Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Badgers get back to business of bowl prep LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM T he Best Buy Theater sits on the corner of Broadway and West 44th Street. The venue features one of the largest high-definition marquee screens in Times Square. If you haven't been to New York City recently, you may remember it as the Nokia Theater. Twisted Sister, the Wu-Tang Clan and the Disco Biscuits are booked for De- cember. Last Saturday night, it was Heisman Trophy Central. "It was a unique experience for me personally,'' admitted UW head coach Bret Bielema. Besides accompanying Montee Ball, one of five finalists, he also had a few "Heisman'' moments. During the awards ceremony, Bielema sat next to Tony Dorsett, the 1977 Heisman winner. "I grew up a huge Dallas Cow- boys fan,'' Bielema confided. Dorsett played 11 seasons with the Cowboys. "And he had some very nice things to say about Montee and our program." Dorsett wasn't alone. "In the VIP room,'' Bielema said, "a couple of former Heisman winners came up to me and talked about how much they really respect the way we play football at Wisconsin.'' At the end of the night, Baylor's Robert Griffin III walked away with the Heisman. Bielema, though, left with a nice parting gift. "RG3 said, 'Coach, I'm really looking forward to watching your Rose Bowl game against Oregon,''' Bielema recounted. "He was very 8 » VARSITY DECEMBER 15, 2011 "A couple of former Heisman winners came up to me and talked about how much they really respect the way we play football at Wis- consin," Bielema said. complimentary and I thought that was kind of neat.'' Back to business. Bielema was able to sandwich a couple of team practices around his trip. "I really liked the tempo and we got some good developmental work,'' he said. "I just liked the energy that the guys brought to the practices Saturday and Sunday.'' The Badgers will return to the practice field Friday. "We'll get our first look against Oregon,'' Bielema said. Some con- cessions have already been made to the Ducks' high-octane offense. "We've had shorter practices with a more aggressive work at- titude and tempo,'' Bielema said. "We've also changed up some things in terms of conditioning.'' The Badgers have routinely gone to school on how other programs have prepared for bowls. That would have been the case regardless of the opponent in Pasadena. "We've tried to collect as much information as we can,'' Bielema said. That speaks to such things as the travel itinerary and how to lay out practices. It also speaks to trying to keep things fresh, especially since the Badgers are returning to the same bowl for a second-consecu- tive year. However, there is a caveat to all of this tweaking; or whatever tweaking takes place. "We can't over-think ourselves,'' Bielema cautioned. "We have to stick to the things that we're strong at, and keep everything in perspec- tive. We've had some bowl success here, too.'' Bielema doesn't want to over-re- act to last season's Rose Bowl loss. Not in the plan. He also doesn't want to forget how much that loss hurt and lingered. Not a chance. While lifting weights during the off-season, Bielema pushed through reps with a grunt and a "TCU'' — personally invoking the memory of that painful two-point loss to the Horned Frogs. At the team's awards banquet last Friday, Bielema reminded everyone that the UW's mission statement — established by Barry Alvarez — is not to get to the Rose Bowl, but to win the Rose Bowl. During the Big Ten's preseason kickoff meetings last summer, Bielema overheard someone ask senior wide receiver Nick Toon, "How long did it take you to get over the Rose Bowl loss?'' Bielema remembered how Toon politely but sternly replied, "I haven't.'' Neither has Bielema, nor any of his other returning players.

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