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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When members of Wisconsin football team filed into the visitor's locker room at Memorial Stadium late Saturday afternoon they were greeted not by bellows of triumph, but quiet words of appreciation.
"Every guy today," said special teams assistant coach Chris Haering.
"Way to be prepared," defensive backs assistant coach Daronte Jones said.
The Badgers had just come away with a 24-13 Big Ten Conference victory over Illinois that defied conventional wisdom.
They came here without two of their top three tailbacks as well as their starting tight end - all back in Madison with injuries - and proceeded to lose their standout quarterback, a starting wide receiver and the anchor to their offensive line during the course of the game.
Yet not only did the Badgers patch those holes and keep their West Division title hopes alive, they did so without losing their bearings or poise.
"It speaks well of us," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst told his players during a brief postgame speech. "I appreciate how you guys keep playing."
The Badgers (6-2 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) became bowl eligible for the 14th-straight season and won their sixth consecutive meeting with Illinois despite missing so many key parts to the engine.
No big deal, they say.
"Nobody batted an eye," senior wide receiver Alex Erickson said after his day of all-around brilliance. "Everyone was ready to make a play."
Especially Erickson, who led the Badgers in rushing (four carries, 81 yards) and receiving (10 receptions, 96 yards and a touchdown).
"Guys come in and there shouldn't be a drop-off," senior left tackle Tyler Marz said. "That's what we expect."
After giving off hopeful vibes early in the week, standout junior tailback Corey Clement (sports hernia) stayed home to rest another week, as did redshirt freshman tailback Taiwan Deal (ankle). Meanwhile, senior tight end Austin Traylor (arm) missed his third straight game following surgery.
The hits kept coming as the game unfolded in blustery conditions.
Senior quarterback Joel Stave was sidelined with a head injury he sustained late in the first quarter. He finished the day in sweat clothes as junior Bart Houston stepped in, completed 22 of 32 passes for 232 yards and two TDs and guided the Badgers to all their points.
On one third-quarter drive Wisconsin lost junior wide receiver Robert Wheelwright and junior center Dan Voltz. Wheelwright injured his left leg while blocking for Erickson on a 56-yard scoot, while Voltz injured his right leg one play before true freshman tailback Alec Ingold scored on a short run to give the Badgers the lead for good.
"You don't have maybe everyone, but you've still got enough," Chryst said.
According to Chryst, adversity demands an upbeat response.
"I think you have to react positively," he said. "Whether it's football or whatever, life's about making choices and how you choose to respond to something.
"It can challenge you. I'm sure it does with other guys. But it's an opportunity and you've got to seize the opportunity. That's what's beautiful about this game."
When Voltz went down, the unit adjusted by having sophomore Michael Deiter slide from left guard to center and redshirt freshman Micah Kapoi take over at left guard. It's old hat for a crew that's used eight different starters and five starting combinations through eight games.
"We've had a lot of experience with shuffling guys around, so it's not quite the surprise if someone gets hurt," Deiter said. "It's surprising, but it's just not that big of a deal because we've had guys that have gotten quality reps and can come in and play.
"It all happens pretty fluidly. People have just to do their jobs. You never know when your number's going to be called. It's great when people are ready to go and we find ways to win."
During the postgame press conference Chryst was asked if the constant shuffling of the offensive line this season - a reality that goes back to training camp - helps in times like this.
"I think it's who you are and how you approach it," he said. "If your seniors panic or your coaches panic, the guys watch it."
Marz said everyone has tunnel vision when it comes to injuries.
"If you're a second-string guy, you prepare like you're going to play," he said. "You never know what's going to happen out there and who could get hurt or what.
"You just have to keep running out stuff and keep doing what we do as an offense. You just hope we can get 'em back and keep playing our best guys and our best football moving forward."
Chryst said injuries don't affect expectations.
"Our goal is always to try and be the best team we can be and focus on that week," he said.
For example, the game plan didn't change when Houston took over for Stave.
"We didn't have to be conservative," Erickson said in a nod to Houston's preparation. "We came in and just ran our game plan."
Injuries are a fact of life in football and the Badgers are no different. The volume can be jarring sometimes, but principled teams find a way. Erickson said one currently inhabits the Wisconsin locker room.
"I think it's the way we've come together," he said. "It's a very close group. The way everyone wraps their arms around each other and picks each other up. It goes back to all the training and preparation. It's come full circle."
