Badger Rewind: New look gets UW back to old ways
September 27, 2015 | Mike Lucas
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Sept. 27, 2015
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Inverted Wishbone. Diamond. Full House. Call it what you want. But the formation - featuring fullbacks Derek Watt and Austin Ramesh in the backfield - accomplished what it was designed to. "I thought we got some mileage out of it," said Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.
That's like saying the UW defense has been pretty good lately.
Another understatement.
On Saturday night, the Badgers used the 236-pound Watt and the 246-pound Ramesh as split-back blockers to help open up running holes for the tailback, whether it was Taiwan Deal or Dare Ogunbowale. Combined, they had 41 carries for 232 yards in a 28-0 skunking of Hawai'i.
The Green Bay Packers have had a lot of success with the Inverted Wishbone - adjusting it to fit their personnel. And it just seems perfectly suited for Wisconsin, a traditional college program that still takes pride in playing fullbacks in an offensive era of spread formations and multiple receivers.
"We like it - with me and Ramesh in the game - both fullbacks working hard," said Watt, a fifth-year senior. "It gives us an opportunity to run some different plays out of it and I know it gave our defense trouble in camp. It makes it harder to defend us. It gives them something else to worry about."
After dealing with injuries that have limited his practice and playing time the last two seasons, Ramesh was happy to be a factor on offense in any possible way. "It felt good to get in the game - good to contribute to the team," said Ramesh, a redshirt sophomore. "I'm just happy to be on the field."
Watt liked what he saw out of Ramesh, too. "He looked good - he looked good all week," he said. "We talked before every play in the huddle to make sure we were communicating. We helped each other out with what we were seeing from them (Hawai'i) and how they were playing it (the formation)."
The Badgers didn't waste any time bludgeoning the Rainbow Warriors. Backed up on their own 3-yard line, they came out swinging with Watt and Ramesh leading the way for Deal, who had runs of 6, 7, 5 and 11 yards before quarterback Joel Stave attempted his first pass of the night.
| "Corey stood up in the running back room and he looked at me and Dare," recounted Deal, "and he said, 'I'm going to be out for awhile and you have to step up.' I embraced that - I'm excited to step up." |
The 16-play, 97-yard scoring drive - UW's longest since 2011 - consumed 8 minutes and 13 seconds on the clock and culminated with Deal's 2-yard touchdown run. "Ram (Ramesh) and Watt really came off the ball to set up blocks for you - whatever hole you picked," said Deal. "I love that."
The 6-1, 220-pound Deal had nine carries on that possession and finished with 26 rushes for 147 yards, a career high. "I thought that he's been growing with his opportunities," Chryst said of Deal. "He has been patient and trusting himself. That's good to see. I thought Dare did the same."
Ogunbowale had 15 carries for 85 yards. Both Deal and Ogunbowale averaged 5.7 yards per run. Long after the outcome had already been determined, freshman tailback Alec Ingold added to the team's rushing total with seven carries for 60 yards. Ingold just moved from linebacker to offense.
Like his fellow tailbacks, Ingold also took advantage of some crisp blocking by the fullbacks. "It's a nice formation, it's a fun formation to run out of," Ogunbowale said of the Inverted Wishbone. "It gives the defense a lot of things to think about because we can do a lot out of it."
It could turn out to be a lifeline in certain down and distance situations. Especially since the Badgers will enter Big Ten play next Saturday against Iowa without their marquee tailback, Corey Clement, who will have surgery on a sports hernia. He'll be out anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.
"We just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that even though Corey wasn't there (Saturday) we're still going to pound the ball and we're still going to be good at it," Ogunbowale said. "Taiwan did a great job going in with those heavy personnels and I tried to make sure I did it well, too.
"That was our big thing. Me and Taiwan talked about it (before the game)," said Ogubowale, who came over from the defense last year to shore up tailback. "We wanted to make sure that we could show everyone that we could still run the ball even with our guy (Clement) out."
Clement wore a headset on the sideline and did what he could to encourage his teammates. "He was another set of eyes for us," Ogunbowale said. "He kept on saying that he wishes that he could be out there for us and we know that. We just have to make sure that we play well for him."
Deal has been impressed by how an understandably frustrated Clement has handled the injury. "Corey stood up in the running back room and he looked at me and Dare," recounted Deal, "and he said, 'I'm going to be out for awhile and you have to step up.' I embraced that - I'm excited to step up."
• • • •
After Wednesday's practice at Camp Randall Stadium, Deal was greeted by his parents, George and Towanna. They make their home in Capitol Heights, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Clement came over to visit with the Deals; so did Ogunbowale and running backs coach John Settle.
"My dad had never come to a game and I was just thankful that he could make it up here to experience a great college town and a great tradition," said Taiwan Deal, who has always received positive reinforcement from his father. "That guy pushed me so much. He had a big influence on me.
"My dad came from such an impoverished neighborhood - he didn't have much and he worked hard for his family and he got me where I am today, so I really appreciate and love him for that. Same with my mom. She's like my right hand. She has had words of wisdom for me when I was down."
Deal is definitely on an upswing after redshirting last season. "He has gotten so much better since the spring and he's going to keep getting better," predicted Ogunbowale. "He's still young; he still has some things that we kind of make fun of him for that he's got to get fixed up."
When prodded to elaborate, Ogunbowale said, "He runs with his head down a lot." So much so that Deal has left cleat marks on the backs of his lead blockers. "But he will get that together," assured Ogunbowale, "and when he does, he's going to be a special back here."
Ogunbowale also made a point of saying that he wasn't bothered by the fact that Deal started against Hawai'i. "That's just how it worked out," he said. "He got the start just because of the situation (field position). That's totally fine. We talked about it and it doesn't matter who's getting the carries."
Deal appreciates the tag-team partnership and friendship. "Dare is my roommate when we travel," Deal said. "We hang out a lot - me, Dare and Corey - and we just talk and it's not always about football. We're just trying to get to know each other better."
Watt and Ramesh have the same kind of deal, so to speak. "Ever since I got here, he has been like my mentor," Ramesh said of Watt. "He has helped me through everything. Now, he's showing me the way again (through the Inverted Wishbone). It's just good to be out there playing."
Clement wishes that he could say the same thing. But the Badgers must move forward until his return. "No one has to do any super-human effort," Watt said when asked about replacing Clement. "We've just got to play within ourselves. Play our game. Continue to grind and we'll be all right."
The grind will pick up in earnest - and intensity - Saturday with Iowa in the conference opener. It will mark the Hawkeyes' first appearance at Camp Randall since 2009. The Badgers have won the last three games in the series at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
"The Big Ten is a physical conference," Watt said, "and Iowa is a physical team."
Enough said.
