Three and Out with Mike Lucas: Ohio State
December 05, 2014 | Mike Lucas
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Dec. 5, 2014
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Derek Landisch's former high school coach, Tom Taraska, compared him to Chris Borland because of his versatility to play just about every position on the field except maybe quarterback.
Landisch's former college head coach, Bret Bielema, compared him to Borland because "he's real slippery and real feisty" even though "he's just not as big as Borland."
Landisch's former road roommate was Chris Borland, who saw some of the same things in Landisch. Borland called him "a little ball of energy" not unlike himself.
That's when Landisch was a true freshman. Now, he's a senior and first-team All-Big Ten, the only member of the conference's top-ranked defense to be recognized on the first team.
And it took the league coaches to put him there since he was a second-team pick by the media. "We have bunch of no-names on defense," said Landisch, who nonetheless has made one for himself.
At least among the Big Ten head coaches, including Wisconsin's Gary Andersen.
"He (Andersen) believed in me since Day One," said Landisch. "Through our offseason meetings, he talked about his expectations for me and he really set the bar high."
Andersen felt like Landisch was as good as any linebacker in the conference. And he told him so as a means to bolster his confidence, especially in the absence of Borland who had moved on to the NFL.
"I wouldn't say it was a specific goal for me to attain All-Big Ten," Landisch said. "I would just say the specific goal was to play the best I could within the talent that I was given.
"Wherever that landed me that's where it landed me -- as long as I played with great effort and attitude and it left it all out on the field."
Landisch, like Borland, isn't about taking credit, a familiar trait. On what it means to be All-Big Ten, Landisch said, "It means I'm in a good system surrounded by good people and coaches."
Pressed to expand on his thoughts, he said, "Individual awards are nice, but we're going for a pretty big team award (a Big Ten championship) and I'm excited about that."
Any postseason honors should be shared. "It reflects," he said, "the hard work of the coaches who have coached me throughout the years and also the players around me. Credit them."
Landisch is Wisconsin's third-leading tackler behind Michael Caputo and Marcus Trotter. But he does lead the defense in sacks (8) and he's second in TFLs (14.5) to Vince Biegel (15.5).
"All of our linebackers definitely deserve recognition," Landisch said. "And it's not just the linebackers, but it's the guys up front who are doing the grunt work.
"You have to credit them because they plug all the holes and then it's Coach (Dave) Aranda's schemes that allows you to make a lot of big plays. I'd say that I'm a product of coaching."
Landisch feels like he's on a special team this season. In 2011, he was on special teams when the Badgers defeated Michigan State, 42-39, in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.
Wisconsin's starting linebackers were Borland, Mike Taylor and Kevin Claxton. The only other active team member who played in that game is Peniel Jean, who had five tackles against the Spartans.
What still stands as the most memorable play from that matchup was Russell Wilson's 36-yard pass completion to Jeff Duckworth on fourth-and-6 that set up Montee Ball's game-winning score.
In their return trip to Lucas Oil Stadium in 2012, the Badgers crushed Nebraska, 70-31. Landisch was still a backup linebacker behind Borland, Taylor and Ethan Armstrong.
"I played on special teams again and got on defense for two or three series at the end of the game," said Landisch, who had two tackles. "You can't overhype this game or you will be anxious."
So to guard against any nervousness in playing on such a big stage, Landisch recommended, "Step between the white lines, strap up your helmet and play football."
It's something that Borland would say.
A year ago, Borland had 16 tackles against Ohio State. Landisch has taken the same diligent approach to his preparation for the Buckeyes, who have lost two "Heisman" quarterbacks in a year.
Injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett have created a playing opportunity for Cardale Jones, who has appeared in seven games. He has rushed for 206 yards (7.9) and thrown for 118 (10-of-17).
"It's challenging because there are only 50 or so plays that we've seen on him," Landisch acknowledged. "We know he has a very strong arm. He's very agile and he likes to hurdle people.
"When he gets into his stride, he's very fast."
Then there's the obvious. "It's Ohio State," Landisch said. "One guy goes down and there's the next 4-star or 5-star recruit that goes in. There's not going to be any drop-off."
That appears to be true at tailback, where Ezekiel Elliott has replaced Carlos Hyde. Elliott, a 6-foot, 225-pound sophomore, has rushed for 1,182 yards (6.0) and 10 touchdowns.
"He runs very hard, he runs downhill and he runs behind his pads," Landisch said. "He will drop his shoulder on you and he breaks a lot of tackles. He just runs extremely hard."
Who does Elliott remind him of?
"Corey Clement," he said. "He's almost the spitting image of Corey."
• • • •
Going into the Minnesota game, Corey Clement didn't think that he would see playing time because he was still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered against Nebraska two weeks earlier.
"I really wasn't going to receive any touches," he said, "unless I was needed."
Clement was needed to spell Melvin Gordon in the second half, and he produced. On his first carry, he bolted 28 yards for a touchdown that pushed the Badgers into a 20-17 lead.
Before it was over, he had seven rushes for 89 yards.
Afterwards, he said, "I thought I wasn't going to play at all today. That was kind of the plan. If I was needed, when my number was called, I was going to go in there and do what I had to do."
And that's what he did. "It felt like a dream come true," said Clement, who had just 14 carries for 44 yards in the three previous games since rushing for 131 yards and two scores at Rutgers.
"I wanted to make a difference for my team," he went on, "and I wanted to win for the seniors."
Clement confided that he wasn't at 100 percent and his arm "goes dead on me sometimes."
But he's feeling much stronger this week than he did last week.
"I'm feeling pretty good," he said Wednesday. "My shoulder is feeling a lot better than two weeks ago and I just feel like I'm getting back in the groove because I'm able to practice more."
Clement chuckled when it was mentioned that he had "fresh legs" against Minnesota.
"I don't know why they keep saying that," he pleaded. "Do they think I did nothing all week? I was in the training room doing cardio and burning my legs as much as I could to try and get ready."
By the sounds of it, Clement is ready for Ohio State, one of the many schools that recruited him. He didn't take a visit but he said the Buckeyes "were high on my list at one point."
Like many high school prospects, he added, "I knew of Ohio State from their hype."
But he chose Wisconsin because of its tailback tradition.
While toiling in the shadows of Gordon, he has rushed for more than 100 yards three times in 2014.
Earlier this season, Clement said, "I took a step back and thought about my true purpose (as a running back). Am I downhill guy? Or am I speed guy?"
After giving himself some props for his "breakaway" speed -- he had a 72-yard touchdown against Illinois -- he came to the conclusion, "I'm predominantly a power back."
That will be put to the test against an Ohio State defense that limited the Badgers to just 104 net rushing yards on 27 carries last season. Gordon had 15 rushes for 74; James White had eight for 31.
Despite his iffy shoulder, Clement is determined to make an impact Saturday night.
"I'd play with one arm," he promised.
• • • •
Wisconsin cornerback Sojourn Shelton first crossed paths with Ohio State wide receiver Jalen Marshall at a Nike football camp in Beaverton, Oregon. They were on the same 7-on-7 team.
This was the summer before Shelton's senor year of high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Opening is a showcase for top prospects nationally and Marshall was the No. 1 recruit in Ohio.
"He's a playmaker," Shelton said.
Not much has changed. After redshirting last season, the 5-11, 205-pound Marshall has brought a lot of diversity to his role as an "H-Back" in the Ohio State system.
He has 19 rushes for 129 yards (6.8) and one touchdown; he has 26 catches for 356 yards (13.7) and six touchdowns and he has attempted a pass, which is understandable. He was a prep quarterback.
Marshall has also factored into special teams with 17 punt returns for 240 yards (14.1) and a touchdown; and he has two kickoff returns. Overall, he has accounted for 781 all-purpose yards.
"He's someone we're going to have to key on whenever he's on the field," said Shelton, who anticipates that the Buckeyes will utilize Marshall as a Wildcat Quarterback against the Badgers.
"You have to know who you're going against and what they're good at," he said of the different personnel groupings. "Everyone on the field is different, but they can all make plays at something."
Without making a terribly big deal out of it, Shelton has been waiting for a rematch with the Buckeyes after experiencing some typical freshman growing pains last season in Columbus.
There were a number of plays that he felt that he should have made, but he didn't. And he will be matched against some of the same receivers, Evan Spencer and Devin Smith.
The Buckeyes came after Shelton and attacked his area of the field. By the end of the game, he was more than holding his own before and after the whistle. There was a lot of woofing.
"We'll try to get away from all the trash talking and just get out there and play football," Shelton pledged. "These are the types of big games that you want to play in."
Few gave the Badgers much of a chance of making it to Indy.
"It's the thing that I will remember most about this season," said Shelton. "Every time we faced adversity, we bounced back. No matter what the situation, we kept fighting and here we are now."
Ready to play for an outright Big Ten crown and the ring that goes along with it.
