This was one of, if not the, best decade in the history of Wisconsin football. During the decade, Wisconsin made a New Year's bowl in eight of the 10 seasons (I count the Orange as a NYD bowl). In those, the Badgers made four Rose Bowls and their first ever appearance in the Cotton and Orange Bowls. Here is my All-Decade team for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.
Quarterbacks: Russell Wilson, Scott Tolzien, Joel Stave
The starting quarterback is a given. Quite simply, Russell Wilson is the greatest quarterback in the history of Wisconsin football. Even though he was only in Madison a single season, finished with the most passing yards and passing touchdowns, not to mention he led the team to the Rose Bowl. His 33 touchdown passes ranks tied for seventh in program history, even though he played at Wisconsin the one year. His quarterback rating was tops in NCAA history at the time of graduation for a single season. Russell was so incredible that he had to have the top spot.
As mentioned at the open, Wisconsin went to four Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl and a Cotton Bowl during the decade. One of the most interesting things about that is the fact that every single one of those bowls was started by a different quarterback. It was tough to pick Wilson's backups, but I settled on Scott Tolzien and Joel Stave. Funny thing is, Stave never started any of those major bowls I mentioned. However, he does have the most wins as a quarterback in school history and led the team to some big wins. It was a toss-up between him and Alex Hornibrook. Scott Tolzien was super efficient and never got rattled. His single-season completion percentage of 73 in 2010 is the best in school history, just over Wilson's 2011 season. Like Wilson, Scotty T also led the Badgers a Big Ten championship and a trip to Pasadena.
Running Backs: Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball
You know you are stacked when you have to leave off such great players as John Clay and James White. Not only are these three great Wisconsin backs, but three of the best running backs in college football history. I chose Jonathan Taylor as the starter. He had the best three-year career of any running back ever. If he would have stayed for his senior season, he would have destroyed Ron Dayne's career rushing record. His 6,174 yards on the ground is second in school history and he holds three of the top six single-season rushing yardage totals in Badgers history. His best performance came at Purdue as a sophomore when he ran for 321 yards and the game-winning touchdown in a triple overtime victory. Simply put, JT23 was one of the best running backs of all-time.
Melvin Gordon shared time with Montee Ball and James White during his time in Madison, but as a junior, he was the main guy and embarked on one of the best seasons a running back has ever had. In his final season, he rushed for a whopping 2,587 yards, which is the second most in NCAA history. In that season, he rushed for an incredible 408 yards in just three quarters against Nebraska. His 26-yard touchdown to end the third quarter also ended his day as the Badgers blew out Nebraska 59-24. That was the NCAA record.....for one week. He capped off his stellar career with an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards in an overtime victory against Auburn. He would be the starter in virtually every other school, but he was outdueled by JT here, as did Montee Ball. Taylor was actually the one one out of the three who was not a Heisman finalist, as Ball finished fourth in 2011 and Gordon finished second in 2014. As a junior, Montee scored 39 touchdowns, which is tied for the school record, and as a senior, he broke the NCAA rushing touchdowns record. At the time Melvin broke the single-game record, former Badgers held the rushing yardage, rushing touchdowns record and single-game rushing record. Not bad.
Fullbacks: Derek Watt, Bradie Ewing
Wisconsin has had some great fullbacks over the years. I didn't even include Alec Ingold in this, and he has done well with the Las Vegas Raiders. Derek Watt opened holes for Melvin Gordon, helping No. 25 have one of the greatest rushing seasons in college football history. Watt also had more than 300 yards receiving in college too, showing that he is a well-rounded fullback. Ewing was the fullback at the beginning of the decade. He led John Clay, Montee Ball and James White to big years in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Ewing paved the way for the Badgers running backs to run for nearly 3,200 yards with Wisconsin nearly becoming the first team in college football history to have three running backs rush for more than 1,000 yards. In 2011, the rushing attack did even better, gaining nearly 3,300 yards on the ground. The offensive line was really good, but so was the fullback. Ewing had a lot to do with the ground attack.
Wide Receivers: Jared Abbrederis, Quintez Cephus, Alex Erickson, Nick Toon, Jazz Peavy
For a running offense, Wisconsin has produced some really good wide receivers this past decade. Jared Abbrederis was one of the best receivers in school history. Abbrederis is tied with Brandon Williams for most receptions in school history (202) and second in receiving yards, only behind the great Lee Evans. In 2013, he was the only receiver teams had to key on, but he still caught 78 balls for 1,081 yards and seven scores. Quintez Cephus was on the verge of coming on as a sophomore, as he caught 30 passes for 501 yards in 9+ games before missing the final four games with injury. After missing a year due to a sexual assault trial, he had 901 yards receiving and seven scores. In the Big Ten Championship against one of the best secondaries in the country, Cephus caught seven passes for 122 yards in the 34-21 loss to Ohio State.
Alex Erickson is one of the more underrated wide receivers in program history. As a senior, he nearly had 1,000 yards receiving (978), the sixth most in school history for a single season. That came after a season in 2014 where he had 772 yards receiving, having to fill the shoes of Abby, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Nick Toon had a really nice sophomore campaign and an even better senior one. His 10 touchdown grabs is the second-most in program history, only to Lee Evans' 13 in 2003. He did one better than his father in his best TD season, as Al Toon caught nine in 1983. In addition to his 10 touchdowns, he had 926 yards receiving, Jazz Peavy was on the verge of breaking out as a junior. He had 953 total yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns, including a touchdown grab against Ohio State. Although he didn't have 1,000 career receiving yards, I feel comfortable putting him on this team because he was a really solid wide receiver, both catching the ball and as a weapon on jet sweeps.
Tight Ends: Troy Fumagalli, Lance Kendricks, Jacob Pedersen
Fumagalli was a solid receiving option for the Badgers and the top option in 2016 and 2017. Arguably his best game came against Western Michigan in the 2017 Cotton Bowl when he hauled in six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. In the season opener against LSU that year, he caught seven passes for 100 yards in the 16-14 upset win. He was also a good blocker for Corey Clement.
Lance Kendricks only was at Wisconsin for one season, but the former wide receiver showed his receiving skills. As a senior, he caught 43 passes for 663 yards and five touchdowns, including a nice grab in the end zone in the regular season finale against Northwestern. As a sophomore in 2011, Jacob Pedersen caught 30 passes and eight of them went for scores. Overall, he caught 17 touchdowns, which is seventh in school history. He had 551 yards receiving in his senior season, which was second on the team to Jared Abbrederis.
Offensive Tackles: Gabe Carimi, Ryan Ramczyk, Rob Havenstein, Rick Wagner
Gabe Carimi and Ryan Ramczyk only played one year for the Badgers this decade, but they both made the most of that season. Carimi is the last Outland Trophy Award winner from the program, given to the country's most outstanding lineman. Winning the Outland Trophy, he was also named First Team All-Conference and unanimous First Team All-American, as well as winning the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year. A lot of hardware in that one year. In that year, he paved the way for John Clay, James White and Montee Ball to run roughshod over the conference. Ball came up just four yards short of being the first trio of running backs from one team to run for 1,000 yards in a single season. Ramczyk was a walk-on who came out of nowhere to dominate the Big Ten. Ryan was a First Team All-Americans and All-Big Ten selection. He helped Corey Clement run for 1,375 yards and 15 scores.
Rob Havenstein had a great career at Wisconsin, which ended after a 2014 season in which he paved the way for Melvin Gordon to rush for more than 2,500 yards, which is the second-most rushing yards ever. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-Big Ten and First Team All-American. For that, he was drafted by Rams early in the 2015 NFL Draft. Wagner was an All-Big Ten selection every year from 2010-12, as he was honorable mention as a junior and senior before being named to the first team in 2012. In his senior season, he paved the way for Montee Ball to rush for 1,833 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to winning the Doak Walker Award.
Offensive Guards: Kevin Zeitler, Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel, John Moffitt
It is no secret that the Wisconsin Badgers have been loaded at offensive line this past decade. Both the starters on this list, Kevin Zeitler and Michael Deiter just earning a spot on the Big Ten Network's All-Decade team, with the latter earning first team honors. Deiter was a really good lineman at multiple positions. He played all along the offensive line and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors as a junior at left tackle and then again as a guard as a senior, which also earned him a First Team All-American selection and the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award. Zeitler played two years in the decade and helped create openings for Montee Ball, John Clay and James White to run through, averaging well over 3,000 yards on the ground in those two seasons. In 2011, Zeitler was named First Team All-Big Ten and First Team All-American.
Most of the time being a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection would make you a shoo-in for a starting spot on the program All-Decade team, but that just goes to show you how dominant the Wisconsin offensive lines were. Benzschawel started as a freshman in 2015 and every year from his sophomore year on, he was an All-Big Ten pick. In 2016, he made the second team and he made the first team in 2017 and 2018. It was tough to leave him off as a starter, but he still gets a much-deserved spot on the team. Moffitt was also a two-time selection on the First Team All-Big Ten team, but only one of them was in this past decade. Wisconsin rushed for more than 3,000 yards as a team in 2010 and James White, Montee Ball and John Clay almost all had 1,000 yards, which would have been the first time in NCAA history that three running backs from the same school all ran for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Centers: Travis Frederick, Tyler Biadasz
Before he became one of the best centers in the NFL, Travis Frederick was dominating for Wisconsin. He played guard in his redshirt sophomore season before moving to guard to replace Peter Konz. All he did was anchor an offensive line that helped the Badgers dominate on the ground, especially in the Big Ten Championship against Nebraska. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-American by Pro Football Weekly.
Tyler Biadasz was a really good lineman right from the start in Madison, starting from day one. As a freshman, he earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors. In his last two years, he was named First Team All-Big Ten, as well as being named unanimous All-American and the Rimington Award winner in 2019, given to the nation's top center. His three years playing were also the same as record-breaking running back Jonathan Taylor, and that's not a coincidence.
Defensive Ends: J.J. Watt, Alec James, Louis Nzegwu, Conor Sheehy
J.J. Watt is another one of those players who were only in the decade for one year, but he had such a great year that he was named to the Big Ten Network's All-Decade team. After a solid sophomore season, Watt had a fantastic junior season in 2010. J.J. had 21 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He had three tackles for loss and two sacks in the big win over Ohio State. Watt was named First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-American and was named the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Alec James was very solid for the Badgers who finished with 11 sacks in his career, including 6.5 as a senior in 2017, He was incredibly under-rated and the pass rushers couldn't get much pressure on the quarterback without him in 2018.
Like James, Louis Nzegwu also had 11 career sacks. He spread them out in his final three years. As a senior, he had 4.5 sacks and had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Rose Bowl against Oregon. In 2010, he had four passes defensed. With James, Sheehy was also super underrated. He didn't put up huge numbers With them, the pass rushers made hay. Without them, the pass rushing struggled in 2018, not to mention they went from a great run stopping team to a less than stellar on. That just goes to show you the impact they had, even if they didn't put up flashy numbers. James and Sheehy deserve to be on this list.
Nose Tackles: Beau Allen, Warren Herring, Olive Sagapolu
Beau Allen was a great run stuffer for the Badgers and was a key component as the nose tackle when Wisconsin transitioned from the 4-3 to the 3-4 when Dave Aranda came in with Gary Andersen. Wisconsin became a really good defense with Beau being one of the key contributors. He is obviously not going to put up huge numbers, but he did put up 9.5 tackles for loss his final two seasons for the Badgers.
The reserves I have are Warren Herring and Olive Sagapolu. Herring was a solid run stuffer and was a key part of the Badgers good defense in 2014. In 2013, he had six tackles for loss from the nose tackle position. Following the graduation of Herring, Sagapolu took the nose tackle baton and ran with it. Despite being a nose tackle, he brought down opposing quarterbacks five times in his last two seasons and had eight tackles for loss. He was an integral piece of the defense in 2017 that was one of the best units in college football.
EDGEs: Joe Schobert, T.J. Watt, Zack Baun, Vince Biegel, Andrew Van Ginkel
The linebackers are the best and deepest group on the All-Decade team. After Dave Aranda came over and implemented the 3-4, the edge rushers have been the biggest part of the defense. The starters here are Joe Schobert and T.J. Watt. Both came on when given the opportunity. In 2014, Joe the Show had 11 tackles for loss and two sacks, which set the stage for his monster senior season. In 2015, he had 9.5 sacks and a whopping 20 tackles for loss. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-Big Ten, First Team All-American and was named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. In the Big Ten opener in 2015 against Iowa, he was the best player on the field. Schobert tallied eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. After not playing much as a sophomore, Watt came on in a big way in 2017. As part of one of the best defenses in America, he had 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, not to mention a pick six against Purdue. He was named First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-American.
It was tough to choose reserves since there were a number of choices. Zack Baun had a decent junior season, but turned it up a notch as a senior. As part of arguably the best core of linebackers in the country, Baun had 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. Like T.J. Watt, Baun also had a pick six, which he had in the 38-0 blowout of Michigan State. Biegel was a three-year starter who had a good career for the Badgers. His 20.5 sacks rank in the top 10 in Wisconsin history. In the three years he was a starter, he was named to Second Team All-Big twice and to the third team once. Biegel was a consistent performer who was often overlooked by other pass rushers, namely Watt and Schobert. Andrew Van Ginkel had 12 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his two-year Wisconsin career and had a pick six in the 2017 Big Ten Championship against Ohio State.
Inside Linebackers: Chris Borland, T.J. Edwards, Chris Orr, Jack Cichy, Ryan Connelly
While the pass rushers were really good, they might not even be better than the inside linebackers of the past decade from Wisconsin. Chris Borland and T.J. Edwards are two of the best linebackers to ever don the cardinal and white. Borland was recently named to the All-Decade First Team by the Big Ten Network. He had more than 100 tackles in each of his final three seasons, including 143 in 2011, which included 19 tackles for loss. In that 2011 season, he also picked off two passes and registered five passes defensed. His 420 tackles ranks sixth in school history and his 17 sacks are tied for 10th. His accolades speak for themselves: Three-time All-Big Ten First Team selection and an All-American, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year pick in 2013. Despite being a linebacker, Edwards had a knack for intercepting passes. His 10 career interceptions is tied for seventh in school history and his 367 tackles ranks ninth. T.J. even had a pick six his senior season against Maryland. Another one of those picks was against Western Michigan in the 2017 Cotton Bowl, intercepting WMU's Zach Terrell deep in Broncos territory, setting up the Badgers for the eventual winning score. For that and his 10 tackles, he was named Cotton Bowl MVP. He was named First Team All-Big Ten as a junior and senior and First Team All-American as a senior in 2018.
The reserves would start on a lot of teams. Chris Orr had an incredible senior season, sacking opposing quarterbacks 11.5 times. That helped him earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors. One of his biggest plays came in Lincoln in 2017 when he ran back a pick six to get the Badgers on the board first. Orr was an impact player who made a difference from day one. Jack Cichy announced to the world what is his name was at the bowl game his sophomore season. The former walk-on sacked USC quarterback Cody Kessler on three consecutive plays to thwart the USC momentum and lead the Badgers to victory in the Holiday Bowl. Despite missing the first half due to a targeting foul in the regular season finale against Minnesota, Cichy was named the Defensive MVP of the game. He only played in 20 games at Wisconsin, but he made his presence felt deserves to be on this team. Orr got hurt on the first defensive play against LSU in 2016 and missed the rest of the season. Ryan Connelly filled the spot left by Orr and took the spot and ran with it. He made one of the biggest plays of that LSU game, bringing down Leonard Fournette short of the first down in the fourth quarter, setting up the game-winning drive by the Badgers. Connelly was consistant and formed a great tandem with Edwards in the middle of the defense. He had 29 career tackles for loss. Connelly was named Third Team All-Big Ten as a senior.
Cornerbacks: Nick Nelson, Sojourn Shelton, Antonio Fenelus, Derrick Tindal, Darius Hillary
Nick Nelson only played one season in Madison, but it was one of the finest seasons a cornerback has played with the Badgers. While he did not pick off any passes, he had 21 passes defensed for a one of the best defenses in America. For his performance, he was named First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team CBS Sports All-American. Sojourn Shelton was a four-year starter in Madison who raised eyebrows with four interceptions as a freshman in 2013. He did not have another one until the Holiday Bowl when he picked off Cody Kessler late in the game to preserve a 23-21 Badgers victory. As a senior in 2016, he picked off four more passes, including two huge interceptions in the second half of a comeback victory on Senior Day against Minnesota. He was named First Team All-Big Ten that season.
Antonio Fenelus was a First Team All-Big Ten media selection in both 2010 and 2011, as he picked four passes each season and 12 passes defensed as well. One of those Fenelus picks was brought back to the house to cement a 34-13 win in 2010 at Purdue. Derrick Tindal was one of the corners on great defenses in 2016 with Shelton and then 2017 with Nelson playing opposite of him. He made five interceptions in his career, but his biggest one may have been his last when he intercepted Malik Rosier in the end zone to preserve a Wisconsin lead. Darius Hillary was a rock-solid cornerback during his time in Madison, forming a good cornerback duo with fellow All-Decade pick Sojourn Shelton. Hillary picked off one pass during his Wisconsin career and had 12 passes defensed, helping him earn All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
Safeties: Aaron Henry, D'Cota Dixon, Michael Caputo, Natrell Jamerson
Aaron Henry began as a cornerback, but transitioned to safety after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury. He was a big part of a defense that made the Rose Bowl in 2010 and 2011. Henry had a knack for the ball, intercepting two passes in 2010 and four more in 2011. When the ball was in his hands after a turnover, he knew what to do with it, bringing both of his interceptions back to the house in 2010 against Indiana and Northwestern. He also recovered three fumbles in 2010, bringing one of them back for a score as well. He made the Coaches Second Team All-Big Ten in 2010 and First Team in 2011. D'Cota Dixon was a strong force in the back of the defense for the Badgers in 2016 and 2017. His best year came as a sophomore in 2016 when he intercepted four passes and four passes defensed. Dixon cemented two of the biggest wins of the season with big plays, picking off LSU's Brandon Harris in the closing minute to knock off No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field, and knocking away a fourth down pass to preserve an overtime victory against Nebraska. In 2017, he was a leader of one of the best defenses in the country.
In speaking of leaders, Michael Caputo was one of those great leaders of the secondary in the middle of the decade. In 2014, he finished with more than 100 tackles, leading a solid Wisconsin defense and picked off two passes in 2015 for a defense that was the best defense in the country in points allowed. Caputo was a consensus Second Team All-Big Ten in both 2014 and 2015 and a FWAA Second Team All-American in 2014. Like Henry, Natrell Jamerson also switched from corner to safety and thrived. In his season at safety, he made 51 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Jamerson also picked off two passes, including returning one back to the house against Northwestern. With Leo Musso graduating, Jamerson stepped in at safety and the defense didn't skip a beat....and perhaps got even better.
Kicker: Rafael Gaglianone
Rafael Gaglianone is one of the best kickers in the history of Wisconsin football. In his first attempt as a freshman, he nailed a 51-yarder against LSU. Not a bad way to start your career. His 76 percent accuracy in field goals are fifth in school history and he has the second and third best percentage in a single season. Gags' 216 extra points made are the most in school history. The highlight of his career came at Lambeau Field in September 2016 when he drilled a 47-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play to give the Badgers the 16-14 win against No. 5 LSU. Earlier in the summer, he lost good friends Mike Sadler and Sam Foltz, and he hit the winner in the first game following their deaths. He was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week along with National Special Teams Player of the Week. Gags was named to the Freshman All-Big Ten team in 2014, Second Team All-Big Ten in 2017 and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2014 and 2018.
Punter: Brad Nortman
Brad Nortman was a good punter for the Badgers in the early part of the decade. Nortman had a career punting average of 42.1 yards per punt, which is the third best in the history of the program. The punting was so rough following the departure of Nortman that Gary Andersen decided to randomly sometimes use backup quarterbacks as the punter. One of his best moments is the fake punt against Iowa to help prolong a drive that Wisconsin scored on to win the game 31-30. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten punter with the Badgers. His 8,383 career punting yards ranks fourth in school history and his 199 punts checks in at fifth all-time.
Kick Returner: Aron Cruickshank
Aron Cruickshank wasn't on Wisconsin for long, but he made a huge impact as a kick returner in the limited time in Madison. Last season, he returned 23 kickoffs for 674 yards, including two back to the house against Nebraska and Oregon. In both games, the Badgers opponents took a 7-0 lead before Aron took the ensuing kickoff back for a score to turn the tide in the game. For his efforts, he was named Second Team All-Big Ten as a return specialist.
Punt Returner: Kenzel Doe
Kenzel Doe was a really solid punt returner for the Badgers. In his career, he returned 49 punts for an average of nearly 10 yards per return. Doe returned one punt to the house, a game-changing touchdown against Utah State in 2012, cutting it to a 14-10 game, a contest in which the Badgers won 16-14. In addition to bringing a punt back for a score, he also returned a kickoff back as well, which he did in the 2014 Capital One Bowl against South Carolina. Doe was an all-around really good return man.
Head Coach: Paul Chryst
Player of the Decade: Jonathan Taylor
No comments:
Post a Comment