I feel compelled to write about Wisconsin’s downfall. This isn’t the Wisconsin I occasionally hate watched since the early Alvarez years. This isn’t the Bielema Badgers. This isn’t Paul Chryst’s Badgers. You know…4 years ago they beat Iowa 27-7 in Madison and it felt like it was 40-7. Hell, this isn’t even the Gary Andersen Badgers, who beat Iowa in both 2013 and 2014.
So I could write about how weird it is watching that. I could write about their sudden collapse as a program. This is a wise tale
for anyone in the Iowa-Wisconsin-Minnesota-Illinois-Michigan State phylum of Big Ten programs. Be careful what you wish for. I guess we’d know what this looks like on the basketball side of the ledger. If you try going up a level, fine, but don’t you dare lose your identity as a program in the process. Do that, and you look like Camp Randall yesterday – void of fans, whoever attended in red in open revolt, more Iowa fans than Wisconsin fans in the stadium at the end of the game. And all of this happening in 2 1/2 seasons.
Luke Fickell felt like a great hire at the time, until he rolled in with this pass-first scheme, T.E.A.M. etched on his vest – he looks like such a dork in that thing and I can’t believe he still wears it – and a new path for Wisconsin. Turns out that path was back to the late 80. The path was to challenge the Iowa offense of 2-3 years ago as one of the worst in college football history. Honestly? They are worthy competitors for that mantle. I love that path for them!
Iowa enjoys plenty of flowers of course, especially when the rest of the weekend is involved – a little injury luck with Kamari Moulton and Mark Gronowski and Iowa could easily be 6-0. 3-point loss to an extremely overrated (though about to be unranked) Iowa State and that loss to IU two weeks ago that honestly enhances Iowa’s profile (they win with a healthy Gronowski.) I love the defense. I REALLY love big man interceptions (two of them!) I love the running backs – they’ve all got that forward lean like KJ2. They don’t have the home run ability Johnson had but they keep hitting you with body blows over and over. Gronowski has been a fun wrinkle as a running option, though I worry about his leg. Iowa’s offensive line blew the allegedly stout Wisconsin defense up into little tiny cheese curds. Honestly, I was slightly annoyed the lead was only 23-0 at half and Kirk is botching a late-half/game clock scenario.
Whatever – none of that matters. Not when the animal you’ve been battling for decades, one of the combatants for the ice amongst the polar bears is now…that. And you roll them to the tune of 79 points the last two years.
So I think my advice to Badgerland would be, you clearly skipped leg day with all of those pushups. Of all programs, you should know you don’t skip leg day. You’re soft. In the meantime, enjoy those pushups. 42 pushups is a lot. 37 more is really a lot. I imagine 79 pushups is a lot for your pecs to endure. I bet it hurts. I bet it hurts bad. Enjoy your softness.
Consider this. This is the definition of soft, loser behavior:
Wisconsin was really vocal and fake tough throughout this game. Any “big” hit on an Iowa player led to preening and standing over people. Fake tough and definitely soft.
It’s embarrassing in every regard for Wisconsin.
It…gets worse???
Oh it’s definitely acceptable. I readily accept it. I celebrate it. But ok, it’s Wisconsin, surely they’ll turn the ti-
Oh. They’ll get to pay a huge buyout to Fickell really soon. They’re losing the rest of the games on that schedule, and that graphic didn’t capture Minnesota to end the year. Wisconsin’s the worst team in the league by a big margin.
Need more?
Other thoughts:
- Hi I’d like to report a murder…
- Whatever on the end of half. Iowa hung 200+ on the ground on the allegedly great Wisconsin run defense. They had holes blown into the hull all night. If Iowa can just be mediocre in the pass game…and hey, maybe they can with RVZ back, plus Howard. Iowa also involved the backs in the pass game. Cobble anything together there and suddenly Iowa’s got a stew.
- The schedule suddenly looks doable. Penn State – LOL PENN STATE – is reeling. Oregon is beatable? Minnesota’s ok but Iowa has a better roster. Michigan State got their bell rung by suddenly alive UCLA, a program now coached by sober individuals. Nebraska is Nebraska. USC away is difficult but not impossible. The path is there again.
- For a team that hadn’t been shutout at home since November of 1980 and hadn’t been shutout at home against Iowa since 1929, where was the urgency? I know, a token score, whatever…but Fickell taking the head set off early and getting called out on the broadcast for lack of urgency? Not great. Or in this case, very great, since it’s Wisconsin and I relish them being this bad.
- This tweet from Scott Dochterman was particularly hilarious.
To the comments!
