Badgers and Cougars meet in Madison

Aug 29, 2007, 15:33 GMT

Madison, WI - The seventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten open the season at home against the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-10 Conference.

Last season, Washington State finished 6-6 overall and 4-5 in conference action, missing a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. However, it does appear that the Cougars are headed in the right direction. They only lost to national powerhouse USC by six points a year ago, and there are a number of key contributors back in place, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Some fans of the Wisconsin program questioned whether young Brett Bielema was capable of adequately filling the coaching vacancy created by Barry Alvarez's decision to step down after a long and successful tenure. In his first season as the leader of the Badgers, it is safe to say that Bielema silenced his critics. Wisconsin only lost one game in 2006, a road setback to Michigan, and the season concluded with a 17-14 win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. Now, with nine starters back on offense and seven on defense, the Badgers are loaded for a national championship run.

In the only previous meeting between these two teams, Wisconsin beat Washington State in a 36-26 final in 1976.

In 2006, Washington State ranked 15th in the nation in passing by averaging 259.8 ypg. Expect more of the same this year with seven starters back, including QB Alex Brink. Brink threw for 2,899 yards in '06, but the team finished with just 23 passing TDs, a number that must improve. Although the squad lost star wideout Jason Hill, Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson are back and figure to be a big part of the game plan against Wisconsin. Bumpus was solid last season with 60 catches, although he only reached the end zone twice. There is a lot of promise in tailback Dwight Tardy. As a freshman, Tardy racked up 667 yards on the ground and has the potential to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau. Chris Ivory, who left school last season for personal reasons, is back and should also play a role in the rushing attack. The line will give plenty of protection to Brink thanks to the return of three starters and the addition of mammoth juco transfer Vaughn Lesuma (6-5, 340 pounds).

The main concern for the inexperienced Washington State defense is the secondary which is filled with holes in a conference that is littered with talented QBs. Coaches hope that juco transfers will perform adequately right from this opening game, but that may be asking too much. The linebacking corps is also dealing with experience issues, as Greg Trent is the only starter back and will have his hands full as he will be looked upon as the leader of this unit. The front line has the most talent, but health is a major concern. Tackles Ropati Pitoitua and A'I Ahmu dealt with too many injuries a year ago and will have to stay healthy for the line to be successful. Lance Broadus suffered a shoulder injury recently, but up-and-comer Kevin Kooyman has shown some promise.

While it is hard to complain about having nine starters back on offense, it should be pointed out that the two starters that Wisconsin will have to do without are steady quarterback John Stocco and all-world OT Joe Thomas. Senior Tyler Donovan will line up under center for the Badgers in this season opener, and he was brilliant in last year's win over Iowa, hitting nearly 90 percent of his passes for 228 yards. Senior WRs Luke Swan and Paul Hubbard combined for 73 grabs, 1,222 yards and 10 TDs in '06, giving Donovan some weapons on the outside. However, his best option may be junior TE Travis Beckum, who caught a team-high 61 balls for 903 yards and five scores a year ago. Sophomore tailback P.J. Hill is back after gaining a Big Ten-best 1,569 yards and scoring 15 TDs last season. Hill is a bruising back at 5-11, 240 pounds and he should find plenty or room to run against the Cougars.

Wisconsin allowed the second-fewest points in the nation a year ago. The UW defense was dominant against the pass in particular, yielding a mere 138.3 ypg and only six TDs. The unit is fortunate to have seven starters back as mentioned, including three along the defensive line. Senior DT Nick Hayden is a load at 6-5 and 310 pounds, while 6-6 junior Matt Shaughnessy finished second on the club last year with eight TFLs. Junior Jonathan Casillas is the team's top returning linebacker, and while he is a bit undersized at just 215 pounds, he is coming off a season in which he made 83 total stops, 12.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage. As for the secondary, junior corners Jake Ikegwuonu and Allen Langford are back to pick up where they left off last year when they combined for 76 tackles and five INTs.

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