UW vs Northwestern Since my last report, the Badgers lost to Northwestern by a score of 33-31. In this last Big Ten matchup of the season, Northwestern’s quarterback Mike Kafka had a great day, completing 26 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. With the loss, the Badgers fell out of the top 25. But why dwell on the distant past? UW vs Hawaii This Saturday the Badgers (8-3, 5-3) take on Hawaii (6-6, 3-5), but the game doesn’t begin until 11:30 pm EST, so we won’t be meeting  to watch this one. You can catch it at home on ESPN2. This will be Wisconsin’s fourth trip to Honolulu since 1996. In that 1996 matchup, true freshman Ron Dayne ran for a UW record 339 yards in less than 3 quarters of play. If John Clay has a big day, he’ll move into the Wisconsin record books, too. Clay currently has 2,108 rushing yards under his belt and needs only four more yards to break into the Badgers’ alltime top 10 in career rushing, with the 10th spot currently held by Carl McCullough (2,111 yards). Where Will the Badgers Go Bowling? Bowl selections won’t be made until after Saturday’s game, so a Wisconsin win will help them in bowl selection. The Outback Bowl in Tampa is the current favorite possibility for the Badgers. The expected opponent in the Outback Bowl is Auburn. The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando is another possibility. Big Ten Awards John Clay was named the Big Ten Conference's Offensive Player of the Year and Chris Borland was named Freshman of the Year. Clay joins Brent Moss and Ron Dayne as the only other Badgers named conference Offensive Player of the Year. On the defensive side of the ball, Borland led the Badgers in tackles during the Big Ten season with 46, despite starting just the last four games. He is tied for the conference lead with three fumble recoveries and tied for second in the league with five forced fumbles. That makes him just the third player in UW history with at least three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in the same season. In all, 12 Badgers earned All-Big Ten mention, including five first-team selections. Remember Jonathan Orr? The former Badger and former Tennessee Titan is pursuing a life away from football, one as a Christian rap artist. His debut album, under the artist name D. Harp (standing for David’s Harp) was released on November 20th. For more info, go to http://badgerherald.com/sports/2009/12/01/orr_trades_football_.php. Badger Hoops The Badgers managed to come in third in the Maui Invitational last week. In their second game of the tournament they lost to Gonzaga, who went on to win the tournament. On Wednesday evening, the Badgers will take on Duke in the Kohl Center at 9:15 EST. You can catch the game, which is part of the Big Ten/ACC challenge, on ESPN. The Badgers have won their last three games against ACC teams and are hoping to keep that record going. If you happen to find yourself in South Dakota, check out the NBDL’s Sioux Force Skyforce team. It features former Badgers Joe Krabbenhoft, Greg Stiemsma and Tanner Bronson as an assistant coach. Edit |
