Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/100150
THE VOICE M AT T LE PAY ��� VOIC E OF T H E B A DGERS Andersen and Alvarez share similarities T he similarities are striking. Defensive backgrounds, including a run as a highlysuccessful coordinator. One at Notre Dame, the other at Utah. Both men presided over defenses that went into shutdown mode in major bowl games. They took over downtrodden programs and made them winners. Before Barry Alvarez arrived in Madison, the Badgers were 9-36 the previous four seasons. When Gary Andersen took the top job at Utah State, the Aggies were �� you guessed it ��� 9-36 the ��� previous four seasons. When Alvarez stepped on the UW campus in 1990, the Badgers were losing way too many recruiting battles. He changed that. He brought in players who fit his system. He had players who believed in the plan. The Badgers started winning, and eventually won big. Along the way, they sent a number of players to the NFL. When Andersen arrived in Logan in 2009, the Aggies were losing way too many recruiting battles. He changed that. Like the man who hired him in Madison, Andersen brought in better players, including many of the best in the state of Utah. He made them believe the Aggies could play with anyone. The Aggies started winning. This year they won big, enjoying the best season in school history, capped by a dominating perfor- 14 �� VARSITY D EC E M B E R 20, 2012 mance in last week���s 41-15 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory against Toledo. Last summer, when the Badgers��� coaches were at various functions talking about the upcoming season, they advised fans that Utah State was for real. As you might expect, there were some in the crowd who just figured that was coachspeak. A couple of weeks ago, my advice was to trust the process. In today���s world, two weeks might seem like an eternity. Many folks were getting more nervous by the day, if not by the hour. Fortunately, the one person who remained calm ��� or should I say, did not flinch ��� was Alvarez. The Aggies? Who? Don���t know much about them. I remember the night before the Badgers played at Oregon State, Utah State was hosting Utah. It was a great game, with the Aggies winning in overtime 27-20. I was thinking, uh oh, those UW coaches were not kidding. A week later, fans at Camp Ran- dall had an up-close look at USU. Dual-threat quarterback Chuckie Keeton caused problems, throwing for two touchdowns. He also led the team with 75 rushing yards. For most of the night, the defense was very stingy, as the Badgers managed just 234 yards of total offense. Linebackers Jake Doughty and Zach Vigil, as well as safety Brian Suite, were very active. Credit Wisconsin for hanging on to beat what turned out to be an excellent team. Credit Utah State for proving it could play with anybody, and very nearly beat everybody on its schedule. A couple of weeks ago, my advice was to trust the process. In today���s world, two weeks might seem like an eternity. Many folks were getting more nervous by the day, if not by the hour. Fortunately, the one person who remained calm ��� or should I say, did not flinch ��� was Alvarez. Remember, he���s a proud graduate of ���Handlin��� School.��� That said, I want to avoid making bold predictions about how well Gary Andersen���s teams will perform in Madison, and to be sure, as much as he and Alvarez seem to have in common, it is important to let Andersen be his own man. But Alvarez���s formula has worked well. So has Andersen���s. It sure seems like a good fit, doesn���t it?