Badger Bits: Hawaii
December 06, 2009 | Football
Dec. 6, 2009
HONOLULU --
Clay the latest UW back to have success at Hawaii
A trip to Hawaii has meant a big day for Wisconsin running backs in the past. Saturday night was no different, as sophomore tailback John Clay became the latest UW back to find success on the island.
It all started in 1996, when Ron Dayne set the Wisconsin school record with 339 rushing yards. In 2000, Michael Bennett gained 218 yards on 36 carries while, in 2005, Brian Calhoun earned 149 yards on the ground. Clay joined that illustrious group on Saturday night as he netted 172 rushing yards and tied his career-high with three rushing touchdowns.
Clay said that he was aware of the success that previous UW running backs had against the Warriors.
“I was talking to people that used to play with them and they said that [the running backs] always had a good game against Hawaii,” he said. “I was just trying to live up to their expectations and live up to the hype of running backs that have come through here.”
Clay cited his preparation as a reason for his success.
“I studied film over and over again and tried to find some weaknesses,” he remarked. “I also went over run keys with my coach [running backs coach John Settle] and the offensive coordinator [Paul Chryst].”
As a team, Wisconsin gained 301 rushing yards on 52 carries, the team’s first 300-yard game since rushing for 441 yards at Indiana on Nov. 8, 2008. The Badgers also tied a school record with seven rushing touchdowns, most recently occurring against the Hoosiers in 2008.
The team’s success harkens back to what the Badgers do best, according to Clay.
“We just played Wisconsin football,” he said. “Smashmouth football, we just ran it down their throat and tried to make them stop our run. They had difficulty doing that, so we took pride in that and took advantage.”
With his performance against Hawaii, Clay continued his ascent up the Wisconsin record books. His 1,396 rushing yards this season ranks 12th all-time at Wisconsin, while his 16 rushing touchdowns in 2009 ties him for fifth in a single season.
Saturday’s numbers also moved him into 10th place on UW’s all-time career rushing list, and his 25 rushing touchdowns puts him in a tie for eighth at Wisconsin. Among sophomores, only Anthony Davis in 2002 (1,555 yards) and Ron Dayne in 1997 (1,457) have rushed for more yards than Clay.
Frederick becomes next man in
According to the team’s travel itinerary, six hours before the game is when the players should be in their rooms, off their feet and resting. For freshman offensive lineman Travis Frederick, that was about the time he learned he was going to start Saturday night’s game.
Freshman center Peter Konz had started the team’s previous nine games, but inflammation in his lung left him unavailable Saturday. Frederick, who started the first two games of the year at center, was then told he would be making the start against Hawaii at left guard, while John Moffitt would switch from left guard to center.
“At first I was a little confused, like why was there this big jumble, but when I found out what was happening, from there I immediately started to lock in and move on,” Frederick said. “When you’re the next man in, you have to be ready for that.”
The transition from center to left guard has been a work in progress for Frederick all season. Since returning from an injury sustained against Fresno State, Frederick has practiced at the left guard spot.
“[Offensive line] coach [Bob] Bostad immediately moved me back over there,” Frederick added. “He said he likes me at guard, so I’ve been practicing there.
“It’s been kind of tough playing behind John [Moffitt] because he’s a great player, but something happens like this, it’s a great opportunity.”
Since his injury against Fresno State, the only game that Frederick appeared in was against Purdue on Oct. 31. He thought that he might have been a little rusty against Hawaii on Saturday night, but those feelings wore off quickly.
“The first play when you actually hit somebody else when you’re not used to hitting someone else, then I think that immediately knocks [the rust] off,” he said.
Defensive pressure helps ground Warriors
Entering Saturday’s matchup, Hawaii ranked third in the NCAA with 348.7 passing yards per game and eighth with 456.1 yards of total offense. With just 197 passing yards and 214 total yards, the Warriors finished far below those season averages as the Wisconsin defense used pressure on the quarterback to throw a wrench into Hawaii’s high-powered offense.
The passing yards and total yards were both season lows for Hawaii, surpassing marks of 214 and 301, respectively. Their rushing total of 17 yards was the fewest yards allowed by the UW defense this year.
Senior defensive end O’Brien Schofield said the Badgers were ready for the pass.
“We knew that whenever they were in A-Backs it was 98 percent run,” he said. “They’re a 70 percent passing team so we played pass and reacted to run.”
Schofield credited the defensive line’s depth with being able to keep pressure on Hawaii and throw off its timing.
“We had guys ready to go in; Louis [Nzegwu] and David [Gilbert] got a lot of time today,” he said. “We just gave it 100 percent and kept rotating.”
Hawaii used quick drops early in the game to avoid the rush, but Schofield and his defensive counterparts didn’t let frustration get to them.
“We knew they were going to do that, but the biggest thing for us was to chase the football and get to the football,” Schofield said. “It hurt us a couple of times when we would get really good pressure and [Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz] would dump it off to the running back.
“Everybody was in coverage so he would get some cheap yards like that.”
Schofield finished the day with four tackles and 2.0 sacks for 14 yards, while Devin Smith set a career high with nine tackles and J.J. Watt made six stops to go along with 3.0 tackles-for-loss for 10 yards and a career-high 2.0 sacks for nine yards.
