Big Ten Bowl Season Begins: Champs Sports Bowl
by Jonathan Franz on Dec 29, 2009 9:05 AM CST
in Wisconsin
There are few things that can make or break a conference's reputation like postseason inter-league competition. When the dust settles it won't be the Big Ten's (32-12) out of conference record that defines its national worth; it'll be seven bowl games, beginning with tonight's Champs Sports Bowl.
Make no mistake, this isn't the same Wisconsin team that got drilled 42-17 by Florida State in Orlando last year. In fact, there's one big difference that I think gives the Badgers more than a fighting chance: offensive balance.
The numbers don't tell the whole story. Last year Wisconsin ran 900 plays. Sixty-three percent of them were on the ground. That 2008 offensive campaign resulted in 5,190 total yards, of which 2,745 or 53 percent of them were rushing yards. The Badgers continue to run with the exact same frequency in 2009. Of their 4490 total yards at present, 54 percent of them have been gained on the ground.
On paper it looks like the 2008 Badgers had the better balance. But anyone who watched Wisconsin play this year, knows that there's a difference behind center. Last year Wisconsin's best passer, Dustin Sherer had a quarterback rating of 120.66. This year, Scott Tolzien has a 142.45 rating.
This year's Badgers can move the ball through the air without making mistakes when needed. It's a side they showcased in wins against Fresno State, Indiana, and Michigan. While Wisky hasn't had to turn to the pass too often, if the 2009 Badgers get down, they have the weapons to come back.
That makes me surprisingly optimistic about tonight's showdown with the Hurricanes.
On Wisconsin!
Do you like this story?
More from Off Tackle Empire
Around SB Nation
Apr 2012 from Block U
- 291 comments
Read More: rennie curran, race to the bcs, greg robinson lb - connecticut, obi ezeh lb - michigan, northern illinois huskies, missouri tigers, virginia tech hokies, alabama crimson tide, georgia bulldogs, oklahoma st. cowboys, kansas st. wildcats, arizona wildcats, kentucky wildcats, auburn tigers, lsu tigers, troy trojans, clemson tigers, notre dame fighting irish, tate forcier qb - michigan, michigan st. spartans, michigan wolverines, penn st. nittany lions, ohio st. buckeyes, wisconsin badgers, northwestern wildcats, iowa hawkeyes, indiana hoosiers, illinois fighting illini, purdue boilermakers, jimmy clausen qb - notre dame, mike martin dt - michigan, brandon graham de - michigan, morgan trent cb - michigan, david molk ol - michigan, doug worthington dl - ohio st., tim tebow qb - florida, miami ohio redhawks, big ten power poll 2009, dan lefevour qb - cent. michigan, jerel worthy dt - michigan st., tyrell sutton rb - northwestern, usc trojans, florida gators, cincinnati bearcats, south carolina gamecocks, nebraska cornhuskers, texas am aggies, idaho vandals, air force falcons, southern miss. golden eagles, south florida bulls, east carolina pirates, oregon st. beavers, byu cougars, ucla bruins, san diego st. aztecs, marshall thundering herd, nevada wolf pack, west virginia mountaineers, boston college eagles, tennessee volunteers, north carolina tar heels, arkansas razorbacks, kansas jayhawks, duke blue devils, central florida golden knights, boise st. broncos, utah utes, navy midshipmen, wyoming cowboys, smu mustangs, texas tech red raiders, california golden bears, mississippi rebels, pittsburgh panthers, miami hurricanes, rutgers scarlet knights, temple owls, connecticut huskies, oklahoma sooners, houston cougars, stanford cardinal, ohio bobcats, louisiana-monroe warhawks, middle tenn. st. blue raiders, terrelle pryor qb - ohio st., michael oher ol - mississippi, bowl projections, oregon ducks, minnesota golden gophers, texas longhorns, georgia tech yellow jackets, tcu horned frogs, mississippi rebels ysports-button add the rivalry, esq. to my yahoo comments, daryll clark qb - penn st., derek domino lb - s. dakota st., marqueis gray qb - minnesota, kirk cousins qb - michigan st., ben chappell qb - indiana, mike kafka qb - northwestern, ricky stanzi qb - iowa, scott tolzien qb - wisconsin, adam weber qb - minnesota, adam weber k - ball st., san jose st. spartans, noel devine rb - west virginia, pat white qb - west virginia, denard robinson qb - michigan, david cone qb - michigan, fresno st. bulldogs, florida st. seminoles, bowling green falcons, iowa st. cyclones, central michigan chippewas, big ten expansion, corey wootton de - northwestern, jacob charest qb - illinois, 2010 rose bowl, big ten bowl redemption, rose bowl game, pasadena, ohio state, 2009 big ten, pac 10, jeremiah masoli qb - oregon, brian rolle lb - ohio st., ross homan lb - ohio st., kurt coleman cb - ohio st., colt mccoy qb - texas, brian kelly, notre dame coaching search, blair white wr - michigan st., graham harrell qb - texas tech, taylor potts qb - texas tech, syracuse orange, hawaii warriors, coach urban meyer, urban meyer retires, justin houston de - georgia, allen bailey dl - miami, joe joseph dl - miami, darryl sharpton lb - miami, cody grimm lb - virginia tech, mississippi st. bulldogs, louisiana tech bulldogs, 2009 champs sports bowl, Dustin Sherer (QB - Wisconsin), Scott Tolzien (QB - Wisconsin), Wisconsin Badgers, Miami Hurricanes
Email
Print
6 comments
|
0 recs |
