Baggot: Resilience and spirit of seniors key to historic season
December 03, 2017 | Football, Andy Baggot
Wisconsin turns its focus to bouncing back against Miami in Orange Bowl Dec. 30
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
INDIANAPOLIS — There will come a time, soon, when members of the Wisconsin football team are no longer in mourning.
But grieving is a process and there is no timetable.
"Each guy's in a different spot right now," UW coach Paul Chryst said late Saturday night. "Words are real, but words aren't going to do it."
The Badgers saw two unprecedented dreams — an unbeaten season and a berth in the College Football Playoff — disintegrate in wake of a 27-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Football Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Wisconsin will still close out its season with a prestigious assignment — a first-time berth in the Orange Bowl opposite Miami.
"This will go away and we'll start preparing for the next game," junior offensive tackle Michael Deiter said. "The challenge will be the next couple days. There's nothing you can do to make it go away faster."
He's talking about the pain of losing for the first time in 13 games.
He's talking about the remorse of missed opportunities.
He's talking about the regret of costly mistakes that led to a third loss in five appearances in this winner-take-all venue since 2011.
"It's sucks and everyone knows it sucks and there's no way to make it not," Deiter said. "The only thing that will help is time."
The Badgers filed quietly, tearfully into their locker room shortly after a final possession was derailed by a holding penalty and an overthrown pass that was intercepted with 69 seconds left.
In a measured voice, Chryst thanked, consoled and motivated his players.
He told them that every game is fraught with risks and that losing is most excruciating when you've put forth maximum effort.
"I asked you guys to play and put it all out there," Chryst said. "You did."
But it wasn't enough.
"I'm really proud of our team and the way they fought and battled" #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 3, 2017
The top-rated Wisconsin defense uncharacteristically yielded a series of big plays that led to a 21-10 first-half deficit and a season-high 449 yards allowed.
The UW offense was unable to get its running game in gear, averaging 1.9 yards per rush and amassing its lowest single-game output in the last 30 games (60 yards).
"They have explosive guys," UW junior inside linebacker Ryan Connelly said of the Buckeyes, "and they exposed us a little bit."
True to their season-long tendency, the Badgers won the second half, but failed to execute at crucial moments as sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw a career-high 40 times and threw a pair of interceptions.
This script is somewhat similar to one that came to life in this moment in 2014.
That's when Ohio State scorched the Badgers 59-0 and wound up parlaying that one-sided victory to a berth in the inaugural CFP semifinals.
That bit of history didn't repeat itself this time around — the Buckeyes finished fifth in the final CFP rankings released Sunday — but UW can draw some important parallels.
Eight current Wisconsin seniors played in that game three years ago — safety Joe Ferguson, cornerback Lubern Figaro, tight end Troy Fumagalli, outside linebacker Leon Jacobs, defensive end Alec James, defensive end Chikwe Obasih, defensive end Conor Sheehy and cornerback Derrick Tindal — and saw how the upperclassmen kept calm during a tumultuous period.
Days after that humbling loss, the Badgers were rocked again by the sudden departure of their coach, Gary Andersen, to Oregon State.
But with Barry Alvarez, the UW Director of Athletics, serving as interim coach, the Badgers produced a dramatic 34-31 overtime victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
The freshmen from that club are now members of the winningest senior class in Wisconsin history with 44 victories.
Like that group in 2014, the current seniors can close out their careers with a high-profile bowl win in Florida.
"The seniors mean too much to this team to let it go to waste," Connelly said. "They've done it for the seniors before them. Now it's our time to make sure we send them out on the right note."
"We're definitely not done. "We still have one game left" The #Badgers are looking forward to another "big game" against Miami in the Orange Bowl. #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 3, 2017
The Hurricanes (10-2) will be playing at home fresh off dropping a 38-3 decision to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game Saturday.
"I know it's going to be high energy and very exciting," UW junior inside linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "I know they bring a lot of juice and so do we.
"I know it's going to be a fist fight, 100 percent."
UW players don't expect a long, drawn-out funk from their first loss of the season.
"With this senior class it's not going to take much," senior fullback Austin Ramesh said. "This team's resilient."
The matchup with Miami marks the 16th consecutive season the Badgers have qualified for a bowl. This will be their first appearance in the Orange Bowl, which debuted in 1935.
"We'll go after it with everything we've got," Ramesh said. "I don't think we have to do anything special. Just the same stuff we've been doing all year."
Is there a challenge to getting everyone back on the same page?
"It won't be a challenge with the guys we have, the leadership we have," Deiter said.
The seniors, Deiter said, deserve an upbeat send-off.
"That's on us as underclassmen to go out and make that happen," he said. "That's really our focus coming up this next week."
Danny Davis, a true freshman wide receiver, said the seniors are the ones who set the tone everywhere the Badgers go and in everything they do.
"They keep you level-headed, that's for sure," he said. "I love that about them, so that's why I go out there every night and give it all I've got, it's for them."
Tailback Jonathan Taylor, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, said the spirit of the seniors lives in every corner of the locker room.
"They do a great job of making sure we believe and things will be true," he said. "They did a great job all season bringing guys together and playing as one."
Before hitting the road recruiting on Sunday, Chryst took a moment to measure the current senior class.
"That's what's cool about coaching here," he said. "You get to be around some great guys."
Chryst is a former UW player, assistant coach and offensive coordinator who was hired away from Pittsburgh to replace Andersen.
"What's neat for me personally is that they were here and I joined them," Chryst said. "To be able to be around them, for them to take you in, I'm very grateful."
In two-plus seasons at his alma mater, Chryst has been voted Big Ten Coach of the Year twice and won 33 of 40 games. He credits a lot of that success to how his players, especially the seniors, have bought into a product that is looking for its first 13-win season.
"For them to have a lot of success and to see the growth in a lot of guys, you appreciate being around that," Chryst said.
"How are they different? The records are going to be the records, but each guy has his own story and you appreciate being a part of it."
Another chapter awaits.
