YEAR IN REVIEW: 'HELLO, RUSSELL WILSON'
said, "it (a pass) might be coming or he might be taking off and running. If he is, you'd better get on your guy and block him. "But blocking is one of the things we do a lot just because of the running backs we have. It's a tradition here. Coach stresses that every day. Put two hands on your target. "You saw that with Nick who was on his guy for probably five seconds when Russell scored.'' That would be Nick Toon who tied up a de- fensive back on the goal line during Wilson's 46- yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Tight end Jacob Pederson also got a huge block. "Blocking is a big part of the game of football especially here at Wisconsin,'' Toon said. "We pride ourselves on being able to run the ball. "To have receivers blocking downfield opens
up opportunities for big plays. As you saw, Rus- sell can run. He's another offensive threat and playmaker making downfield blocking even more important.'' Wilson's touchdown run was the longest of his career. What did he see as the play unfolded? "Everybody was covered and I just wanted
32 ยป VARSITY DECEMBER 22, 2011
to get a first down,'' said Wilson, who finished with 317 yards of total offense. "I got some great blocks downfield and I just kept running. "I just go through my progressions. I'm always
trying to throw the ball first. But if something is not there, I want to make something positive out of it (the play).''
UW offensive center Peter Konz never saw Wilson leave the pocket. "I didn't even know he was running until he
was already 10 yards down the field,'' he said. "You feel like you're passing blocking for six seconds and then you have the feeling that he's gone.''
By his own admission, Wilson was not perfect. He did overthrow a couple of open receivers. "There's always room for improvement; I al-
ways believe that especially playing the quarter- back position,'' Wilson said. "There are things you can always get better at. "We'll watch film, and correct things here and
there.
"We just have to keep getting better every sin- gle week.'' One impressive guy.
