Inside the Huddle: Meyer comfortable in any weather

Photo by: David Stluka

Inside the Huddle: Meyer comfortable in any weather

October 30, 2015 | Football, Mike Lucas

Experience has Badgers’ senior punter well-conditioned for the game’s varying conditions

By: Mike Lucas

MIKE LUCAS
Senior Writer

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• Varsity Magazine

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. -- If you didn't know better, you would guess that Drew Meyer was majoring in meteorology, not agricultural business management. After all, it is his business to know which way the wind blows.

After averaging a season-high 46.8 yards per punt last Saturday, he confessed, "You're not always blessed to kick with a 25 miles an hour wind at your back for most of the game."

Along with matching his career high with three punts of 50 or more yards, he had three of his five kicks downed inside the Illinois 20 yard line, all three coming in the second half of the 24-13 win.

His first punt of the third quarter (55 yards) was downed by Natrell Jamerson at the 4.

His second punt of the quarter (57 yards) was fielded on the 7 and returned to the 14. Two defensive starters, Joe Schobert and Chikwe Obasih, made the tackle on V'Angelo Bentley.

Key Matchups

Wisconsin's offensive line vs.
Rutgers' front seven

Left tackle Tyler Marz knows what injured center Dan Voltz is going through. When he was in high school (Springfield, Minn.), Marz had to battle back from a torn ACL. He also knows that there's plenty of fight in Voltz, who has been lost for the season after injuring his knee at Illinois. Voltz's experience and leadership will be missed. He has played in 32 games with 27 career starts.

"Dan was a pretty vocal leader being in the middle, so it's a bummer to not have him in there," said Marz, a fifth-year senior with 35 consecutive starts, the second most on the team. "When I went through it (the rehab after surgery), the worst part was kind of feeling distant from the team. I don't want Dan to feel that way, so hopefully I can spend as much time with him hanging out. He's got a pretty good attitude."

Replacing Voltz, a junior, will be Michael Deiter, a redshirt freshman. Deiter had been starting at left guard. That assignment goes to redshirt freshman Micah Kapoi, who has five starts, four at right guard. Kapoi could shift to center if needed. Redshirt freshman Brett Connors would be another option. Junior Walker Williams and redshirt freshman Beau Benzschawel hold down the right side.

Rutgers has been coping without its top defensive tackle, Darius Hamilton, a two-time captain. Hamilton played in just one game (Penn State) before an injury ended his year. But he showed up at practice this week to encourage the starters along the D-line: Quanzell Lambert (6-1, 260), Sebastian Joseph (6-4, 295), Julian Pinnix-Odrick (6-5, 275) and Djwany Mera (6-4, 265).

"They're real radical with their movements," Marz said. "They're not like an Iowa team that is just going to play you straight or maybe bring a blitz here or there. They will give us a lot of different looks and it's going to be huge for us to communicate. They're similar to our defense. We like to call them 'sideways' guys where they're rocking from a shade to a 3-technique.

"Focus is huge. I remember when I was a young guy, the big thing is that you don't play with your eyes up and see the whole picture. You've got kind of narrow vision. With a team like this, when they bring so many pressures, they'll give it away with certain tips. And we need the young guys to calm down and make the calls."

The Scarlet Knights get a lot of production out of their linebackers. Steve Longa leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation with an average of 12 tackles per game. He had 19 against Ohio State. Quentin Gause, the second-leading tackler, is the most experienced player on the team. He leads the defense with 7 TFLs. Kaiwan Lewis, a South Carolina graduate transfer, is the fourth-leading tackler.

Rutgers has struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. With just 11 sacks, the Scarlet Knights rank No. 12 in the Big Ten. Nonetheless, from a pass rushing standpoint, the Badgers will have to account for No. 58, Kemoko Turay. Last year, he led Rutgers with 7.5 sacks. This year, he has seven tackles, overall, and a couple of sacks.

Wisconsin's O-line got off to a slow start last Saturday. And it turned out to be costly for Joel Stave. The Illini got back-to-back sacks from Carroll Phillips on UW's second possession; the first was on Stave, knocking him out of the game, and the second was on Bart Houston, who replaced and later finished up for the injured Stave. The Badgers gave up just one more sack the rest of the day.

"Things just didn't get rolling; we had a penalty (for an illegal block) early on that killed us," Marz said. "You have to be ready to fire on the first snap. That will be our focus this week."

Rutgers' running backs vs.
Wisconsin's rush defense

Tailback by Committee. That has been the path taken by the Scarlet Knights, who have been splitting reps between three tailbacks in an alternating possession rotation. The starting call has been going to senior Paul James (58 carries for 341 yards, 5.9 per rush), who has been followed by sophomore Josh Hicks (84 for 439, 5.2) and sophomore Robert Martin (77 for 480, 6.2).

As a high school freshman and sophomore, Corey Clement was the backup to James at Glassboro High School, where James was a four-year varsity starter and led his team to three state titles. James played in only four Rutgers games last season after blowing out his ACL. Although he had a 72-yard run against Michigan State, he felt like his knee brace was limiting his explosiveness so he has since discarded it.

Over the last three games, James is averaging 9.6 yards per carry.

Martin was one of the catalysts for the Knights in their comeback win at Indiana. He rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 7.3 yards per carry as they rallied from a 25-point third quarter deficit to shock the Hoosiers, 55-52, in Bloomington. Quarterback Chris Laviano threw for 386 yards, including three touchdown passes to Leonte Carroo, who had seven catches for 157 yards.

Carroo, who has been nursing an ankle injury, is expected to be a game-time decision against Wisconsin. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior reaggravated the injury during last Saturday's 49-7 loss to Ohio State. He had three catches for 55 yards in the first half. Last year, the Badgers limited Carroo to two receptions. Quarterbacks Gary Nova and Laviano were a combined 7-of-27 for 63 yards.

With the exception of the season opener against Alabama, Wisconsin's rush defense has been among the best in college football. Over the last seven games, the Badgers have limited opponents to an average of 77.1 yards on the ground. During this span, opposing running backs are averaging only 2.8 yards per attempt (by comparison the Tide averaged 6.4 and rushed for 238 yards).

Last year, Rutgers had 29 rushes for a net-76 yards against Wisconsin. The longest run was 15.

- Mike Lucas

His only punt of the fourth quarter (32 yards) – into the wind – went out of bounds on the 7.

Illinois' average starting field position after these three kicks was the 10.4 yard line.

It's one of the reasons, or maybe three, why Meyer was selected as the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week; the first such league honor for a Wisconsin specialist since 2010.

"It's a cool honor, very cool," said Meyer, a fifth-year senior from Hartland (Arrowhead High School). "There are a lot of very talented guys around the conference and to win the award is fun."

But it's also funny that anyone would suggest that he did it alone. So, he wanted to share the recognition with the punting unit. "Those guys did a great job of covering all day," he said.

It was a surprise to Meyer that the Badgers had gone five years without a specialist picking up a weekly award. The last to do so was his good friend, Brad Nortman, now with the Carolina Panthers.

"I thought it was interesting," Meyer said, "because we've had a lot of great efforts on special teams in the past (during his time here) … We had guys who changed games."

Meyer listed Kyle Zuleger, Conor O'Neill and Dez Southward.

"We have a long tradition of special teams play here and we have to keep contributing," Meyer said. "Hopefully we can get another one and it won't take as long."

• • • •

Meyer has heard it all before – how punters and kickers should have a degree in meteorology.

"We joke around about guys checking the weather to see what the conditions are going to be, even starting out on Monday," he said.

"You're just trying to get a gauge to see what is going to happen. You can't take those days, a rainy day or a windy day, for granted (during the week of practice). That might happen on a Saturday.

"So when you get those opportunities (the Badgers drilled in a steady rain Tuesday at Camp Randall Stadium) you have to practice your strategies for those types of environments."

It's standard among special teams coaches to soak footballs before the start of a practice to simulate the prospect of a rainy Saturday. But it's doesn't replicate deteriorating conditions.

"As the game goes on," Meyer said, "the ball gets a little wetter, a little heavier."

And you have to adjust to the variables and the changing situations.

"We did a lot of wet ball stuff when we went out (Tuesday)," said Meyer, who's also the holder for placekicker Rafael Gaglianone. "We worked on holds and just catching and snapping for field goals.

"It was raining at the start but not heavy at the end. It still comes back down to the fundamentals and swinging easy and giving yourself a chance to get off a good punt."

Connor Udelhoven, the snapper, is the third link in the kicking operation.

"He's one of my best friends – a lunch pail guy," Meyer said of Udelhoven, a redshirt junior from St. Paul, Minn. "We try to deal with the situations and keep each other loose on the sidelines."

Dealing with wind is tricky, especially at Camp Randall.

"Every wind is different – it comes from different directions and different angles," Meyer said. "Sometimes it will be blowing on the field and the flags will look pretty dead (atop the stadium)."

How accurate are the tell-tales on each upright of the goal posts?

"Not really, because it swirls in the end zone," said Meyer.

Is it fair then to say that Camp Randall winds are the toughest to gauge in the conference?

"From the standpoint of not knowing exactly what is going to happen, it can be," he said. "You don't face as much of a headwind in your face or at your back, but it will be going around and around."

Even if it's blowing and/or swirling in a certain way during the first half, Meyer stressed the importance of "getting a feel what's going on" while warming up before the start of the third quarter.

"Just get a plan," Meyer said.

That's always the top priority before the game. As it was last Saturday at Illinois.

"It was definitely blowing towards the scoreboard (above the south stands at Memorial Stadium)," he said. "But it in different areas of the field it started to swirl in different spots.

"The biggest thing is having a plan for where you are on the field and what your objective is. You try to knock that out in the pregame. But the wind changes during the game, so you have to be alert and conscious of the flags and what is going on."

"Like Coach (Paul) Chryst always says, 'With everything that you do, you have to give yourself a chance to have a chance.'"

How does that translate for a punter? "That means having a good drop," said Meyer, who has 226 career punts for the Badgers, "and putting yourself in a position to handle the conditions."

A year ago, Wisconsin and Rutgers played on a cold, rainy day in Piscataway, New Jersey. The announced attendance was 52,797 but there were far fewer in High Point Solutions Stadium.

Most left early, too, as the Badgers crushed the Scarlet Knights, 37-0.

The first score of the game was the result of a special teams play. Late in the opening quarter, A.J. Jordan blocked a Tim Gleeson punt with the ball rolling out of bounds on the Rutgers 44. Three plays later, Melvin Gordon scored on a 13-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

UW placekicker Rafael Gaglianone went 3-for-3 on field goals from 27, 32 and 46 yards.

Meanwhile, the Badgers punted six times with their tag team of Meyer and backup quarterback Bart Houston, who was called on to execute four rugby style punts against Rutgers.

Meyer has a far greater peace of mind this season with Chryst and his coaching staff.

"I'm just more relaxed," Meyer said. "More confident, too."

By contrast, Gaglianone's confidence has been challenged by making only 11 of 18 field goals.

"Raf has been doing a great job being consistent – being the same guy every day," Meyer said. "It's one of those things where he can't get down on himself.

"We talk about it all the time – staying positive. He's one of those guys who bounces back quicker than anyone I know. It's tough to live up to 19-of-22 (Gaglianone's field goal mark as a freshman in 2014)."

Spoken like a coach. And Meyer would like to become one someday.

"I've always loved this game," he said. "I've been able to help coach kickers and punters the past couple of summers with the Kohl kicking camps. It's something I've always enjoyed.

"I've had some phenomenal coaches – the opportunities I have are because of people who have helped me get here – and I'd like to possibly give back and make an impact like they have on my life."

All of Wisconsin's kicking specialists are into visualization and positive reinforcement.

"It's all about how you attack in visualization – understanding you can control your thoughts," Meyer said. "Confidence is something you can almost tell yourself to fake it until you make it."

There's nothing fraudulent about Rutgers' kick return specialist Janarion Grant who returned both a kickoff (100 yards) and a punt (55 yards) for touchdowns against Washington State.

"They have an electric returner," Meyer said.

But Grant has been listed as questionable for Saturday's game because of an injury. At Illinois, the Badgers limited another electric returner, Bentley, to 38 yards on four punt returns.

His longest was 16 yards. Opponents are averaging 5.4 yards against the Badgers.

Meyer is well aware of Rutgers' history in blocking kicks. Since 2009, the Scarlet Knights have 43 blocks. Since 2007, they've blocked at least four kicks every year. "They're an aggressive bunch," he said. "They disguise their looks very well."

Meyer had nothing but compassion for Michigan punter Blake O'Neill, whose dropped snap and ill-advised punt attempt resulted in Michigan State stealing a win on the final play of the game between the in-state rivals two weeks ago.

"You feel for him," Meyer said. "It's one of those things where it can happen to you."

Meyer puts a lot of stock in the kicking fraternity; the bond that exists between punters and placekickers across the conference and country. He also puts a lot of faith in his teammates.

"The guys up front have done a great job all year," he said. "I've never had to worry about protection once; never thought twice about it and those guys do a great job of covering.

"We're all 1/11th of the process on the punt team or the field goal unit. Or on offense and defense. Do you job and trust the guy next to you that they're going to do their job.

"Put it all together and you've got an awesome piece of work."