasted movement, no indecisiveness. He reads the block immediately, puts his head down and uses his quickness to burst around Fredrick for big gains. McEvoy deserves credit for delivering accurate passes to the outside as well.</p>
<p>Overall, the play went 4-of-4 for 59 yards and a touchdown during the second half and was a major contributor to Erickson's breakout game. The exciting thing will be to see how Ludwig builds off the play's success. It looked like McEvoy had the option to swing it outside or hand it off at least a couple times. I also expect to see a variation where the blocker releases upfield on a fly and attempts to get behind the defenders that are coming toward the flat. Along with Arneson's improved usage, the Badgers have some building blocks in the passing game moving forward.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/10/6130325/wisconsin-badgers-bubble-screens-alex-erickson-tanner-mcevoyKyle Vos2014-09-09T14:32:32-05:002014-09-09T14:32:32-05:00I'm Glad the Big Ten is Terrible
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<p>Or: Why I don't feel the need to root for evil.</p> <p>Big Ten football was pathetic last weekend.</p>
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<li>Michigan lost 31-0 at Notre Dame.</li>
<li>Ohio State lost to unranked Virginia Tech at home.</li>
<li>Michigan State lost at No. 3 Oregon, and their highly-touted defense gave up 46 points, including the last 28 to end the game.</li>
<li>Northwestern lost at home to Northern Illinois.</li>
<li>Purdue got blown out at home by <strike>Western</strike> Central Michigan (38-17).</li>
<li>Iowa needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Ball State at home, 17-13.</li>
<li>Illinois needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Western Kentucky (42-34)</li>
<li>Nebraska needed a miraculous last-second, catch-and-run touchdown by <span>Ameer Abdullah</span> to beat McNeese State.</li>
<li>The rest of the Big Ten teams in action (Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin) had pedestrian or unimpressive victories over generally inferior competition. Only Maryland's win at South Florida moved the needle at all.</li>
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<p>And I couldn't care less.</p>
<p>There are only three conceivably legitimate reasons to root for the Badgers' Big Ten enemies, but I'll discuss the two most common ones first.</p>
<p>1. Conference "bragging rights."</p>
<p>2. A perception (or reality) that the Big Ten is terrible hurts the Badgers' chances of making the four-team playoff, which is an invitation-only affair.</p>
<p>Neither of these can justify rooting for Ohio State or Michigan, etc., to win. Ever.</p>
<h4>Bragging rights</h4>
<p>Bragging about a conference is stupid. I have no allegiance whatsoever to "The Big Ten Conference" and neither should you.</p>
<div class="pullquote">I have no allegiance whatsoever to "The Big Ten Conference" and neither should you</div>
<p>Here's an easy test you can use to figure out whether an entity is worthy of bragging about: does it have a mascot? If so, you can root for and brag about its exploits. Take, for example, the great University of Wisconsin. It has a mascot: Bucky Badger. U rah rah, Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Now, let's examine the Big Ten. No mascot. No rah rah. If you root for "The Big Ten Conference," you are rooting for Jim Delany. Meditate upon this fact, and repent.</p>
<h4>Playoff pragmatism</h4>
<p>So we've established that a conference (qua conference) cannot in good conscience be rooted for. That's the easy one. The more powerful argument in favor of rooting for evil is that the non-conference successes of the Badgers' conference colleagues somehow redound to UW's benefit by increasing their odds of being chosen for the College Football Playoff. The argument is simple: the selection committee members will be influenced by perceptions of conference strength (whether they admit it or not), and even if they aren't, they will certainly consider strength of schedule, so it's better for the Badgers' conference opponents to be considered strong teams.</p>
<p>I will concede that there is <i>some</i> presumptive pragmatic benefit to the Badgers from other Big Ten teams doing well in the non-conference season. But it is vanishingly small, unlikely and utterly crushed by countervailing pragmatic harms caused by other Big Ten teams doing well.</p>
<p>First, the benefit is small. Far and away the most important consideration for making the playoff is wins and losses. If any Big Ten team that started the season ranked goes undefeated, that team will certainly be selected to make the playoff. The issue could arise only if the Badgers (or, e.g., Michigan State) now win the rest of their games, and are competing against other one-loss teams for a slot. The perception (and reality) that the Big Ten is weak will hurt the Badgers in that scenario, although that factor will still be massively outweighed by Badgers' actual performance. If, for example, Wisconsin steamrolls through the rest of the season and crushes Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, UW will probably get into the playoff even if no other Big Ten team wins another non-conference game. If Wisconsin ekes out wins over Purdue and Illinois, on the other hand, even 12-1 probably won't get it done. Nor should it!</p>
<p>Second, the supposed benefit is unlikely. The Badgers' chances of winning out are very small. My back-of-the-envelope calculation puts their chances of winning the rest of their regular-season games at about 10 percent (and that is assuming they're favored in every game, and giving them every benefit of the doubt). At best, they'd have a 50 percent chance of winning the Big Ten Championship Game, so let's put their chances of going 12-1 at 1-in-20 at best. In other words: slim-to-none.</p>
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<p>So we have a very small potential benefit that is very unlikely to materialize. Still, if there were no countervailing interests, that slight theoretical benefit might justify rooting for Michigan. Of course, such a small pragmatic plus is easily overwhelmed by moral concerns -- rooting for evil can cause irreparable psychic damage -- but it's also crushed even on purely pragmatic grounds.</p>
<p>You know who benefits the most from a Michigan win? Michigan. The same goes for all of the Badgers' conference enemies. I mean, it's not even close. Every Michigan win is 10,000 times more pragmatically valuable to Michigan than it is to Wisconsin. And let's consider the cost-benefit of a loss. Michigan's embarrassing loss to Notre Dame is 10,000 times more harmful to that program than whatever conceivable benefit could have flowed to the Badgers from an upset win.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is <i>actually competing</i> against Ohio State and Michigan State and Michigan for recruits and conference supremacy. In an ideal world, the Big Ten is 13 (or 15 or 23) squads like Purdue and then the mighty University of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/">Wisconsin Badgers</a>, getting first-crack at all the big-time talent in the 27-state conference footprint. Every non-conference loss by Michigan brings us one tiny step closer to that glorious utopia. Every tiny step should be celebrated.</p>
<p>In summary, the thing about a pragmatic argument is that you have to weigh the pros and cons, and you have to discount them by the likelihood that they come to pass. If you take just a second to think about it, you'll see that there's no pragmatic reason to root for evil. Thankfully, the universe just isn't put together that way.</p>
<h4>Search your feelings</h4>
<p>I mentioned above that there's a third reason to root for the Badgers' enemies, and if applicable to you, I will not hold it against you: deep down inside, you kind of actually like them a little bit, at least more than who they are playing that day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that's okay. Sports fandom doesn't have to be rational. In fact, it <i>can't </i>be. Ultimately you just go with your gut -- you root for who you want to at a given moment; you root for whatever makes you happy. If you feel some allegiance toward the Badgers' enemies, at least when they're playing teams from outside the #footprint, that's fine. Go ahead! Just don't pretend there's any reason why I or any other Badger fan should <i>have</i> to join you in your apostasy.</p>
<p>And just don't let me see you doing it.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/9/6122281/im-glad-the-big-ten-is-terribleBart Torvik2014-09-09T08:55:48-05:002014-09-09T08:55:48-05:00Week 2 offense review: Passing game shines
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<figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Badgers' offense turned in an impressive second-half performance that will help build confidence for the entire unit.</p> <p>When the Wisconsin Badgers walked off the field at halftime on Saturday, claiming a 9-3 lead over the Western Illinois Leathernecks, fans had every right to be a little nervous. Not only had they just seen <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/3/6095489/wisconsin-lsu-recap-badgers-offense-tanner-mcevoy-melvin-gordon" target="_blank">the Badgers' offense collapse in the second half the previous week against LSU</a>, but then the offense had managed to muster just one touchdown in the first two quarters against an FCS school that won only four games last season.</p>
<p>Luckily, the Badgers' offense was able to turn it around in the second half, erupting for 28 unanswered points and demonstrating to critics everywhere what they're truly capable of on the offensive side of the ball. The win couldn't come at a better time for the Badgers' offense after their poor second-half performance the previous week. If anything, the win will help boost the confidence to the Badgers squad as they prepare for <span>their next game against Bowling Green</span>.</p>
<p>And while a 34-point win against a middle-of-the-road FCS team certainly doesn't mean the Badgers' offense is in the clear from the egg they laid in the second half against LSU, there were many positive signs the offense showed us in the second half of Saturday's game. Let's take a look.</p>
<h4>By the numbers:</h4>
<p><b>456</b>: Total yards for UW against Western Illinois</p>
<p><b>480.8</b>: Average total yards per game for UW in 2013</p>
<p><b>35:16</b>: Time of Possession for UW</p>
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<p><b>68</b>: Total plays run for UW (39 rush/29 pass)</p>
<p><b>6.7</b>: Average yards per play for UW</p>
<p><b>5.0</b>: Average yards per play for UW against LSU</p>
<p><b>40</b>: Yards for UW in the first quarter on Saturday</p>
<p><b>144</b>: Yards for UW in the second quarter on Saturday</p>
<p><b>170</b>: Yards for UW in the third quarter on Saturday</p>
<p><b>39</b>: Rushing attempts for UW</p>
<p><b>4.3</b>: Yards per rush for UW</p>
<p><b>283</b>: Total passing yards for Tanner McEvoy</p>
<p><b>10</b>: Catches for <span>Alex Erickson</span> on Saturday</p>
<p><b>9</b>: Catches Erickson had in all of 2013</p>
<p><b>2.2</b>: Average yards per carry for Melvin Gordon</p>
<p><b>10.1</b>: Average yards per pass for McEvoy</p>
<p><b>8</b>: Rushing yards for Gordon in the first half on Saturday</p>
<p><b>1</b>: Incompletion for McEvoy in the second half on Saturday</p>
<h4>What went right?</h4>
<p><b>1. <span>Tanner McEvoy</span>. </b>After his abysmal second-half performance against LSU in which the junior quarterback completed only one pass in the fourth quarter, McEvoy managed to temporarily silence critics after a solid showing on Saturday. After going 8-for-24, throwing for 40 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns a week ago, McEvoy turned in a polar-opposite performance against Western Illinois. On Saturday, he went 23-for-28, throwing for 283 yards and three touchdowns (along with another rushing touchdown). At one point during Saturday's game, the quarterback who completed only eight total passes in his previous game managed to complete 17 consecutive passes. McEvoy also demonstrated improved accuracy and consistency, completing 10-of-14 passes in the first half and 13-of-14 passes in the second half.</p>
<p>The turning point for McEvoy was the Badgers' first drive in the second quarter. During the 17-play, 90-yard drive, McEvoy passed for a first down on three 3rd-and-longs (eight, 14 and 13 yards) that helped bring the Badgers all the way down to the 7-yard line, where <span>Corey Clement</span> was ultimately stopped on 4th-and-1. Although the Badgers didn't get any points that time, they did manage to find the end zone on their next three drives. There is no doubt part of that success can be attributed to the confidence that McEvoy gained from those big third-down conversions to start the second quarter.</p>
<p><b>2. Consistent receiving targets began to emerge. </b>Another <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/8/26/6069177/wisconsin-wide-receivers-kenzel-doe-jordan-fredrick-reggie-love" target="_blank">major question</a> that wasn't answered during the LSU game was who would emerge as McEvoy's leading receiving target. Against LSU, six receivers recorded a catch, with Erickson being the only one to catch more than one pass. Saturday, both Erickson and <span>Sam Arneson</span> turned in big days. Together, the duo accounted for 209 of the Badgers' 289 yards gained through the air, with Arneson catching four total passes for 87 yards, and Erickson hauling in 10 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown.</p>
<p>Part of McEvoy's development throughout the year will come from the play of his receivers. After the LSU game, Gary Andersen voiced his frustration with his receivers for not being able to break free from opposing corners. Erickson and Arneson did a much better job on Saturday getting open and allowing McEvoy to find them downfield. Expect the chemistry between McEvoy and his receivers to continue showing improvement as the weeks go by, especially with a bye coming up this week.</p>
<p><b>3. Improved pass protection.</b><b> </b>McEvoy's much-improved performance is also a byproduct of improved pass protection. The offensive line was able to give McEvoy more time to throw in the pocket; which, in turn, led to McEvoy becoming more comfortable dropping back and led to the dual-threat quarterback staying in the pocket longer to allow his receivers to break free from coverage.</p>
<p>It should be mentioned that Western Illinois' defense is not even close to the SEC-caliber defense of LSU. But regardless of who the Badgers competition was, it was important to see the Badgers passing game showing improvements in every facet. This game will help to provide McEvoy, along with his young receiving corps, with some much needed conference heading into the rest of the season.</p>
<h4>What went wrong?</h4>
<p><b>1. <span>Melvin Gordon</span>. </b>One element of the Badgers' offense that underwhelmed many was the rushing attack. Last week, the Badgers gained 268 total rushing yards, this week they only totaled 167 yards on the ground. In previous years, the Badgers have been able to run all over their FCS opponents. Last season, against Tennessee Tech, the Badgers had three running backs (Gordon, Clement, and <span>James White</span>), clock in 100+ yard performances against a Golden Eagles team that finished with a better record than Western Illinois did in 2013 (5-7). Granted, the Leathernecks do return eight defensive starters and have showed immense improvements from last season. However, the fact that the Badgers ran better against an SEC defense than they did against an FCS defense will make many fans wonder what exactly went wrong on Saturday.</p>
<p>The Badgers didn't have a rush for over 21 yards, and Gordon totaled only 38 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Last week, Gordon was absent for most of the second half due to a hip flexor he sustained during the game, and it's very possible that this injury was still nagging him--although t's hard to believe that the coaching staff would risk suiting Gordon if he wasn't 100%, especially for an FCS matchup. Regardless of what the problem was, Gordon's heisman status took a major hit on Saturday, and he will need to have a big day against Bowling Green if he hopes to get his name back into the discussion.</p>
<p><b>2. Still raw mistakes in the passing game. </b>As great as the passing game was on Saturday, there were still two big mistakes made in the first half that showcased the Badgers' inexperience. Early in the first quarter<b>, </b>McEvoy missed badly on a downfield pass intended for <span>Robert Wheelwright</span> and was intercepted. The interception occurred on a first down, when the Badgers were in the middle of a six play, 29-yard drive, about to cross midfield. McEvoy was given plenty of time to throw and just completely missed his target, throwing it directly into the hands of the cornerback.</p>
<p>Later on, in the second quarter, McEvoy threw from his own 33-yard line to a wide open <span>Reggie Love</span>, who was 25 yards downfield. Despite the pass being thrown right in his hands, Love bobbled the catch and eventually dropped it. Had he caught it, he would have been able to run untouched to the end zone, but instead, the Badgers were left to convert on a third and thirteen, leading by only two points at the time.</p>
<p>While these mistakes proved to be insignificant in this game, they still provide a cause for concern heading forward. Despite showing improvements in his accuracy, McEvoy stilled showed some flashes of inconsistency--as evidenced by his interception. And the receivers will need to convert on big plays when they're given an opportunity. The Badgers were fortunate that this game was a blowout, but if these same mistakes are made later on in the season, especially during Big Ten play, they may not be so lucky.</p>
<h4>Andersen's thoughts:</h4>
<p>After the game, <a href="http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/090614aak.html" target="_blank">Andersen spoke about the challenges</a> the Badgers overcame after starting out slow against the Leathernecks.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It was great for us to deal with the adversity we had in the first quarter and really the whole first half," Andersen told reporters. "Two weeks in a row now we've had some substantial adversity hit us right in the face.</p>
<p>"A lot of teams at this time of the year have faced zero adversity. We've faced it twice. In my opinion, we've looked at it right in the eye (and) we've dealt with it. There were no kids pointing fingers. There was nobody placing blame. They just kept on fighting.</p>
<p>"At halftime, we all just challenged ourselves to execute and be tough, and they did it. I'm very, very proud of the way they did it."</p>
</blockquote>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/9/6124609/wisconsin-western-illinois-badgers-offense-tanner-mcevoy-melvin-gordon-alex-ericksonZach Wingrove2014-09-08T10:58:47-05:002014-09-08T10:58:47-05:00McEvoy, Erickson break out; Gordon contained
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<figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Happy bye week, friends. Wisconsin heads into its first of the season after <a target="_blank" href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/6/6114373/wisconsin-western-illinois-score-recap-tanner-mcevoy-michael-caputo-alex-erickson-sam-arneson">taking down Western Illinois</a> with relative <a target="_blank" href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/7/6116273/wisconsin-western-illinois-recap-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoy">second-half ease</a> on Saturday. Next up is Bowling Green in two weeks, and it will be fascinating to see whether the bye week helps, hinders or doesn't really affect Wisconsin's development after beating up on an inferior opponent.</p>
<p>Let's get to the links. When necessary, I'll try to link together everything under a few common themes moving forward.</p>
<h4>
<span>Melvin Gordon</span> kept in check</h4>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://host.madison.com/sports/college/football/badgers-football-melvin-gordon-still-expects-opponents-to-stack-the/article_cb2df0d7-b156-57f0-a996-a7a20ab75905.html">Melvin Gordon has always expected opponents</a> to stack the box against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/">Badgers</a>' offense this season, and indeed LSU and Western Illinois followed that template closely. The Badgers' star running back rushed 17 times for just 38 yards -- that's a 2.2 yards-per-carry average for those afraid of consulting the calculator (or poor at mental math).</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It felt real good," Gordon said. "We put something on film for other teams to watch and help us a little bit. When (McEvoy is) playing at that high level and they want to stop the run, that's OK, because we'll kill them in the passing game and that will help us win."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sure, Western Illinois is <i>Western Illinois</i>, but that game in particular, coming off that second-half LSU debacle, is where you need to see positive growth. The passing game in particular was under high scutiny, and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/6/6115127/wisconsin-western-illinois-recap-tanner-mcevoy-alex-erickson">Tanner McEvoy succeeded after a slow start</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, Gordon knows that one good day -- again, against Western Illinois -- won't change much about opponents' plans.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It felt like everyone and their momma was in that box," Gordon said.</p>
<p>"It was tough, man. But I've just got to work harder; offense, we've just got to work harder and get prepared because we're probably going to see a lot of that this year."</p>
</blockquote>
<h4>McEvoy steps up</h4>
<p>We'll have more in-depth analysis of what worked in the offense coming soon, but McEvoy's ability to build lengthy drives around shorter completions (hello, bubble screen) and actually complete many of his longer passes was fantastic to see. In total, he finished 23-of-28 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.</p>
<p>From <a target="_blank" href="http://host.madison.com/sports/college/football/tom-oates-tanner-mcevoy-answers-critics-with-his-play/article_e744c325-f37b-5018-b0d7-7ff2783c2be0.html">Madison.com</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He showed me that he can be the guy," tailback Melvin Gordon said. "There was a lot of adversity. I watch Big Ten Network and I see the tweets, you know, bashing Tanner (about) this and that. I think he really showed the doubters today. He's the guy and he can do whatever it takes to win the ballgame for us."</p>
</blockquote>
<h4>Hello, <span>Alex Erickson</span>
</h4>
<p>Great stat from <a target="_blank" href="http://host.madison.com/sports/college/football/badgers-football-darlington-s-alex-erickson-delivers-breakthrough-performance/article_36394eae-e67b-50c4-9805-b8271b9e3feb.html">Madison.com</a> (I work my through the various UW outlets in a similar pattern each day, FYI): McEvoy hit wide receiver Alex Erickson five times for 58 yards on those bubble screens. Erickson obviously deserves most of that credit for those yards after catch, and in doing so, he only strengthened his case for Jared Abbrederis' heir apparent.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Alex made a lot of football plays," UW coach Gary Andersen said. "He caught it over the middle very, very well. He's fearless. He's a competitor. He's fast. I think Tanner feels very comfortable, as all our quarterbacks do, throwing the ball to Alex. It was just great to see him because he's worked so hard since the bowl game to get this moment."</p>
</blockquote>
<h4>Links</h4>
<p><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fsports%2Fbadgers%2Fuw-coach-gary-andersen-pleased-with-adjustment-of-badgers-offense-b99346338z1-274286401.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buckys5thquarter.com%2F2014%2F9%2F8%2F6121339%2Fwisconsin-badgers-news-rumors-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoy-alex-erickson" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Andersen pleased with Badgers' offense | JSOnline</a></p>
<p><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fsports%2Fbadgers%2Fwisconsin-vs-western-illinois-report-card-b99346350z1-274282881.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buckys5thquarter.com%2F2014%2F9%2F8%2F6121339%2Fwisconsin-badgers-news-rumors-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoy-alex-erickson" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Wisconsin vs. Western Illinois report card | JSOnline</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/emotional-hijacking-confidence-issue-opinions-vary-on-qb-stave-s-struggles-090814" target="_blank">Emotional hijacking? Confidence issue? Opinions vary on QB Stave's struggles | FOX Sports Wisconsin</a></p>
<h4>Videos</h4>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fXI0jh12B08" frameborder="0"></iframe> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3QaHsrYf8EI" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/8/6121339/wisconsin-badgers-news-rumors-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoy-alex-ericksonMike Fiammetta2014-09-07T22:17:01-05:002014-09-07T22:17:01-05:00Podcast: Wisconsin-Western Illinois recap
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<figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The BadgerNation.com publisher joins us for the first 20 minutes talking about Wisconsin Badgers' rebound against Western Illinois, and the last 25 minutes are dedicated to playing post-game player interviews from Michael Caputo, Chikwe Obasih, Marcus Trotter, Tanner McEvoy, Alex Erickson, Melvin Gordon and Sam Arneson.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/7/6120181/wisconsin-western-illinois-football-recap-podcastJake Kocorowski2014-09-07T09:42:10-05:002014-09-07T09:42:10-05:00Joel Stave practices deep ball after Wisconsin's win Saturday<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="/rss/stream/5860776">Joel Stave practices deep ball after Wisconsin's win&nbsp;Saturday</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Joel Stave returned to the Camp Randall Stadium field a few hours after Wisconsin's season-opening win against Western Illinois to get some additional throws in. He looked pretty good in the eyes of a few onlookers, most notably Madison.com's Jim Polzin and Rob Hernandez, who has brief video of Stave throwing <a href="https://twitter.com/RobHernandezWSJ/status/508368111322800128" target="new">here</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RobHernandezWSJ/status/508369128705777664" target="new">here</a>.</p></p></div>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/7/6117307/joel-stave-shoulder-statusMike Fiammetta2014-09-07T09:21:21-05:002014-09-07T09:21:21-05:00The Morning After: Thoughts on UW's win
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<figcaption>Grey Satterfield</figcaption>
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<p>How do you feel about the Badgers' victory the day after? Sit down with your coffee, juice and/or Bloody Mary (especially necessary after yesterday's Big Ten results).</p> <p><span>It's Sunday morning -- how ya feelin', Badgers fans?</span></p>
<p>After a disastrous day for the Big Ten Conference -- Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State losing to Power 5 conferences, Nebraska and Illinois barely hanging on against seemingly inferior competition, and Purdue and Northwestern just losing -- No. 18/19 Wisconsin did what it was supposed to: beat an FCS team in Western Illinois.</p>
<p>But not by the way everyone thought they would. The Leathernecks seemed to have 13 guys in the box to stuff the run, and the offensive line could not get the push off the line of scrimmage for the majority of the afternoon.</p>
<p>"Obviously their goal was to stop Melvin [Gordon], stop the run," senior right tackle <span>Rob Havenstein</span> said Saturday.</p>
<p>"They succeeded a lot and I put that squarely on the shoulders of us as an offensive line. We didn't do our jobs in that aspect. No matter how many guys you put in the box, 10, 11, 13, 27, we still have to get that run game going, so that's squarely on the shoulders of us as an offensive line. We have to get that going. Melvin, Corey, those guys can only do so much. We need to help them out any way we can."</p>
<p>So who do you turn to after your most potent offensive weapon, <span>Melvin Gordon</span>, was held at one point to eight yards on <i>nine carries</i>?</p>
<p><span>Tanner McEvoy</span> and the passing game, of course.</p>
<p>Yes, that <span>Tanner McEvoy</span>.</p>
<p>The Badgers aerial attack accounted for 289 passing yards and four touchdowns against the Leathernecks. With that, let's take a quick look at Saturday's game.</p>
<h4>MVPs: Tanner McEvoy, <span>Alex Erickson</span>, <span>Sam Arneson</span>
</h4>
<p>McEvoy only had five incompletions on the afternoon, throwing for 283 yards and three touchdown passes. He also showed off his mobility, running for 55 yards and Wisconsin's first touchdown. That's 338 total yards and four of Wisconsin's five scores.</p>
<p>Yes, it was against the Leathernecks, but the offense took steps forward in its passing game.</p>
<p>"Offensively, we needed a game like this," McEvoy said.</p>
<p>"We know what we can do on offense. We know we can pass the ball. Their defense was making us pass the ball and making us throw it. That's what we have to do when teams do that to us and we have to show that we can do it."</p>
<p>After the #B1G weekend throughout the conference, this might very well be the case from our very own Andrew Rosin:</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Tanner McEvoy may be the Big Ten offensive player of the week this week.</p>
— Duje Silver Dekan (@thegnc) <a href="https://twitter.com/thegnc/status/508434478856163328">September 7, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Granted, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah might take the cake with this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Bk-VlfphU">catch and run</a> alone (note the amazing Super Mario music in the background).</p>
<p>Erickson had a career-high 10 receptions (1 more than his total receptions in 2013) for 122 yards and his first touchdown. He now leads the team in receptions with 13 through two games, and appears to be a likely go-to target for McEvoy.</p>
<p>Same can be said for Arneson. The senior tight end asserted himself as a dependable target Saturday, reeling in two big third-down receptions and a 37-yard catch that set up Wisconsin's first touchdown in the second quarter.</p>
<h4>Turning point(s)</h4>
<p>I'll point to two key moments.</p>
<p>First, junior safety Michael Caputo's interception. A 2nd-and-9 pass from the Wisconsin 13 with Western Illinois driving, redshirt freshmen <span>Chikwe Obasih</span> tipped a Trenton Norvell throw that wound up in the hands of Caputo, who returned it to the Wisconsin 35. The Leathernecks (side bar: I kinda dig their mascot name) were driving deep into Badgers' territory as they utilized their spread attack, and if not for the turnover, the Badgers could have been down in the first quarter. The Badgers got a stop when they needed it, and did not allow a touchdown on Saturday.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4979590/WesternIllinoisFinal_007.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4979590/WesternIllinoisFinal_007_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Westernillinoisfinal_007_medium"></a><br style="font-size: 78%; style="><i style="font-size: 78%;">Photo: Grey Satterfield</i></p>
<p>Second turning point: The Badgers third drive of the game. Yes, the team didn't score on this drive, and were actually stopped on a 4th-and-1 inside the Western Illinois 10, but Wisconsin found the formula that they'd ride to victory -- a passing game. Out of the 17 plays, 10 were passes -- 8 were completions. It was also the starting point to McEvoy's 17 consecutive completions after sophomore receiver <span>Reggie Love</span> dropped a would-be touchdown. During the completion streak, the Badgers scored 21 points.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Yeah. He's just gotta get his confidence up and get in that rhythm and once he get in it he's a bad boy," Gordon said after the game, which gained some laughs from the media.</p>
<h4>That safety</h4>
<p>If this week couldn't become any more odd after the Melvin Gordon and <span>Joel Stave</span> situations, the opening kickoff in the game bounced off of junior running back Kyle Hammonds. The ball bounced out of the end zone, but Hammonds then brought it back in. Officials initially called it a touchback. After head coach Gary Andersen challenged the play, officials reversed the play, confirming it was a safety -- giving Wisconsin an early 2-0 lead one second into the game. Our own Grey Satterfield has a great photo of it.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4979614/WesternIllinoisFinal_003.jpg"><img src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4979614/WesternIllinoisFinal_003_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Westernillinoisfinal_003_medium"></a><br style="font-size: 78%; style="><i style="font-size: 78%;">Photo: Grey Satterfield</i></p>
<h4>A game of firsts</h4>
<p>A lot of young players getting playing time, and a lot of new faces in the spotlight. Obviously, there'd be a lot of firsts:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>McEvoy scored the first touchdown of his FBS career on a 7-yard run</span></li>
<li><span>He completed his first FBS touchdown pass to fullback <span>Austin Ramesh</span> on an easy 3-yard pitch-and-catch in the flat, who Ramesh himself caught and scored on his first reception <br></span></li>
<li><span>It was also Ramesh's first start</span></li>
<li><span>As noted earlier, Erickson caught his first collegiate touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter</span></li>
<li><span>A week after starting his first collegiate game, true freshman wide receiver <span>George Rushing</span> caught his first reception of his career, a 10-yard pass from McEvoy in the second quarter</span></li>
<li><span>Redshirt freshman tight end <span>Troy Fumagalli</span> made his first catch of his collegiate career for 10 yards</span></li>
<li><span>A pair of sophomores connected on a pair of firsts. Quarterback Bart Houston threw his first touchdown pass of his career to running back <span>Corey Clement</span> late in the fourth quarter - which was his first touchdown catch.<br></span></li>
<li><span>Caputo's interception was the first of his career</span></li>
<li><span>Junior linebacker <span>Jesse Hayes</span> recorded his first career sack in the fourth quarter. It was also his first forced fumble.</span></li>
<li><span>Not as happy news, but it was true freshman kicker Rafael Gaglianone's first field goal miss, wide left, from 33 yards out in the fourth quarter.</span></li>
</ul>
<h4>Who's Next?</h4>
<p>A week off and then the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/bowling-green-falcons">Bowling Green Falcons</a>, who are without quarterback <span>Matt Johnson</span> for the <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fncaaf%2F2014%2F09%2F03%2Ftoledo-qb-matt-johnson-out-for-season-hip-injury%2F15017399%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buckys5thquarter.com%2F2014%2F9%2F7%2F6116273%2Fwisconsin-western-illinois-recap-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoy" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">remainder of the year with a hip injury</a>. It's another week to rest up any injured players, though a few noted after the game it's a little early for a week off.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/7/6116273/wisconsin-western-illinois-recap-melvin-gordon-tanner-mcevoyJake Kocorowski