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The Gate

Well the Big Ten season kicks off on the couch this week.  With the Badgers on the road, the tailgate moves to the friendly confines of your living room, or better yet, a buddies so you don't have to clean up the mess.  

Nothing beats a tailgate in Madison, however watching the game from home does allow for a few perks you can't find in a parking lot.  

Product of the Week:  No need to pack and drag a cooler to your living room, not when you have the single greatest addition to any home tailgate, the Kegerator.  Beverage systems have made some great advances in recent years.  You can really spend a fortune if you want to, but Danby makes a great, single tap, entry level kegerator that fits 1/4 barrel as well as 1/2 barrels.  This kegerator can be purchased for under $500 and worth every penny.

Recipe of the Week:  Take advantage of the oven this week with this easy and enjoyable in game snack....Ham and Cheese Rolls

Ingredients - 8oz finely shredded cheese (your choice), 1.5 cups chopped cooked ham, 2 TBSP honey mustard, 2 12oz cans of Pillsbury Golden Layer refrigerated Buttermilk or Flaky Biscuits, 1 egg beaten, 1 TBSP sesame or poppy seed (optional).

Directions - Heat oven to 375 degrees, spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  In a large bowl combine cheese, ham and mustard, mixing well.  Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits, and further separate each biscuit into 2 layers.  Press each biscuit layer to for a 3.5 inch round.  Place 1 rounded TBSP cheese mixture on each dough round.  Wrap dough around cheese mixture pinching edges to seal.  Repeat with remaining can of dough and cheese mixture.  

Arrange balls seem side down and sides almost touching to form a W or football.  Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seed.  Bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes or golden brown.  

Enjoy this week's game everyone.

Walking the Line - @ Michigan State

This segment will "air" every Thursday throughout the season.  I will breakdown the upcoming game and give a prediction as it relates to the betting line.  Sure, this is aimed at our degenerate gambler fans but I think it will be informative for the non-betting folks as well.  Feel free to post a comment regarding your thoughts.  This segment is meant to be unbiased as the only color that matters here is green - as in US currency.

Agree to disagree?  Leave your predictions for this week's game in the comments for this blog.

Season Record (ATS):

2 - 1

Last Week Recap:

Last week was a much needed week off for the WtL staff.  After a brutally intoxicating weekend in Madison for the ASU game, the brain wasn't exactly hitting on all cylinders.  Although there were some reports of lines being posted on various sites (anywhere from -40 to -45) this was not a game that was touched by most credible sites so we capitalized, got some rest and are ready to get this conference schedule kicked off.

Offense:

UW comes into this game tits a blazing.  Against Austin Peay, the UW offense was able to muster 10 TD scoring drives and just dominated the Governors.  It appears that the Badgers will have both Nick Toon and David Gilreath back in the line-up this week which will give QB Scott Tolzien a couple more weapons, other than Kendricks, to attack Sparty through the air.  MSU enters this game with an almost mirror image of what the Badgers look like on this side of the ball.  They have two fantastic options at RB in both Edwin Baker (57 carries, 449 yards, 5 td) and Le'Veon Bell (48, 396, 7) and a proven, steady QB in Kirk Cousins (67%, 863 yards, 6 td, 2 int).  Cousins' main targets this year have been B.J. Cunningham (14 catches, 190 yards, 2 td), Keshawn Martin (14, 185, 1) and Mark Dell (10, 172, 0).

Defense:

The Badgers defense has proven to be tough against the run.  UW has yet to answer the question of who will fill the shoes of Chris Borland, who is out for the remainder of the season, and this trip to East Lansing will force UW to answer those questions quickly.  The ever-present question mark in the Badger's defensive backfield will definitely be put to the test, especially if UW has a 2nd half lead.  UW's pass defense will need a little something extra out of J.J. Watt and Louis Nzegwu.  Again, MSU comes in with a similar story...tough thus far against the run and suspect in the secondary.  MSU's player to watch is LB Greg Jones who comes into this season as a front runner in just about every defense award possible.  Jones is the Webster's Dictionary definition of Man-Child.

Key Match-up:

MSU's LB Greg Jones vs UW's TE Lance Kendricks and RB John Clay.  Jones is noted for his ability in pass coverage.  If Jones can take away Kendricks 1 on 1, that will free up the safeties to work on Toon and Gilreath.  If Kendricks can stay a step or two ahead of Jones, it will force the MSU safeties to get involved which will put either Toon or Gilreath in single coverage where UW should be able to exploit them.  In regards to the run game, Jones vs Clay is just good old fashioned (brandy of course) Big Ten smash mouth, hat on hat football.  This is the best of the best in the Big Ten and the two have caught the nation's eye.  Sit back, try to relax and enjoy the fight.

Walking the Line:

UW -2    O/U 53.5

This is the best game in the Big Ten this weekend and the lines across the conference prove it.  I'm looking for MSU to come out and take the early lead as they will be energized from an electric home crowd and, more importantly, the return of their coach - Mark Dantonio - from a minor heart attack suffered the night after their victory over Notre Dame.  I also expect to see MSU with some early success running the ball before the Badgers can adjust to their life without Borland, call it UW's grieving period.  Expect UW to weather the storm, however, and come out swinging in the 2nd half.  Although Clay vs Jones is the heavy weight match-up that everyone will be watching, don't fall asleep on the under-card.  Lost in the Clay/Jone shuffle is one, Mr. White, who could become Saturday's game breaker (and no, MSU fans, I'm not talking about Lorenzo).  I expect this game to be close but dominated by the Badgers.

I like UW -2 with UW's under-card making the difference.

Badger News: UW and MSU Want to Prove They're Legit

The Wisconsin Arizona State rematch in Tempe is still a couple years away but this story/video confirms that there's some nice scenery at ASU pre-game parties. Hopefully the ASU coeds show older Badger fans a good time too.

Football

At Madison.com Tom Oates rates the Badgers as the third strongest Big team heading into league play, Andy Baggot has a Q&A with center Peter Konz, and Tom Mulhern writes that Scott Tolzien's accuracy is hallmark for success and Jay Valai isn't UW's only big hitter in the secondary.

Jeff Potrykus writes that the running game will be key on Saturday. Both teams have put up solid rushing stats on both offensive and defense...at least against weak competition.

Adam Rittenberg writes that the MSU LB Greg Jones and John Clay, two of the Big Ten's star palyers, are likely to meet up a few times on Saturday. In his Big Ten stock report Rittenberg has JJ Watt 4th in the defensive POY race and James White 2nd for freshman of the year. Rittenberg also shares the where the Big Ten players rank in Mel Kiper's latest draft board.

Most Badger fans have been pleasantly surprised by true freshman RB James White this season. The Badger Herald takes a closer look at White, who's experience at high school powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas helped prepare him for his early college success.

FoxSportsNews.com has an updated UW team report with a look ahead to this week's matchup with Michigan State.

The Big Ten Network's Dave Resvine has a couple UW nuggets in his Week 5 Big Ten Numbers. UW is 1-7 vs. ranked Big Ten teams under Bielema and Lance Kendricks has 299 receiving yards -- the most in the nation for a tight end.

103 of Kendricks' 299 yards came last week against Austin Peay, which garnered Kendricks his second-straight John Mackey tight end of the week honor.

BadgerBlitz updated its Hot 11 list, which ranks the top 11 individual players based on performance and momentum. James White tops the list. I'm pretty sure JJ Watt (T-9th) deserves to be ahead of Bradie Ewing (4th).

At ProSportsBlogging Chad Seely posted his UW-MSU preview and has Bucky pulling out a 30-24 victory while the Michigan State blogger sees a 24-21 win for Sparty.

Badger of Honor says that UW may need a big day from Tolzien to pull out a win in East Lansing.

MLive.com had a chat with one of its football writers talking about the UW-MSU game.

If you're wondering what former Badger LB Eric Unverzagt is up to, he's coaching his son's 5 and 6-year old football team.

Here's the Big Ten Network's look at the story lines heading into this weekend's Big Ten games.

Hoops

Dave Heller at the JSOnline Badgers Blog has some more on Kirk Penney's quest to return to the NBA. Penney recently signed with the San Antonio Spurs. 

It's not Badger news but things aren't going so well for the Michigan State basketball team these days. Korey Lucious suffered a knee injury and will miss up to 6 weeks and couple of players could be charged with sexual assault. I'm sure Izzo will say it's Bo's fault.

Etc

The TV schedule for the men's hockey team was released Wednesday. The Badgers will be on live TV 20 times. You can check it out on Sixty Minutes No Alibis No Regrets.

Inside the Numbers: 232...11...4

MSU offense: On paper MSU looks a lot like the Badgers- a very balanced offense (232 yards rushing and 233 yards passing per game) led by a highly efficient QB  and a stable of good backs.  QB Kirk Cousins comes into the game  ranked 17th in the country in passing efficiency (Scott Tolzien ranks 9th). RB's Edwin Baker (112 yards per game) and Le'Veon Belle (99 yards per game) are both among the top 30 in rushing yards (John Clay ranks 9th with over 125 yards per game)

MSU defense: The MSU defense has generated 11 turnovers on the season- ranking them among the top on the country in total takeaways, interceptions (6), and fumble recoveries (5).  The Badger defense has been among the worst at generating turnovers- collecting just 3 so far.

MSU special teams: You would expect a significant drop-off at kicker after the Spartans replaced All-Big 10 kicker Brett Swenson with a walk-on this season... but so far PK Dan Conroy has been perfect on his 5 field goal attempts including 4 for 4 over 40 yards.   His inexperience was likely  a factor leading to MSU's fake field goal to win in OT vs Notre Dame.

 

 

Badger News: Missing Contributors Will Return for Both UW and MSU

You know the games are starting to mean something when sports writers and bloggers are spending are writing just as much the opposing team as their own. Here are  some Bucky and Sparty updates for you.

Football

Wide receivers Nick Toon and David Gilreath practiced Tuesday and felt fine. Tom Mulhern has more on Gilreath's concussion in the ASU game and reports that Gilreath also suffered a concussion during preseason camp.

Dave Heller writes that its hard to get a good read on UW and MSU because of their easy non-conference schedules but he believes penalties and 3rd down conversions are two weaknesses for the Spartans.

Matt Lepay looks back at the first four games in his weekly The Voice column on UWBadgers.com. Lepay writes that the defense has been solid but needs to create more turnovers while on offense has been resilent with several starters missing games.

Both the JSOnline and Madison.com preview the MSU game. Jeff Potrykus writes that unlike last defensive coordinator Dave Doeren needs to be ready for a formidable ground game while Tom Mulhern says the similarities between the Badgers and Spartans are striking. Both teams have efficient passing games, solid run defenses, and talented RBs.

Across the lake the big news in East Lansing is that head coach Mark Dantonio will coach his first game Saturday for the Spartans since suffering a heart attack after the win over Notre Dame. Dantonio will coach from press box.

If you're interested in the MSU perspective heading into this game MSU blog Sparty On has a game preview, Green & White says the Spartan defense will be tested by the Badgers' brute force, and WSUM posted an audio interview with the football beat report for the MSU student paper.

Jeff Wooldridge at MLive.com says that Wisconsin will be MSU's first real test (suck in Notre Dame) and that UW is the better team. He predicts a 24-20 win for Bucky.

Over at the ESPN Big Ten Blog Adam Rittenberg writes that Dantonio's return should give a lift to the Spartans as they head into tough games against Wisconsin and Michigan and that John Clay needs a monster perfomance vs. MSU to get back into the Heisman race. Rittenberg also has a video post about the three keys for UW to be an elite team this year:  offensive efficiency, better special teams play, and significant production from the safety position.

The Daily Cardinal shares some of the highlights from Bielema's press conference, including Bielema's thoughts on the Michigan State game.

Adam Tupitza at Bucky's 5th Quarter ranks the top five toughest Big Ten games for UW this year. Michigan State is #3. The others include at Iowa, vs. OSU, at Michigan, and vs. Northwestern.

The Chicago Tribune takes a look s at the Big Ten conference so far as league play starts this weekend. UW mentions include Clay as the #3 Heisman candidate and UW-Austin Peay as one of the worst games.

Hoops

UWBadgers.com has an update on three former Badgers fighting NBA roster spots this fall. Marcus Landry (Kings), Greg Steimsma (Cavs) and Kirk Penney (Spurs) were all added to their respective teams training camp rosters within the last week.

Etc

The guys over at Sixty Minutes No Alibis No Regrets have have been posting a ton of content the last few days. If you're a hockey fan check out the site for recruiting updates and the latest polls.

Badger News: Now Things Get Interesting

My apologies for not having a Badger News post Monday. I don't have much time for a news update today either but here's some a small sampling of the news from across the web as the Badgers prepare for a tough challenge in East Lansing to start the conference season.

Football

Jeff Potrykus shares his observations and thoughts on the UW depth chart heading into the Big Ten opener Saturday vs. Michigan State. Some of the highlights include WR Nick Toon being listed as a starter and safety Aaron Henry as a co-starter for punt returns.

Also at the JSOnline, Dave Heller hosts another Badgers Rountable, breaks down how a couple of asshole voters kept UW at #11 in the AP poll despite two teams in the top 10 losing Saturday, and links to some more rankings from around the web. UW is as low as #31 in one of the BCS computer rankings.

Adam Rittenberg gives a game ball to Scott Tolzien and sees the UW-MSU game as the most fascinating Big Ten match-up this weekend in his week 4 rewind/week 5 preview. Rittenberg also gives a helmet sticker to James White and says if he could build the best Big Ten program he would pick Madison as the city, in part because there's lots of booze. Seems like decent logic to me.

The Big Ten Sports Guru has a Austin Peay game recap and puts the Badgers #2 in its Big Ten power rankings.

The Bucky Channel says its about time the Badgers put up 70 and is impressed by White and Wisconsin's ability to consistently bring in outstanding running backs. White also impressed the Big Ten office as he was named the Big Ten freshman of the week for his 145-yard, 4 TD performance Saturday.

If you're looking for more Austin Peay coverage here's a post-game Wisconsin team report on FoxSports.com and view the video highlights on the BigTenNetwork.com.

Michigan State Week

Phew...Bucky enters Big Ten play at 4-0.  We all expected this to happen, but it hasn't been pretty.  

Focus is now turned to the Big Ten season and the Michigan State Spartans.  All of us at Badgerfans.com certainly wish Coach Dantonio a full and speedy recovery after his heart attack.  He is a great coach and only makes the Big Ten better being at Michigan State.  

With that being said, on the to column.  This "preview" is designed to make fun the opposing team's program, students, roster, ect and help you get fired up for each game.  If you are looking for schemes, formations and play calling, there is plenty of that elsewhere. 

Here is a video titled "MSU Football History and Tradition"

The featured History and Tradition are as follows:

1. The "Go White Go Green" Chant

2. Zeke "The Frisbee Catching" Wonderdog featured at halftime

3.  Johnny Spirit - a super fan who is painted from head to toe and attends every home and away game, while riding his bike...even bowl games.

I'm sorry, no adult male should be acting like this...period.  Rumor has it he also sits in the student section for football and basketball games.  Dude, move out of your parents basement, get a full time job and acquire some responsibility.

What seems to be missing are Big Ten Championships and Rose Bowl victories.  Talk about tradition...Students often dress in trojan helmets and players pictures have been edited into scenes from 300.  How long has this been going on...since 2006??  But the team does have a "Walk" as they arrive at the stadium.  Congrats, so does every other college football team.  

This is going to be a great win to open the Big Ten season.  1-0

F'em Bucky  

BadgerFans.com Austin Pee Game Predictions

Wisconsin takes on a team this week that will make San Jose State look like a potential competitor for the Big Ten Championship.  This is a game that we only hope to end with all participants being healthy.

Paul (3-0 Staight Up, 0-3 Against the Spread)

1)  Cupcakes.  They'll be all over the field on Saturday, dressed in red & white (not cardinal & white), and they call themselves the Governors.

2) A half-empty stadium.  In my opinion, for this one, the less people that show up the better.  We should protest the practice of cupcake scheduling, not just in Madison, but nationwide.  It's one of the (many) major problems with college football.  I understand why it happens, and I know nobody in the athletic office really wanted to put Austin Peay on the schedule, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.  Cupcake scheduling sucks.

Prediction: Badgers 34, Governors 13

Andy

42-3 Badgers.  This will be over midway through the first quarter.  Expect a lot of time from our backups and young guys.  If Matt Unertl has any eligibility left, expect an appearance from him.

Beaner: (3-0, 1-2)

They better win big.

Lescher: (3-0, 0-3)

Since Vegas is taking a bye week, so will my comments.  However, if you feel the need to break something after the game incase we don't show up, please don't call this guy <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XLH8E3fxHY> .  No worries though, Madison farmers market is in full gear, fall is roaring in and Bucky rolls.

Badgers 34, Govs(lame ducks) 7

Joe: (3-0, 2-1)

Enough is enough for mediocre play. The Badgers better take care of this one by a lot. Badgers 49, Govs 10.

Terry: (3-0, 1-2)

Badgers 100 Governors 0.

I am dead serious.  Enough of this crap.  It's time to act like a top 10 program and blow away a crappy team who has no business stepping foot in Madison (...well their nickname leads me to believe they might actually have some business in the state Capitol this weekend- but sure as hell not at the Camp on Saturday morning) I want to see a Badger TD on 8 straight possessions in the 1st half...with Governor "3 and outs" or turnovers between each score. I want to see the kickoff team hold them to negative kick return yardage.  I want to see Valai knock someone's head off and see JJ get a sack, cause a fumble, and run it back 50 yards for a score while dragging 2 of Austin Peay's 150 pound WR's into the endzone. I want to see tolzien throw for 300 yds without an incompletion (and show Jake Ryan what a real QB looks like-see inside the numbers). I want to see Clay rush for 200 yards....on 10 carries. and that's all in the first half. that puts us at 56-0 and then the backups come in and finish them off with 5 TD's and 3 FG's.  That's 100-0. 

Trent: (3-0, 0-3)

UW's practices are likely far more competitive than this game will be. if Jon Budmayr doesn't play early in the 3rd quarter the Badgers ave some serious problems. Badgers 63, Govs 3.

Noel (3-0, 0-3)

51-3. Let's get on track boys. No need to talk much about this one. 

Drew (3-0, 2-1)

Not really much to say here.  This game will not be the highlight of my Saturday regardless of the outcome.  The only number that matters here is the number 0, as in 0 injuries.  This game will be over by Friday.  UW 52   AP 10

 

 

Badger News: Toon and Gilreath Out, But it Really Doesn't Matter

I'm pretty buzzed so this might be the most coherent Badger News update but it's Badger news nonetheless.

Football

Wide recievers Nick Toon and David Gilreath are both out for Saturday's game. BadgerBlitz and the JSOnline both have more info on their status along with other UW notes, including Jay Valai joining the kickoff coverage unit.

According to the JSOnline one of the major problems facing the Badgers' offense is the the blockers are getting cut by opposing defenders. The tactic can blow up some plays but also create opportunities for the offense.

At Madison.com Tom Mulhern wonders whatever happened to playing good 1-AA teams while Andy Baggot writes that without Chris Borland UW is a different and not as good team and shares some insights from his conversastion with LB Blake Sorensen, who sometimes pretends to be former UW hockey player Ryan McDonagh.

Dave Heller rounds up the predictions for the UW-Austin Pee game, although most of them are more conservative than what you'd expect from a top 15 team vs. a poor 1-AA team.

The Daily Cardinal's Ryan Evans, who I'm assume doesn't play basketball for the Badgers, looks at how the Badgers have had to overcome the absence of Nick Toon for the past couple games.

The Badgers are playing a shitty 1-AA team tomorrow but I know it's Friday so if you're looking to kill some time Clarksville Online (no idea where that is) has a lengthy game preview for Austin Peay fans.

Hoops

Phil Mitten at Bucky's 5th Quarter takes a closer look at the 2010 Big Ten recruiting class, which will enter a league already stacked in talent and expected to be one of the top conferences in the NCAA.

In its Big Ten season preview Slam Online predicts the Badgers to finish 5th in the Big Ten and says Jon Leuer is the most underrated player in the conference.

Etc

Sixty Minutes No Alibis No Regrets recaps the the NHL exhibition debuts of former Badgers Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, and Blake Geoffrion.

The Gate

Despite my reservations on the weather, last week sure turned out to be a great day for tailgating.  The rain was heavy on the drive in to town, however once I arrived in Madison, the rest of the day was dry.  In fact, the weather was very tailgate friendly.  Not too hot as many September games tend to be, and not too cold either. I was surprised at the number of ASU fans in town for the weekend.  They all seemed very friendly and excited to see what Madison had to offer.   

It will be hard to get excited for the tailgate this week.  We are facing an 11am kick off, bush league opponent and the pure exhaustion 3 straight weeks of professional tailgating brings.  Even with the deck stacked against us this week, it is our duty to get out there and tailgate like the premier fan base we are.  

Product of the Week: One of the best ways to jump start a tailgate is with music.  This weeks product caught my eye from across the lot last week.  The DeWalt DC012 Radio really produces a strong sound.  It is built for the construction site so it will easily handle the beating it may take from tailgate to tailgate.  It runs on rechargeable batteries and you can plug your ipod in.  So just create your tailgate playlist and you will be ready to go.  Retails for $170.

Recipe of the Week:  Now that you've set the tone, it's time to spice up the grill.  Burgers, brats and dogs are good, but sometimes it can be fun to get out of the box.  This week try Jerk Chicken Drummies.

Ingredients - Jerk Marinade

3 scallions, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, stemmed and seeded

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp ground allspice

3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

30 chicken drumsticks

Blend all marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Divide chicken pieces and marinade between 2 sealable plastic bags.  Seal bags, pressing out excess air, then turn bags over several time to distribute marinade.  Put bags of chicken in a shallow pan and marinate for 24 hours, chilled, turning once or twice.  Let chicken stand at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.  Heat grill to moderate temperature and sear until well browned on all sides, about 15 minutes, then adjust heat to low and cook, covered on grill, until cooked through, about 25 more minutes.  The jerk marinade can burn easily so the chicken requires slow cooking, which also helps keep the meat moist. Ya Man!

Enjoy this weeks 'gate everyone and remember, if you see kickoff, your tailgate sucked!