ANDY BAGGOT Insider

BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — Kicker Rafael Gaglianone had a memorable debut with the Wisconsin football team in 2014, providing a glimpse of his talent and fun-loving instincts.

During a 28-24 loss to LSU at NRG Stadium in Houston, Gaglianone converted a career-best 51-yard field goal and celebrated it with a shimmy worthy of any dance floor.

The former soccer standout from Sao Paulo, Brazil, proceeded to make good on 19 of 22 field-goal attempts as a freshman, good for an .889 conversion ratio that ranks second on the all-time single-season list in Wisconsin history.

However, there were questions surrounding Gaglianone heading into his second run-in with LSU when the teams opened the 2016 season at the Lambeau Field College Classic in Green Bay.

Gaglianone struggled a bit as a sophomore in 2015. While he made game-winning kicks vs. Nebraska and USC in the Holiday Bowl, he also saw his conversion ratio fall to .667 (18 of 27).

Gaglianone also was in mourning. One of his best friends, Nebraska punter Sam Voltz, was killed in a one-car accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin that also claimed the life of Michigan State punter Mike Sadler in July. Voltz and Sadler were attending a summer camp for kicking specialists. A third rider in the car was LSU kicker Colby Delhoussaye, who suffered minor injuries but was available to kick for the Tigers in the game at Lambeau.

The question going into the season was whether Gaglianone — who switched his uniform number from 10 to 27 to honor his friend — would be distracted or inspired. Wisconsin fans liked his answer.

Here are five more things to know:

Few Gave The Badgers A Chance, Part I

For the first time since 2009, the Badgers began a season unranked in the Associated Press poll. LSU, meanwhile, was not only rated fifth, it received a first-place vote and was a 10½ -point favorite to remain unbeaten in games staged in Wisconsin. The Tigers prevailed 38-28 at Camp Randall Stadium in 1971.

Few Gave The Badgers A Chance, Part II

The presence of ESPN's "GameDay" crew added to the high-profile nature of the Big Ten-SEC showdown. All three panelists — Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard — picked LSU to win. The guest prognosticator, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, went with the Badgers.

Redemption Sought

Senior running back Corey Clement tried out a new number during spring practice, switching from No. 6 to No. 24 before switching back. It was a symbolic gesture, one driven by the desire for a fresh start. Clement went into the 2015 season earmarked as one of the prime weapons for the Wisconsin offense. He amassed 949 rushing yards and nine TDs to go along with 14 receptions for 119 yards and two more scores as a sophomore. But Clement suffered a sports hernia injury in the 2015 opener vs. Alabama and ultimately underwent surgery that caused him to miss seven straight games. He returned, but an off-the-field incident involving Madison police prompted Coach Paul Chryst to suspend Clement. Now Clement was trying to make amends, a process that began with a date opposite LSU and its elite defense.

Revolving Door

LSU is one of the premier programs in the country, but with great expectations comes a lot of pressure. That explains why Les Miles, who had coached the Tigers since 2005 — winning a national title in 2007 — was on the hot seat after nine wins in 2014 and eight in 2015. A slow start, losses in two of its first four games, resulted in LSU becoming one of the 25 Wisconsin opponents that has changed head coaches since Chryst took over in 2015. The interim coach that season was Ed Orgeron, who led the Tigers to the national title last year.

In Depth

One of the most intriguing units coming into the season for the Badgers was at linebacker, where youth and potential reigned. Senior outside backer Vince Biegel had started 28 games and sophomore inside backer T.J. Edwards 13, but then there was a drop-off to inside backers Chris Orr, a sophomore, and junior Jack Cichy with six and four starts, respectively. The LSU game was the first career start for junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt, while backups Zach Baun, a redshirt freshman outside backer, sophomore inside backer Ryan Connelly and junior outside backer Garret Dooley had zero starts between them. Injuries have a way of testing that depth — Edwards missedout the LSU game recovering from a foot injury — as does a quality opponent.