Greetings Fellow Badgers! Whoever scheduled the Northern Illinois game to fall after two painful losses was a genius! Or maybe it was Luke Swan's heartfelt talk to the team on Friday night (see http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071022/APC0201/710220575/1892/APCsports) that made the difference. Either way, the Badgers and their fans got back on track on Saturday with a decisive 44-3 win over the Huskies. Not only that, but it convinced the coaches to put us back at number 25 in the USA Today/Coaches poll, although we're still just "receiving votes" in the AP poll. With this sixth win, the Badgers became bowl eligible. In the win, P.J. Hill ran for a season-high 184 yards, including a great play where he spun around a tackler and hustled 72 yards for a touchdown, the longest run of his career. Lance Smith and Zach Brown also contributed, giving the Badgers a combined total of 330 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, Northern Illinois was held to negative (-13) rushing yards and only 2 of 12 third down conversions. Shane Carter stepped up for the Badgers with two interceptions during the game. Due to an injury to Andy Kemp (broken hand), Connecticut's own redshirt freshman John Moffitt started his first game on Saturday. John's parents, in search of a bar that carried the Big Ten Network, showed up at Rookies to watch the game. Rookies was kind enough to put it on the BIG screen for us (as well as many little screens). During the coach's press conference this week, Brett Bielema noted that Chris Pressley was chosen as offensive MVP this past week but "also noted John Moffitt in his first start did a very good job." Bielema indicated that it's not sure who will play this Saturday and that it will depend on how Andy Kemp does in practice this week, noting that the broken hand will undoubtedly hinder him. Speaking of this Saturday, it's Homecoming, and the Badgers take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Not only is it Homecoming, but it's also Halloween in Madtown, so beware if you're making the trip! If not, you'll have to come to Rookies or find someone with a satellite dish because, once again, the game will be shown on the Big Ten Network. The game starts at noon EDT. It would be great to have a big turnout for this game (unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented us from planning a big Homecoming celebration like we had last year). If you need directions to Rookies, go to http://www.rookiesrocks.com/directions.php. As of the beginning of the week, the Badgers were favored by 7.5 over the Hoosiers. This gives me hope, as the Vegas boys have been pretty accurate in their spreads on Badger games this year. This year the Indiana team has had to deal with the loss of Coach Terry Hoeppner, who passed away in June from complications of a brain tumor. On Saturday, the Hoosiers lost a close one to Penn State by the score of 36-31. Players to watch for the Hoosiers include quarterback Kellen Lewis and wide receiver James Hardy, who became Indiana's all-time leader in career touchdown receptions against PSU last week. Other Football News In other Badger football news, it was announced this week that Ron Dayne's number (33) will be retired during the Badgers' home finale against Michigan on November 10th. The Texans have a bye that week, so Ron will be able to be in Madison for the event. Since Ron left the UW, no player has worn his number, but it had not been officially retired. Other Badger News While the football Badgers were playing Northern Illinois last weekend, the mens' rowing team Badgers were up in Boston at the 43rd annual Head of the Charles regatta. The Badgers competed in the Championship Eight event, finishing first collegiately and second overall (to U.S. Rowing). The Badger women also competed in the lightweight eights, taking second collegiately and third overall. That's it for this week! Happy Halloween... and On Wisconsin! Jean Oliva, Secretary, UW Alumni Club of CT and Western MA
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