Badgers end regular season at Hawaii
December 04, 2009 | Football
Dec. 4, 2009
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- After three days on the island of Oahu, the Wisconsin football team (8-3, 5-3) finally hits the field Saturday night as it battles Hawaii (6-6, 3-5 WAC) in the regular season finale for both teams. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. (CT) at Aloha Stadium.
To see what the team has been up to so far on their trip, follow the link to read Athletic Communications Director Brian Lucas’ blog and read about the team’s visit to Pearl Harbor (including video).
Wisconsin and Hawaii have met five times in the past, with the Badgers winning the last four meetings in the series. The last time these two teams hooked up, UW proved victorious with a 41-24 win in 2005.
Saturday’s matchup will air live on ESPN2 with Terry Gannon and David Norrie on the call.
On the radio, Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas will be calling the action statewide on the Wisconsin Radio Network, including 1310 AM in Madison. Fans can also listen to the game online for a fee with InsideBadgerSports.com. In addition, Saturday’s game can also be heard on SIRIUS Radio on channel 127 and on XM Radio, channel 196.
Make UWBadgers.com your destination for all aspects of Badger football this season. Full coverage includes an in-game blog, game story, feature stories on key aspects and players, coach and player quotes, game notes, statistics, highlights and more.
Saturday night’s game is a culmination of the Badgers’ 2009 regular season. The team placed in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten and had numerous individuals receive recognition in the conference.
Sophomore running back John Clay was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Big Ten with 121.0 rushing yards per game in conference play. Freshman linebacker Chris Borland was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year, the first defensive player in UW history to win the award.
Along with Clay, Wisconsin had four players (junior offensive tackle Gabe Carimi, senior tight end Garrett Graham, junior guard John Moffitt and senior defensive end O’Brien Schofield) named first-team All-Big Ten. In all, 12 players were named first-team, second-team or honorable mention All-Big Ten.
It has been an up-and-down season thus far for the Warriors. After winning its first two games of the season, Hawaii went on to lose six in a row while surrendering at least 27 points in each defeat. Things turned around for the team with a win on Nov. 7 against Utah State, however. The Warriors have now won four in a row and need a victory on Saturday night to qualify for the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.
Offensively, the Warriors boast an impressive passing arsenal. Quarterback Bryant Moniz has thrown for 2,199 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. His top target has been Greg Salas. The wide receiver has caught 103 passes for 1,559 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
With six receptions and 155 receiving yards on Saturday night, Salas would set single-season school records in those two categories. He ranks second nationally with 129.9 receiving yards per game and is third with 8.6 receptions per game.
On the ground, Leon Wright-Jackson leads the team with 512 rushing yards, while Alex Green is second with 450.
Defensively, Mana Silva roams the secondary and leads the team with six interceptions and is second with 10 passes defended. Blaze Soares leads the way with 96 tackles, while R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane is second with 76 stops and leads the team with 9.0 tackles for loss. Corey Paredes is the top sack-man with 4.0 on the year.
For all the information you’ll need for Saturday’s game, check out game notes from Wisconsin, Hawaii and the Big Ten.
