OT: Could UW go undefeated!

[deep throat]

Looking at the schedule, I see a possible undefeated record, am I nuts? Could this be a National Champ team? The big question was at QB and this guy looks a whole lot better then Stocco (sucko) They won by 21 and could have played a lot better.

[paulpressey25]

I'm concerned on the defense.....a Rose Bowl team wouldn't give up 21pts......that said, they've got time to get their act together.

I can't really remember a Badger QB who could pass the ball and have it look effortless.......Donovan was a revelation on Saturday.

[MickeyDavis]

They certainly could run the table but we'll see. WSU had a very young, inexperienced defensive backfield. Donovan can throw but he's not a real thinker, I'll be interested to see how he does against a real defense with a defensive coordinator that can throw some different coverages at him.

Hopefully the defense will get it turned around. Our linebackers, who I counted on as a strength, were horrible. And Ike, who is being touted as the top shut down CB in the country, got burned more than once.

[smacks1]

Double post, sorry

[smacks1]

Despite their losses to the draft, that OSU game still worries me. The game at Penn State doesn't look like it will be easy either.

The D needs to improve and I think they need to get a few more carries to Lance Smith. He looked like more than just a "change of pace" back to me yesterday.

It was their first live game with tackling. I'll wait to pass judgement on the D until after the first 3 games.

I couldn't even imagine Madison/Wisconsin if UW is playing in a national championship game come January. That could almost surpass the Packers Superbowl...(possibly).

[trwi7]

I'm concerned on the defense.....a Rose Bowl team wouldn't give up 21pts......that said, they've got time to get their act together.

Please WSU has a very good offense and the Badgers basically shut them down after the 1st quarter. They got lucky on a blocked punt bouncing right to their punter who ran it for a 1st down and then they ended up scoring and another TD came on DeBauche trying to pooch punt it, he got under it and it took a horrible bounce and they ended up getting a 15 yard penalty tacked on and they started at like the Badger 40.

That game easily could have been 42-7.

As for undefeated I don't know on the road against Ohio State and Penn State are tough and even though they lost to Appalachian State Michigan has owned us.

[Ayt]

I'm concerned on the defense.....a Rose Bowl team wouldn't give up 21pts......that said, they've got time to get their act together.

I can't really remember a Badger QB who could pass the ball and have it look effortless.......Donovan was a revelation on Saturday.

The first quarter of the season against a spread offense scared you that much, eh? My only concern with the D is a consistent pass rush.

On Donovan, I believe you and I (and others) pointed out a lot last year how Sorgi was terrible on deep balls. Donovan showed good accuracy on Saturday on some mid and deep passes, just as he did last year in the two games he played. That and his athleticism really bring some new things to the offense.

[Bernman]

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The first quarter of the season against a spread offense scared you that much, eh? My only concern with the D is a consistent pass rush.

On Donovan, I believe you and I (and others) pointed out a lot last year how Sorgi was terrible on deep balls. Donovan showed good accuracy on Saturday on some mid and deep passes, just as he did last year in the two games he played. That and his athleticism really bring some new things to the offense.

The Badgers didn't get crap for a pass rush last year and they were #1 in the nation in pass efficiency defense. Pass rush is really a bonus with these corners (base and nickel/dime is an asset as well).

I really wouldn't worry about the defense Paul. They came in extremely over-confident thinking that Wazzu would just lay down, as evidenced by one of Ike's post game comments. "I was shocked we actually were trailing at any point in this game". Wazzu is pretty explosive and you can't have that lack of intensity otherwise they'll exploit it. The Badgers were just losing players from their grasp and possible interceptions (Ike on the long ball). Those are simply lack of focus plays. The Cougs were able to rush the ball the entire day, but they only had 70 some yards passing after the rust of the first quarter of the season wore off. Ikegwuonu was playing with cramps all day and that's our best player period. They were gifted 7 points when their drive was refreshed by a punt block return for a 1st down. Otherwise they only score 14. Another one of their scoring drives started on the Badger 40 because of the zero yard punt by Debauche and subsequent batted ball penalty. They had great field position on a Badger muffed punt. With all those circumstances....21 points is not terribly embarrassing. They are a largely established unit and I think concerns about their prowess are irrational.

By Sorgi I think you meant Stocco. Some have pointed out that Donovan left yards and points on the field missing a couple receivers. How many did Stocco leave on the field by missing wide open players on long balls? I'd rather a QB miss a few underneath than a couple deep obviously. And Donovan certainly has the scrambling and ability to throw on the run that Stocco only wishes he possessed. He's more the playmaking type QB that can suppliment a national championship team. Game managers will win you games you were supposed to win, but not many of the games you weren't. I don't think we beat PSU on the road this year with Stocco as QB or maybe OSU (we'll have to see how balanced they are throughout the season). But I have an immense amount of confidence with Donovan leading the offense. I've said it before and I'll say it again; Stocco was a security blanket for Badger fans.

Carimi and the O-Line were superb. The safeties were solid. Donovan proved last year wasn't a fluke. Every question that needed to be answered, was answered.

This is a bonafied national champ contender and has as good of a shot as any outside USC.

[Nash13/Marion31]

lets not get ahead of ourselves. We still have teams like Penn State, OSU, and just because Michigan defense is in shambles doesn't mean that they are a push over. They still have Henne, Hart, and Manningham on offense, and the top OT in college football.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it can't be done, but like coaches say, lets just take the season one game at a time. GO BADGERS!!!!!

[deep throat]

lets not get ahead of ourselves. We still have teams like Penn State, OSU, and just because Michigan defense is in shambles doesn't mean that they are a push over. They still have Henne, Hart, and Manningham on offense, and the top OT in college football.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it can't be done, but like coaches say, lets just take the season one game at a time. GO BADGERS!!!!!

Everything you say makes logical sense, but we are Badger fans my friend and you have to get excited when you can. Michigan doesn't worry me in the least-Henne is eratic, Hart can be hurt, and Manningham is no better then Hubbard.

[ReasonablySober]

Penn State scares me a bit. They're loaded at the skill positions. They're weak on the lines, however. Michigan can go either way; either they step up and rebound or this was the loss that broke them. I think they're too good offensively to let this loss kill them. If OSU can get a game from their QB each week like they did on Saturday they'll be right there too.

[deep throat]

Penn State scares me a bit. They're loaded at the skill positions. They're weak on the lines, however. Michigan can go either way; either they step up and rebound or this was the loss that broke them. I think they're too good offensively to let this loss kill them. If OSU can get a game from their QB each week like they did on Saturday they'll be right there too.

Penn state is the 2nd best team in the Big Ten (UW #1). They looked good. They lost some of their heart when they lost Posluszny though. The game October 13 should be a good one.

[BuckPack]

I'd be shocked...they're not winning both games at Penn State and at Ohio State, and I could also see them losing at home in one of the Iowa/Michigan games.

They beat one of the worst teams in a poor conference (USC, UCLA, Cal are good, while the rest are very bad)...let's wait and see how they look against Iowa and Penn State before we start calling them bona fide National Championship contenders.

[ReasonablySober]

The Pac 10 is probably the 2nd best conference in America behind the SEC.

USC is USC.

I'd put Cal's offense up against any in the country. They've got two legit All-American WRs in Hawkins and Jackson. Forsett maybe the most underrated runner in the country and I'm a Longshore fan.

UCLA should win 10 games this season.

Those are three top 15 teams.

I think both the Oregon Schools could make the top 25 by season's end.

[deep throat]

I'd be shocked...they're not winning both games at Penn State and at Ohio State, and I could also see them losing at home in one of the Iowa/Michigan games.

They beat one of the worst teams in a poor conference (USC, UCLA, Cal are good, while the rest are very bad)...let's wait and see how they look against Iowa and Penn State before we start calling them bona fide National Championship contenders.

I don't think Wash State is that bad, but hell they smoked them by 21 points (covered the spread) and IMO didn't play that well on defense. What is so great about Ohio State -They lost their Heisman QB, their best two offensive weapons (including their 3rd WR), Antonio Pittman, and their best defensive player in Pitcock. Penn State lost their best Offensive and Defensive players in Levi Brown and Posluszny.

I know Wisconsin fans are used to heart breaks, but this team has a real shot.

[ReasonablySober]

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I don't think Wash State is that bad, but hell they smoked them by 21 points (covered the spread) and IMO didn't play that well on defense. What is so great about Ohio State -They lost their Heisman QB, their best two offensive weapons (including their 3rd WR), Antonio Pittman, and their best defensive player in Pitcock. Penn State lost their best Offensive and Defensive players in Levi Brown and Posluszny.

I know Wisconsin fans are used to heart breaks, but this team has a real shot.

James Laurinaitis (Nagurski winner) and Malcolm Jenkins were both better players than Pitcock. Both may be the best at their positions in college football.

[BuckPack]

The Pac 10 is probably the 2nd best conference in America behind the SEC.

USC is USC.

I'd put Cal's offense up against any in the country. They've got two legit All-American WRs in Hawkins and Jackson. Forsett maybe the most underrated runner in the country and I'm a Longshore fan.

UCLA should win 10 games this season.

Those are three top 15 teams.

I think both the Oregon Schools could make the top 25 by season's end.

I think it's pretty much the SEC and then the rest are all bunched together b/w the Pac 10, Big 10, Big 12, ACC and then the BE, but at this point, it's all a bunch of preaseason crap, and as we all know that carries very little weight. To me, I don't just look at the top schools or two in each conference, but rather it's depth--their wins carry far more significance then and thus, should translate into better results come Bowl time. But that's a major reason why the SEC is the best conference in america, not just b/c LSU is currently #2 and Florida is also top 5. Perhaps I was a bit harsh in calling them a poor conference, but what I meant was that they beat an opponent who had a pretty below average season in a conference that WAS pretty poor last year. And Wazzou did not show any signs of being any better than last year. So, take the blowout with a grain of salt...a win over a BCS opponent, but not a bowl-level opponent from a deep conference.

I mentioned that the Pac 10 has 3 good teams in USC, UCLA and Cal, but outside of that I'm going to wait until I see them actually beat anybody relevant before I call them the second best conference in America. UCLA is all hype at this point, and the Oregon schools beat up on some pretty poor opponents. Arizona, ASU, Stanford, and Wazzou are all pretty weak teams (as are the bottom tier in all conferences).

Again, too early to really tell anything from the conferences at this point, but as for Wisconsin, I really don't see them running the table this year. Penn State is too good at home; Ohio State despite their losses, is still a talented team in a very difficult venue; Michigan will probably rebound and they have the offensive horses to win any game; and trap games abound in Iowa and maybe even at Minnesota. I certainly think Wisconsin is more talented than many of those schools, so we'll see, but I don't think they're going to be playing in the NC game.

[BuckPack]

Now that it's up, how about some other college football discussion.....Did you guys get a chance to watch other college football games besides the obvious Michigan loss and UW win?

DB, our boy had quite the return against Tennessee, eh? I'd love to see him in Green and Gold next year, but RB might be slightly more of a priority unfortunately...

Some other things I really liked:

-Went to the BC-Wake game, I know I talked about him a lot last year on this board, but you guys have really gotta take a look at Matt Ryan. He's by far my favorite QB in the country this year in his class. He's Tom Brady with a bit more of a gunslinger (hate the word) in him--very tough, very accurate, can make all the throws etc. I have no idea why he isn't talked about more nationally, but in the ACC he's obviously very well known as he was the preseason ACC POY: threw for 408 yards and 5 TDs last week against Wake. Expect him to continue to put up big #'s this year and will prolly be a Heisman "darkhorse"--much better NFL prospect than someone like Brennan or Booty. I'd much rather take Ryan at 15 than Brohm at #1.

-Jackson, DeSean

-GT's defense is very, very, very good. Self-proclaimed offensive "genius" sure looked abused by Tanuta. Will be itneresting to see if Weiss gets the same treatment from the fans that Willingham got....it's not out of the question for this team to start 0-8.

-LSU's secondary is very, very good despite the loss of Landry.

Things I didn't like (non Michigan items):

-Teams that schedule cupcakes and treat this as a preseason game--very unfair for those that didn't (unless you lost to them...ahemm Michigan/NC State). Outside of Syracuse getting shellacked by Washington, the rest scheduled a bunch of nobodies. this is one of my biggest problems with college football-dumbing down schedules in an effort to increase win totals, inflated rankings and bowl appearances.

[ReasonablySober]

Now that it's up, how about some other college football discussion.....Did you guys get a chance to watch other college football games besides the obvious Michigan loss and UW win?

DB, our boy had quite the return against Tennessee, eh? I'd love to see him in Green and Gold next year, but RB might be slightly more of a priority unfortunately...

Some other things I really liked:

-Went to the BC-Wake game, and I know I talked about him a lot last year on this board, but you guys have really gotta take a look at Matt Ryan. He's by far my favorite QB in the country this year in his class. He's Tom Brady with a bit more of a gunslinger (hate the word) in him--very tough, very accurate, can make all the throws etc. I have no idea why he isn't talked about more nationally, but in the ACC he's obviously very well known as he was the preseason ACC POY: threw for 408 yards and 5 TDs last week against Wake. Expect him to continue to put up big #'s this year and will prolly be a "Heisman" darkhorse--much better NFL prospect than someone like Brennan or Booty. I'd much rather take Ryan at 15 than Brohm at #1.

-Jackson, DeSean

-GT's defense is very, very, very good. Self-proclaimed offensive "genius" sure looked abused by Tanuta. Will be itneresting to see if Weiss gets the same treatment from the fans that Willingham got....it's not out of the question for this team to start 0-8.

-LSU's secondary is very, very good despite the loss of Landry.

Things I didn't like (non Michigan items):

-Teams that schedule cupcakes and treat this as a preseason game--very unfair for those that didn't (unless you lost to them...ahemm Michigan/NC State). Outside of Syracuse getting shellacked by Washington, the rest scheduled a bunch of nobodies. this is one of my biggest problems with college football-dumbing down schedules in an effort to increase win totals, inflated rankings and bowl appearances.

I spent all day watching college ball and then the Cal game at night:

- I had no idea Tebow could actually throw the ball.

- If Ben Olson lives up to his hype, UCLA could play in a New Years day bowl

- that Jackson return was amazing in that even as I was watching it, I wasn't that in awe or even surprised. It's like, 'Oh, here he goes again'. I know I've been an advocate for staying away from WRs, but the things he could do for our return game...wow.

- Worrell Williams has got speed to spare. I'd keep an eye on him as the season goes on. He got engulfed a few times by big lineman, but he's athletic enough to make a lot of plays with his speed and quickness.

- Eric Ainge should be a lock for the first round.

- There's been a Marlon Lucky sighting! For two years now I've touted this kid and for two years I've been burned. He's got the talent and ability to be the best runner in the Big 12...be nice to see him live up to the hype.

- Colt Brennan: 34/40, 416 yards, 6 TDs - One half played. I lovce watching him play. He's got a whip for an arm.

[deep throat]

-= original quote snipped =-



James Laurinaitis (Nagurski winner) and Malcolm Jenkins were both better players than Pitcock. Both may be the best at their positions in college football.

I agree on Laurinaitis, but he isn't as good as Crable or Conner. I disagree on Jenkins and think he is overrated. Remember DTs have supreme value -see Harrell.