Badgers are on the brink
MADISON, Wis. — Leave it to Joe Paterno to give a blunt assessment of Wisconsin's woes.
"They let Michigan off the hook, and I think they let Ohio State off the hook," the legendary Penn State coach said.
With the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) coming Saturday, the only hook left for these Badgers (3-2, 0-2) might be reserved for quarterback Allan Evridge.
But listen to Paterno's pups closely, and they sound downright sorry about Wisconsin's blown BCS chances as a cautionary tale of what can happen to any team with title aspirations.
"Those guys played hard, it's just unfortunate they didn't pull out a win," Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark said after watching film this week. "But, life goes on."
Even if the losses are hard to fathom.
In the last two weeks, Wisconsin blew a 19-point lead to the Wolverines and stymied Ohio State on every drive but the first and last in a 20-17 loss.
"We had a sandwich game: terrible first drive, terrible last drive, great in-between," safety Jay Valai said. "We can't do that. We're not going to win, especially in the Ten."
Paterno, who tore ligaments in his left knee in a sideline collision in his last trip to Camp Randall Stadium in 2006, believes Wisconsin will dig in further.
"Certainly as they look at the tapes of the last two games they're saying to themselves, 'Boy, we could have had both of those games. Let's see if we can make up for it,"' he said.
But Wisconsin's home mystique is gone and so is the 16-game winning streak here.
Clark and running back Evan Royster provide a whole new set of challenges for Wisconsin's defense, which has steadily improved all season.
Royster gained at least 139 yards in each of his last two conference games, and his versatility along with a strong receiving corps are major reasons why the Nittany Lions' spread offensive attack is averaging 45 points a game.
"They're a great team all-around. They're a heck of a team, good players, good playmakers all over," Wisconsin linebacker DeAndre Levy said.
And the defense might be forced to carry Wisconsin, which has sputtered on offense while Evridge's completion percentage keeps tumbling down, now at 56.6 percent this season.
He's also thrown four interceptions and lost four fumbles while taking six sacks in a patient offense built on protecting possession and managing the game.
"We've got to expect the ball to be delivered with better accuracy," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "The next guy in would probably be Dustin Sherer. You don't need to read into it, Allan is going to start on Saturday and be our quarterback. But there comes a point in time where you have to make an assessment of where we are as a football team."
Evridge's wild throws let defenses creep up to the line and shut down bruising back P.J. Hill. Hill has one TD and is averaging 3.5 yards per carry in the first two conference games.
Maybe the Nittany Lions' no-name defense will force Evridge from the starter's role and finally start garnering more national attention like Clark believes his team deserves.
Or, Wisconsin could derail Penn State's budding dreams of a big bowl berth.
"Losing loves company," Valai said. "We lost the last two games. We want some company down here with us. It's frustrating losing. Hopefully we give them that same feeling."
