very well-coached and prepared.������
Pedersen, a junior from Menominee, Mich., was
studying for a final exam Tuesday when he heard
that Andersen was leaving Utah State and taking
the Wisconsin job.
���I���m anxious to get to meet him ��� and talk with
him ��� and see what he has to say,������ said Pedersen.
���I���m excited to work with him because I respected
the way they went about their business.������
Meanwhile, Borland hinted that Bret Bielema���s
departure and the coaching search was business
as usual for a team that has had an inordinate
number of setbacks that have affected continuity.
���I���ll have my fourth linebackers coach next season,������ he said. ���There are pros and cons to it. I���m
not totally against it all the time. There���s some difficulty in adjusting. But that���s all part of the game.������
Asked if Andersen���s hiring added stability, he
said, ���I don���t think there was ever a lack of stability internally. Perhaps outside the program people���s nerves will be calmed a little having a guy at
the helm.������
Andersen���s presence on campus right now is reassuring from one perspective.
���We���ll get an opportunity to familiarize ourselves
with him,������ Borland said.
��� ��� ��� ���
Ron McBride saw something in Gary Andersen
from the first time he watched him compete on
the line of scrimmage as a starting center for Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.
There was an uncommon toughness that made
a lasting impression.
���I���ve known him since he was 15 or 16 years old,������
said McBride, a former UW offensive line coach,
who had head coaching stints at Utah (1990-2002)
and Weber State (2005-2009)
Out of high school, Andersen went to Ricks College before transferring to Utah.
���He was a tough kid, a very tough kid,������ said McBride, who was Andersen���s position coach with
the Utes. ���He was about 285 or 290 pounds back
then and he was a throwback kind of guy.
���He���d play even when he was hurt. He was a natural leader in the offensive line; the first guy in the
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