BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
INDIANAPOLIS — It's a curious trend that's hard to ignore.
Every time the Wisconsin football team has played in the Big Ten Conference championship game, major upheaval in the coaches' office has ensued.
In 2011, after a 42-39 victory over Michigan State in the inaugural title matchup, offensive coordinator Paul Chryst left to become the coach at Pittsburgh and took highly regarded run game coordinator Bob Bostad and tight ends assistant Joe Rudolph with him.
In 2012, on the heels of a 70-31 romp over Nebraska, head coach Bret Bielema made the stunning decision to leave the Badgers and take over at Arkansas.
In 2014, in the aftermath of a 59-0 loss to Ohio State, head coach Gary Andersen abruptly pulled the plug on his tenure to take his act to Oregon State.
"All three of them were unique situations," long-time UW coaching staff member Henry Mason said wistfully, "but at the end of the day there was going to be a new guy sitting in the office."
Wisconsin was back at Lucas Oil Stadium for the fourth time in six years on Saturday night, facing its fourth different opponent in Penn State. But the moment didn't feel ominous.
The Badgers went into the game feeling pretty good about the stability of the program because of the foundation that Chryst has built at his alma mater since his return two Decembers ago.
That sensation was prevalent even though Wisconsin had its six-game winning streak end with a 38-31 setback to the Nittany Lions.
The loss meant the Badgers (10-3 overall) will likely close out the season in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 2, though the dust won't officially settle on a bowl destination until Sunday.
Mason has been part of the UW football staff since 1995 – first as an assistant and now as a director of player personnel – meaning he's worked for the last four head coaches: Barry Alvarez, Bielema, Andersen and Chryst.
Mason has been witness to Chryst's three stints – as a tight ends assistant under Alvarez in 2002, offensive coordinator under Bielema from '06 to '11 and now as head coach – so he has a pretty good feel for the moment.
"He's comfortable here," Mason said of Chryst. "This is the job he wants."
Of the four Big Ten championships the Badgers have won since 2010, Chryst has been part of half of them. He's the first head coach in program history to begin his tenure with consecutive 10-win seasons (20-6).
"He's had a lot of success here," Mason said. "I don't see the luster wearing off for this one. I think he's in a good spot.
"I don't think by Wednesday there'll be a new guy in the office. I feel pretty good about him being here."
Feeling good was not an option in the UW locker room after a bitter, frustrating loss to the Nittany Lions. There were tears and anguished cries. There were empty eyes and devastated expressions.
"I'm in a blank place right now," senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton said.
The Badgers had a 28-7 lead with 5 minutes, 15 seconds left in the opening half, but Penn State scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to become the first opponent in the Chryst era to prevail when UW had 30 or more points.
Junior safety D'Cota Dixon cringed throughout the postgame interview session.
"When you have the game in your hands – it's in your destiny and your control by your choice – and you blow a 21-point lead it's so …" His voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry," Dixon said after a moment. "It's just so frustrating. Very frustrating."
Senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel circled the visitor's locker room, sharing a handshake and hugs with each teammate.
Senior quarterback Bart Houston played the whole game, completing 16 of 21 passes for 174 yards, but lost his first game as a starter.
He said the hardest part of the loss was "seeing everyone else hurting as much as I am."
Houston said the reason the Badgers suffered their first loss since Oct. 15 was fairly simple.
"We didn't make enough plays," he said. "They made more plays than we did."
Wisconsin saw its faint hopes for getting into the College Football Playoff semifinal die with the loss. It will likely face Mid-American Conference title-winner Western Michigan (13-0) in the Cotton Bowl.
Shelton was asked if he and his teammates would be able to regroup. He referenced the horrific shutout loss to Ohio State in this building two years ago.
"We've been here before," he said. "Same stadium. Worse loss. We'll bounce back."
Unlike that moment, stability should reign in the UW football offices at Camp Randall Stadium.
Safety Leo Musso is one of eight fifth-year seniors who were onboard when first Bielema, then Andersen, made stunning announcements two Decembers apart.
"It was extremely chaotic," he recalled. "It's not something you prepare for or expect, but it kind of prepared me for the second time it happened.
"You truly realize when something like that happens that you're all each other's got. More than anything it brought us closer together."
Tailback Corey Clement was a sophomore when Andersen followed up one of the most humiliating losses in program history with his bombshell.
"We were basically just left out to dry," Clement said. "We were just waiting to see who was going to lead this team. We didn't have to look no further than our seniors."
Mason, who was the wide receivers coach from '95 to 2007, credited the players for holding things together during the defections.
"Whatever hand is dealt them they seem to rise to the occasion," he said.
"I remember with Bret they were stunned for about 30 minutes. Then it was, 'OK, what are we going to do?'"
A similar approach came to life when Andersen decided there were greener pastures on the West Coast.
"They never flinched," Mason said.
They won't now.
