BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When Wisconsin senior safety Leo Musso filled out his ballot for most valuable player, he did so emphatically.
"It's clear cut," he said of his choice, junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt. "He's just a great guy that embodies everything that you'd want from the most valuable player on your team."
Watt had a strong case for MVP with a UW-leading 10.5 quarterback sacks and 14.5 stops for loss among his 59 tackles.
So did senior tailback Corey Clement, who became the 12th back in program history to top 1,300 yards rushing in a season and led the Badgers in scoring with 14 touchdowns.
There were others from a lineup that didn't have a marquee individual per se, but a sizeable collection of unselfish, diligent players who helped lead Wisconsin (10-3 overall) to the Big Ten Conference championship game and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Musso had the right idea, but his choice didn't quite jibe with the majority of his teammates and coaches.
It was Musso who received the Jimmy Demetral Team MVP during the annual awards banquet Friday night.
"It's a testament to his character and what people think of him on and off the field that he's being recognized this way," UW defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said.
Wilcox acknowledged that the Badgers had multiple worthy candidates for the oldest honor in program history, dating back to 1926, but said that Musso stood out because of "how he goes about his day, how he treats people, how he works."
In his first season as a full-time starter, Musso leads UW with five interceptions, returned a fumble for a touchdown and is second on the team with 65 tackles.
He's an integral part of a defense that ranks fourth in scoring and seventh in total defense nationally heading into a Cotton Bowl matchup with Western Michigan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 2.
But numbers don't begin to tell the story of Musso, who played at Waunakee High School and will graduate this month with a degree in community and nonprofit leadership.
"It goes back to the day-in, day-out consistency with which he lives, on and off the field," Wilcox said.
"It's the stuff you don't see. It's the locker room. It's the weight room. It's how you work in offseason conditioning."
Wilcox said Musso typically showed up at the UW football offices in Camp Randall Stadium well before practice began, his attention glued to an iPad looking for video intel on the next opponent.
"He prepares," Wilcox said. "When people see that — when the team sees that — he's got instant credibility through his actions.
"Everyone has the utmost respect for Leo because of that. He embodies what we want guys around here to be."
Funny, Musso touched on the day-to-day commitment to explain his vote for Watt.
"There's a lot that goes into it for me, just the way a guy works and prepares and just what he brings to our team," he said. "Not necessarily what he does during a game, but everything that leads up to it. It's the weight room in the offseason. What he's doing off the field. Stuff like that."
UW senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel calls Musso his best friend. The two met on a recruiting visit to Madison, roomed together, have locker stalls next to one another and form a curious tandem.
"He's a really soft-spoken guy and I'm more of a chatter mouth," Biegel explained, "so I thought he'd be a good balance for us."
What makes Musso a good friend?
"He's always been very loyal," said Biegel, a co-captain from Wisconsin Rapids. "No matter who you are, what position group you come from or background, he's a great teammate."
Junior safety D'Cota Dixon is also tight with Musso, a bond that goes beyond their shared experiences as backups in 2015 and starters this season. The two road roommates also have a strong, quiet faith in God that forms the foundation of their personalities.
"As time went by, we just connected," Dixon said. "We meshed."
What makes Musso a good friend?
"In the Bible, Jesus talks about no greater love than this when you lay down your life for your friends," Dixon said. "It just reminds me of him. He's that type of person. He embodies that example.
"He has a gift that he probably doesn't realize that he has. He just makes you want to do better. He makes you want to be a better man. In a lot of ways, I look up to that.
"He's always saying, 'Get right or get left.' He's always getting right. It's just really cool to be around him. It's going to be so sad not to have him next year."
When the season began, questions swirled around the back end of the Wisconsin secondary. Veteran safeties Michael Caputo and Tanner McEvoy both graduated, leaving fans to wonder how their replacements would hold up alongside senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton and junior cornerback Derrick Tindal.
Dixon is certain that Musso quieted the naysayers.
"Do I think he shut up those critics?" Dixon asked rhetorically. "I definitely think so. If they haven't acknowledged that, then they don't respect the game of football."
Biegel said he understood the questions about the new faces in the secondary, but he and his teammates were confident things would be OK.
"I was truly, truly happy for Leo watching him," Biegel said. "What you see on the field … is a culmination of all the hard work he's put in.
"Leo is a great example of a guy who works hard. He's been a huge factor for us. He's been a major component to the success of our defense."
Musso is listed at 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, so he's a bit undersized, but he's got good speed, a high football IQ and is a sure tackler.
Could he play in the NFL?
"Shoot, anything that Leo does will not surprise me," Wilcox said. "He's going to be an extremely successful person in life. He's going to be an achiever.
"The character he has people are drawn to. He's a natural leader. He's a very impressive person."
