Capital One Bowl

Arkansas has the fourth best rushing attack in the country. Thanks to Heisman runner-up

Wisconsin enters the Capital One Bowl on an eight game tear. Since a 27-13 defeat at the hands of

Darren McFadden, the Razorbacks have one of the best ground attacks in college football. Statistically, McFadden is the NCAA’s 10th best rusher, but any defense that has had to corral the sophomore knows that he’s one of the best. Due to McFadden’s 1,558 rushing yards, 5.9-yard per carry average and 14 touchdowns, AU’s quarterbacks barely attempted 10 passes in some contests.

Michigan on September 23, the Badgers have won eight straight contests. Out of the eight victories, the most notable performances came in home wins over Minnesota and Penn State and on the road vs. Iowa. In four of the eight wins, the Wisconsin defense held its opponent to under 10 points. The Badger defense is beckoning for more respect and a nice outing against Darren McFadden would go a long way in gaining more recognition.

Darren McFadden vs. the 23rd ranked run defense. Wisconsin is allowing 105 rushing yards per

P.J. Hill vs. the 47th ranked run defense. Is there an echo in the building? Yes, Wisconsin’s key

game this season. Uh-oh. McFadden and his various rushing skills should be jumping at the opportunity to face the Badgers front seven. However, a closer look at the Wisconsin defense shows that its rushing deficiencies actually stem from having the second best secondary in the country. Teams couldn’t throw on Wisconsin, so they stuck to a balanced ground attack that ate up yards, but also scoring chances. Still though, McFadden is a special runner and Houston Nutt will certainly stick with the horse that won him 10 games this season.

key match up is the same as Arkansas’, but it’s not our fault that this game features two of the best young runners in college football. If Darren McFadden is excited at the possibility of facing the so-so rush defense of Wisconsin, Hill has to be exploding out of his seat. The freshman pinball will be facing a Razorback defense that is allowing almost 124 yards per game on the ground. Head coach Bret Bielema can use this match up to get a distinct advantage on the offensive side of the ball. Bielema can feed the Arkansas defense a steady diet of Hill while mixing in some play action passes with experienced quarterback John Stocco.

Head coach Houston Nutt is probably dying to get the Capital One Bowl kicked off. Marred in

Wisconsin’s game plan should be simple, at least defensively: stop the run, or more specifically stop

controversy regarding three of his recruits bashing him in a book because of his offensive philosophies (and that isn’t even the half of it) , Nutt is just ready to play football again. It’s probably safe to say that tailback Darren McFadden is going to get his yards. McFadden should rush for a 100-plus with a touchdown or two, but the real question is whether or not Nutt will open up his playbook to the rest of his offense. Casey Dick attempted just 111 passes this season. Part of the reason Dick’s attempts were so few was because freshman Mitch Mustain split time with him over the course of the season. However, the bigger reason was because Nutt relied so heavily on McFadden. Getting back to the game plan, if Nutt has to rely on the passing game at all, he has two very inexperienced quarterbacks. It also doesn’t help that the Badgers are phenomenal in the secondary either. If Arkansas wins this game, it’s going to be because of the work that Nutt did in preparing a balanced game plan before the bowl. Nutt is going to have to rely on getting the ball into the hands of big-body wideout Marcus Monk. Get Monk involved early and often and maybe McFadden doesn’t have to rush 30 times for AU to win. Defensively, the Razorbacks have been such a Jekyll and Hyde unit all season. One week the defense is holding Auburn to 10 points and the next LSU is putting points on the board in bushels. The biggest thing for the Razorbacks is to make sure and wrap up P.J. Hill. The freshman running back has been a pile driver all season, so defensive tackle Keith Jackson and company are going to need to gang tackle Hill so he doesn’t reach the next level of defenders. Arkansas’ best plan of attack might be to call a series of run blitzes throughout the game to gang tackle Hill.

Darren McFadden, and the Badgers should come away victorious. The philosophy sounds great, but once McFadden gets to the edge of the defense then game plans usually go right out the window. UW would be wise to make sure defensive ends Joe Monty and Jason Chapman don’t get squeezed down into the box because it could spring McFadden for outside gains. As it has been noted, Wisconsin posses a stout secondary, so playing disciplined in the run game should be all the Badgers need for success. It’s highly doubtful that Casey Dick or Mitch Mustain could beat Wisconsin through the air if the Badgers can build an early lead. Offensively, Wisconsin just needs to stick to its game plan. Quarterback John Stocco is a savvy veteran who has won big games for the program before. His experience is going to be valuable in going up against a defense that at times can be stiffening. Head coach Bret Bielema will no doubt test the resolve of the Razorbacks front seven by running P.J. Hill right at the heart of the defense. If Arkansas isn’t up to the challenge of tackling Hill, Bielema has his ticket for success in this contest. If not, Stocco will be counted on heavily and the Badgers might also lean on tight end Travis Beckum. Beckum led the team in receptions (56) and yards (821). The sophomore’s best games of the season were in back-to-back wins against Northwestern and Minnesota. Against the Wildcats, Beckum was held out of the end zone, but he did record 107 receiving yards. And against the Gophers, the pass catching tight end scored twice and added 118 yards, which was a season best. If Arkansas tries to commit solely to the run, Beckum might find himself open over the middle of the field or even more beneficial, in the back of the end zone.

Let Monk get in on the action. One would think that having a 6’6”, 217 lbs receiver on the roster would

Wisconsin gets the straw that stirs the drink back from injury. When a team loses a senior quarterback

make a team relish the opportunity to throw the ball. However, tailback Darren McFadden is so good that Marcus Monk sometimes goes unnoticed from his wideout spot. If Wisconsin keeps McFadden somewhat in check, however, Monk could have a huge game. In back-to-back wins over South Carolina and Tennessee this season, Monk had a combined 16 catches for 329 yards and three touchdowns. But in each of the Razorbacks three losses, Monk barely felt the leather of the pigskin, recording no more than four receptions in any one defeat. If Arkansas feeds the big man, the Badgers won’t be able to crowd the line of scrimmage, which will help create more running lanes for McFadden.

that had been a three-year starter, it loses more than just talent. When John Stocco separated his shoulder in a November 4 game against Penn State, Wisconsin lost a significant leader and a bowl-savvy veteran. But Stocco’s shoulder has healed and now the Badgers feel that they’re at full strength. Last year, Stocco’s 301 passing yards and two touchdowns helped Wisconsin upset No. 14-ranked Auburn 24-10. Junior Tyler Donovan stepped in admirably in the final two regular season games this year, but the bottom line is that Stocco is the key that turns the Badgers’ ignition.

Think Houston Nutt loves coaching Darren McFadden? Hmm, been there, done that as far as Nutt is

From his days as an Iowa Hawkeye, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has a two-inch tattoo of a

concerned. Okay, well maybe Nutt doesn’t think McFadden is just another running back, but while he was an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State he did coach two very talented runners. Maybe you’ve heard of Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas? Nutt is building a pretty impressive list of top-flight backs that he’s had the pleasure coaching.

Tiger Hawk on his calf. Despite being the current coach of the Badgers, Bielema says that he’ll never remove it. Seeing as how Bielema became the first head coach in UW history to win 11 games in the regular season, the Badgers should never doubt where his loyalties lie.