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The right call? Depends on whether it works THE VOICE MATT LEPAY • VOICE OF THE BADGERS "I always want to be the ag- gressor." That is a quote from Bret Bielema, spoken a few months before he worked his first game as the Badgers' head coach. We have seen his aggressive nature on multiple occasions, from fake punts, fake field goals and, more recently, a tailback throwing a touchdown pass to a quarterback. The man loves to push the enve- lope, and that is part of what makes him intriguing. Not everyone loves it, but his outside-the-box thinking forces you to pay attention because you'd hate to miss something. Last Saturday night's Hail Mary places Kirk Cousins in a time cap- sule along with Boston College's Doug Flutie and Colorado's Kordell Stewart. I am guessing that last sentence is difficult to read and, trust me, I cannot say I enjoy writ- ing it. The fact is TV networks will show that play forever. A sidebar story to that final pass is Bielema's decision to use two timeouts to stop clock in the final minute. He called the first after a Brendan Kelly sack and forced fumble made it second-and-20 from the Spartans' 24-yard line. There were 42 seconds to play. A 12-yard connection to wide receiver B.J. Cunningham made it third-and-8 from the MSU 36. Bielema used his second timeout with 30 seconds remaining. In our radio booth, Mike Lucas and I were talking about the trust Bielema was showing in his defense. I also suggested that if it works, great, 60 » VARSITY OCTOBER 27, 2011 but if not… "It's a second guesser's delight." Was I surprised Bielema called that second T.O.? Yeah, maybe a little. Should I have been sur- prised? No, not really, because that is how he rolls. When it works, it is a gutsy decision. If it doesn't, well, you know what happens next. It is fresh material for talk shows, mes- sage boards and bloggers. Coaches understand that is how it works in big time sports. A friend of mine who used to When it works, it is a gutsy decision. If it doesn't, well, you know what happens next. work with the Wisconsin basketball program had some tongue-in-cheek advice for the coaches. "Hey, just run the plays that work, OK?" If a team is hitting a bunch of 3-point shots, it must be running a great offense, right? If they're tossing up bricks all day, we say the offense looks flat. This is Bielema's sixth season as the Badgers' head man. In that time, I thought the nuttiest call he made was the fake punt in the Rose Bowl. It was in the second quarter, with TCU leading 14-10. Unlike the Iowa game when he had clear sailing, punter Brad Nort- man had to break through some traffic to make the first down. If the Horned Frogs would have stopped Nortman, take a guess on how ob- servers would have reacted. You know how many people told me that call was crazy? None. Zero. Nada. Why? Because it worked — therefore it was a good call. It was that incomplete pass on the two-point try that had fans up- set. Jacob Pedersen was wide open, but Tank Carder made a big-time play by knocking down the throw. Therefore, it was a bad call. With that off my chest, it is on to Ohio State, where the Badgers likely will face an even more hostile atmosphere than they dealt with in East Lansing. It is Homecoming in Columbus. OSU is honoring Hall of Famer Eddie George. The Buckeyes are wearing special uniforms. One more thing. Given what happened last year to OSU's top- ranked football and basketball teams, it is safe to say those folks do not like the Badgers very much. What an opportunity for Wiscon- sin to bounce off the deck after last week's disappointment. There is one more thing. If you were not a fan of divisional play before, maybe this will help change your mind. Granted, there is a long way to go, but perhaps the Badgers will get back on track and win the Leaders Division. Perhaps Michi- gan State will continue its winning ways and capture the Legends. That would set up a rematch in Indianapolis, with a Rose Bowl berth on the line. I know, I know — first things first, but it never hurts to dream a little, does it?