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Just felt that as head coach I've got to make some decisions once in a while that aren't going to be popular and from the outside world looking in may not make all the most sense.
-Bret Bielema via the Pioneer Press
In a move to diminish the bludgeoning the B1G received on a semi-national stage last Saturday, Bret did the unexpected and told respected Offensive Line Coach Mike Markuson that it had been a fun two games, but it was time that they went in different directions. This would generally be all fine and well, but the replacement is most definitely a Graduate Assistant who may or may not have recently been working for the Chicago Blackhawks... You know, the hockey team.
So now what for the Badgers? Bart Miller takes over and the hope is that there is some magic fairy dust that will suddenly make this team more assertive. While Wisconsin does come home to the friendly confines of Camp Randall this weekend, they have no easy task. Utah State looked pretty good last Friday beating the in-state rival Utah team that plays big brother more often than any in-state rivalry I know of. With a 2-0 record and some momentum, Wisconsin needs to assert its will in the run game and fast. DOB does not look terrible, but that offense stagnated time after time on Saturday. After Jared Abbrederis went down with a concussion after a nasty hit, there was no, "Plan B," which put the entire thing on hold in a ridiculously jumpy Corvallis.
Bottom line, Bret did what coaches do best. Deflect blame by firing someone else. He played the victim a little bit in the presser, but his career is on the line as much as anything. For the sake of the conference, I'm hoping everyone puts a hurt on their opponents this weekend, but I am not holding my breath. Trust me when I say that I understand other teams also have their own set of problems *coughnebraskahasnodefensetospeakofcough* but nothing says stick out like the beautiful bro you are like this. Here's hoping it works out, and if it doesn't? I hear Arkansas is looking for a new head coach.
Team Links:
- A Lion Eye takes on the painful task of reviewing the Arizona State game footage, and it's about as much fun as you would expect that to be.
- Illini HQ simply asks where the defense went against Arizona State.
- Bad news bears for Indiana: Tre Roberson is down for around 5-6 Months after breaking his leg. Good luck on your recovery Tre.
- The Crimson Quarry provides a recap of what is probably the premier win of the Kevin Wilson era.
- Let's just get all the Black Heart Gold Pants angst out in the open following the weekend: Here's Vint, here's the venting thread, and here are the numbers.
- Mike Hlas from the Cedar Rapids Gazette pretty much ensures that this weekend will be an awful one for the Hawkeyes.
- MnB looks at the five key plays for the Wolverines on Saturday against Air Force.
- Michigan needs somebody to step on offense to spell Denard, and that probably starts with Fitz Toussaint getting more than 7 yards on 8 carries.
- The Only Colors looks at why Maxwell might be a good quarterback and digs into the box score from Saturday.
- Three Questions concerning the Spartans from the Free Press.
- A very sane perspective on the Gophers 2-0 start from The Daily Gopher.
- The Star Tribune, in similar fashion, are taking the measured approach to this undefeated start for Minnesota.
- So apparently 11 players missed 19 tackles for the Cornhuskers on Saturday... Sounds about right.
- Corn Nation looks at what happens when high expectations go bad quickly.
- Sippin on Purple talks about the Special Teams play against Vandy and mentions Venric Mark because pretty much that's what you do when you have a guy like Venric Mark.
- Lake The Posts has a sitdown with BC Interruption to discuss this weekend's matchup.
- LGHL recaps the Urban presser for Cal week using the twitters.
- Buckeye Empire does a recap of all the scoring plays from the Ohio State-UCF game.
- BSD takes a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Virginia game.
- Not so much football related, but apparently Al Pacino is going to play Joe Paterno in a movie based on the JoePa book by Joe Posnanski. So you've got that going for you...
- You've gotta feel bad for Marve... In what is probably the last straw for his career at Purdue, he does what you'd expect from a Purdue player and tears his ACL. Sad day for the kid (who might be older than me for how long he has been there).
- Purdue football grades for the Notre Dame game and coaching does not pass.
- Madtown Badgers asks where the Wisconsin Football team went.
- B5Q has some charts and graphs and such that answer that question.
Finally
Eleven years ago, the unthinkable happened. I still remember walking into school late, as was normal for me, and just sitting there in shock as our principal told the school to turn on the televisions. For the next four hours, we watched the buildings fall down, footage of panic, the Pentagon, and testimony after testimony of the selflessness of the Soldiers, Fire Fighters, Police Officers, Medics, and Good Samaritans who would fight and literally give their lives for others in the wake of disaster. It was a tragedy of unfathomable proportions, but I can honestly say that for one moment, we were all united in the belief that it didn't matter who you were, we were all in this together. So forget your political affiliations, religious beliefs, philosophical foundations, and whatever else might cause you to hate another person and for at least today, drop it and respect everyone else. Also, spend some time remembering those who were killed in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania as well as overseas, those who helped others despite what their beliefs and affiliations were, and those who continue to put their lives on the line without any questions every day. 9/11/2001, we will truly never forget.