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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Rush over left tackle. Rush over right tackle. Rush up the middle.
Here we come again. Stop us if you can.
Seven years ago, Wisconsin unleashed a classic "ground-and-pound" offense with 29 consecutive running plays, not including two kneel-downs, to seal a 48-28 win at Michigan.
UW's first possession of the second half influenced the play-calling in the Big House. Quarterback Scott Tolzien connected on a 5-yard pass to Isaac Anderson, who was hit and lost the ball.
The Wolverines recovered the fumble and converted the turnover into seven points.
The Badgers, who led 24-0 at halftime, were now clinging to a 10-point lead with 9:23 left in the third quarter. Even though he was 14-of-15 for 201 yards, Tolzien didn't attempt another pass.
Instead, he handed the rock to James White (23 carries for 181 yards) and Montee Ball (29 for 173), who ran behind Gabe Carimi, John Moffitt, Bill Nagy, Kevin Zeitler and Rick Wagner.
Running was a high-percentage option in any scenario considering everyone on that offensive line went on to start games in the NFL. Zeitler and Wagner are among the highest paid at their positions today.
In 2010, by the way, the Wisconsin offensive coordinator and play-caller was Paul Chryst.
On Saturday night, the Badgers and Chryst revisited their past with a smash-mouth sequel that featured 21 straight runs, not including a kneel-down, in the second half of a 38-17 victory at Nebraska.
The reviews were favorable, especially on the line of scrimmage.
"We like that," said left guard Jason Erdmann, who saw the most extensive action of his young, 18-game career in relief of the injured Jon Dietzen. "That's who we are. It's Wisconsin football."
"If you can keep it on the ground," said left tackle Michael Deiter, "there's nothing better if you're an offensive lineman. It takes a lot of stress off the whole offense."
"It just shows that the coaches trusted us to move guys upfront and be assignment sound," said right guard Beau Benzschawel. "And we took care of it. You can't really expect more."
UW offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph doesn't expect anything less.
"What I liked most about them," he said of his O-linemen, "was their focus on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You have success for one reason — in the way you prepare."
From that standpoint, it was an interesting week of preparation. With guard Micah Kapoi limited late in the week, Dietzen got most of the first-team snaps.
As a precaution, Deiter repped at left guard — where he has 11 career starts — with Cole Van Lanen taking over at left tackle. In addition, Erdmann practiced at both center and guard.
"Everybody is the same way — you're one play away and you're in," said Erdmann, a sophomore walk-on from Slinger High School and the village of Richfield, 90 minutes from Madison.
"Every chance you get, you take those reps in practice. We had a couple of guys banged up for BYU (Dietzen and Benzschawel) and I prepared like I was the starter. But I didn't get an opportunity."
As it evolved Saturday night, Deiter had to come out of the game — a rare sight — after tweaking his ankle. Van Lanen, a redshirt freshman from Green Bay, stepped into the huddle for him.
"I just got rolled up on it … again," said Deiter, who has been hobbled for a few weeks but has played through whatever pain he was feeling. "I knew I definitely wasn't good to play for that drive."
But he wasn't on the sideline for long. Upon returning, he said, "I knew after two plays that I was good to go." He knew, too, that he could trust Erdmann to do the job after Dietzen came out.
"He has been able to get a ton of good reps in practice," Deiter said. "So, he was ready to step in. And we didn't miss a beat with him in there. He was ready for that challenge."
Did Deiter have to be conscious of Erdmann's inexperience? Especially in such a raucous environment like Memorial Stadium — one of the loudest venues in college football.
"Not really," said Deiter, a junior. "I know that he's a good enough player.
"The noise doesn't help with your first real significant snaps. It's tough. But I just made sure that he was seeing what I was seeing and we were on the same page. I knew his ability was good enough."
Erdmann was determined to live up to some very high O-line expectations.
"Seize the opportunity — that's what all the coaches preach," he said. "The team counted on me. And I went in there and did what I needed to do to get the job done."
Benzschawel liked the way he handled his business. "For a guy to do that not thinking he was going to play," he said, "and play as much as he did, you can't ask anything more."
That same can be said of freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 249 yards.
"You never know what holes he's going to find," said Erdmann, adding that there's always the anticipation of something special. "If you stay on your block and finish, he could hit a home run."
Taylor touched all the bases with a 75-yard touchdown sprint late in the second quarter.
"We had a great plan," said Benzschawel, who twice dislocated his pinkie finger. "Guys knew their assignments and we were just going out and playing and not thinking."
Preparation was the foundation for those 21 consecutive runs, Rudolph reiterated.
"The focus was very clear and each guy took a step in that area," he said. "If we do that as an O-line, as an offense, as a team, we'll continue to grow and we'll be the team that we want to be."
And, in the end, that could be quite a rush.
