Leonhard: ‘Our guys just love football’
December 17, 2017 | Football, Mike Lucas
Bowl lead-up busy time for Badgers in prep for Orange Bowl and on recruiting trail
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Today vs. tomorrow. Present vs. future.
An early signing period has prompted college football coaches to strike a balance.
"You're around your guys every single day for months," said Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. "And, then, all of a sudden, you're on the road and you're recruiting.
"You're also trying to prepare for a bowl game. It's a unique challenge. It's something that you've got to balance. And you're excited about both parts."
Under the new NCAA legislation, high school recruits have a 72-hour window (Dec. 20-22) to sign a national letter of intent. Otherwise the old signing date (Feb. 7, 2018) is still in play.
"It's a challenge for a couple of weeks," said Leonhard, who was one of five finalists for the 2017 Frank Broyles Award that honors the nation's top assistant. "But it's part of the deal."
So is bouncing back from Wisconsin's first loss of an historic season, a stinging 27-21 setback at the hands of Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.
"Your mind goes 1,000 different places after you lose a game," admitted Leonhard, who's completing his second year on Paul Chryst's coaching staff and first as the coordinator.
"Number one, you look and see the effort the guys played with. You're so proud of what these guys have done … in the way they've handled situations and adversity all year and in that game."
After 13 games, the Badgers still rank No. 1 nationally in total defense (253.2) and passing efficiency defense, No. 2 in rushing defense (92.6) and No. 3 in scoring defense (13.2).
But after giving up chunk yardage to Ohio State, Leonhard said, "Obviously, there are plays you'd like back as a coordinator and as players — players making and missing plays."
Also, part of the deal.
"They were extremely athletic," he said of the Buckeyes, "there's no way around it."
The Buckeyes scored on touchdown passes of 84 and 57 yards, while tailback J.K. Dobbins had runs of 77 and 53 yards. Those four plays netted 261 of their 449 total yards offensively.
The second half was a different story as the defense limited OSU to just six points and 140 yards of total offense, setting the stage for a potential comeback.
"We got a couple of opportunities with about five minutes left in the game to win it," Leonhard said.
Trailing 27-21, Wisconsin got the ball at 5:14 and 2:59 of the fourth quarter. Plenty of time to get something going. But neither offensive possession resulted in points.
"When you put yourself in position to win — that's the hard part and that's what makes it worse," Leonhard said of the loss. "We were close. You just have to find a way to execute and make plays.
"We have an extremely talented and athletic defense," Leonhard stressed with an important disclaimer. "But that doesn't mean you don't have to tackle."
Ohio State forced the Badgers to make plays in space, where missed tackles are costly.
"We had been tackling extremely well. But, unfortunately, we missed a few," Leonhard said. "But I feel very confident in what we're doing as a defense. It always comes down to execution and making plays. The better your opponent, the harder it gets."
At this year's team banquet, each senior was asked in advance to share his favorite football memory and write it down. Conor Sheehy's response: "Haven't had it yet."
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 13, 2017
After the league title game, Leonhard felt the players needed a break and some time off.
"It was a little bit of a mental and physical break for our guys to recharge," he said. "It's a grind of a season and we went 10 straight games (since their bye) and guys are beat up.
"Mentally, you go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows when you get to the Big Ten Championship Game undefeated and lose. You just want guys to truly hit pause."
The Badgers have since returned to the practice field.
"We've done a great job with our bowl schedule," said Leonhard, who could predict the team's response. "When it's time to go back to work, 'Let's go.' Our guys just love football.
"That's the beauty of who we have in this program right now. It doesn't matter who we're playing. They just want to play and have success. They enjoy being around each other."
Congrats to our #Badgers graduating this weekend. Proud of all you guys! #StudentAthletes
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 16, 2017
That point was reinforced for Leonhard at the senior banquet. Watching the highlight videos of the season, he couldn't help but notice "how much these guys celebrate each other's successes."
Offense, defense, special teams. "It doesn't matter," he said of the three phases of the game. "Almost any play you watch, you see the genuine happiness of this group."
In this context, all for one, one for all, one statistic stood out for Leonhard.
"The amount of people who have scored this year," he said.
With Andrew Van Ginkel's interception return for a touchdown and Chris James' 1-yard run against Ohio State, the Badgers have 21 players with at least one TD, a school record.
"It speaks to the balance of what we've done offensively, defensively and on special teams," Leonhard said. "The amount of contributors on this team is what makes it special."
Eyeing the Orange Bowl matchup with Miami, he concluded, "We have an opportunity to do something special to cap the season off and that's the way our guys are approaching it."
A big story nationally last year involved some high-profile players skipping their team's bowl game to avoid injury before embarking on pro careers in what amounts to a risk-and-reward decision.
The two most talked-about were LSU tailback Leonard Fournette and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. Both were drafted early: Fournette to Jacksonville at No. 4; McCaffrey to Carolina at No. 8.
"I'm not some first-round draft pick," said Wisconsin defensive lineman Alec James, a fifth-year senior. "But even if I was, I would want to finish it off right.
"You definitely want to be careful with your future. But, at the same time, you've put in anywhere from four to five years with these guys and this game is the accumulation of everything."
James further noted, "I've had so much fun all season with these guys," why leave now?
"It's sunshine. "It's 80 degrees. "It's the beach." Having been part of the it himself, Barry Alvarez feels the @OrangeBowl is what the bowl game experience is all about. ???? http://goo.gl/dPJWcA
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) December 11, 2017
Cornerback Derrick Tindal was on the same page.
"It's bigger than just me and the NFL right now," said Tindal, who's from Fort Lauderdale and has special motivation to play against the Canes. "This is my last game playing with my brothers.
"For me, I played my whole season for them. That's the reason I didn't want to get beat (on a pass play) because I didn't want to let my teammates down."
A sentiment bound to put a smile on Leonhard's face.
