Scott Tolzien is the Man

The two biggest roadblocks on the Wisconsin Badgers’ schedule heading into this season were going to be, without question, the Ohio State and Iowa games. The consecutive tests loomed large after the results of that two-game stretch in 2009.

Now, after the dust has settled, the Badgers can reflect on two monumental victories with pride and satisfaction. A definite reason for their success in the two contests was the play of senior quarterback Scott Tolzien.

Just one season ago, the story was completely different when the Badgers suffered two crippling defeats in consecutive weeks at the hands of the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes.

In the two losses — the first a 31-13 defeat in Columbus and the second a 20-10 disappointment against the Hawkeyes at Camp Randall — Tolzien went a combined 42-70 for 393 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions.

“As a competitor, you’re frustrated by having performances like that, but it’s just motivation to get better in the offseason and throughout camp, and in the season, you want to maximize each opportunity you get,” Tolzien said.

But in 2010 against those teams, he completed 33 of 42 attempts for 357 yards with one touchdown and only two interceptions.

“It’s important that you have a short memory as a quarterback,” Tolzien said. “It’s really how you respond that makes a difference.”

Despite the stark contrast in statistics against the two opponents over the past two seasons, there is no magic formula for success that Tolzien followed — the Badgers have just produced higher-quality games.

In the Ohio State game last season, Tolzien threw two passes that were intercepted and returned for touchdowns. In the 2009 Iowa game, one of his three interceptions led directly to a touchdown for the Hawkeyes in a game Iowa won by merely 10 points.

“The big thing for me, individually, is you see what a big difference turning the ball over makes,” Tolzien said. “You see how that kills the momentum and really puts you in a hole.”

Beyond that, Tolzien simply attributed this season’s success against the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes to better team performance.

Another key factor is the difference in quality of protection Tolzien received over the two seasons. Against Ohio State and Iowa last season, he was sacked a combined 10 times. This year, he was sacked just once total in the two games.

“I would have to say protection,” senior left guard John Moffitt offered in explanation for Tolzien’s improved play. “On top of that, Scott’s a good quarterback. He knows what he’s doing out there and makes the right decisions and executes the right way.”

All other considerations aside, the value of experience and maturation can’t be understated.

“He’s a year older,” offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. “He’s just a different quarterback. He continues to improve and when he has opportunities he makes the most of them. Scott’s tremendous at continuing to learn the game. It’s not just those losses that help him; it’s everything that he experiences, from practice to games.”

A final factor that impacted Tolzien’s performance was the play of the Badgers’ receivers. Senior receiver Isaac Anderson noted that the receivers exhibited less chemistry last season in the two games compared to this season.

“Last year in the Ohio State game, we weren’t on the same page as far as running our routes,” Anderson said. “That wasn’t Scott’s fault…as receivers, we have to be there for him; when he’s putting trust in us and throwing the ball out there, we’ve got to make plays.”

According to Tolzien, it wasn’t just his performance that helped to make this year’s games against the Big Ten’s top teams Badger wins.

“I think we flat-out executed better,” Tolzien said. “I think a little bit of that is experience. But I think it’s just playing better on Saturday.”

Lets hope that the Badgers can continue recruiting QBs that will make a difference.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tolzien on watch list

University of Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien has been named to a number of preseason watch lists for college football awards.
The returning starter, coming off a junior season in which he led the Big Ten Conference in passing efficiency, was tabbed for watch lists for the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Manning Award.
The Davey O'Brien Award is the nation's oldest quarterback honor. The Manning Award, presented by the Sugar Bowl, was created prior to the 2004 season and also seeks to recognize the nation's top quarterback.
The Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior quarterback.
Tolzien was named to the Big Ten coaches' All-Conference honorable mention team. A surprise starter coming out of fall camp, the Rolling Meadows, Ill., native started all 13 games, leading the Badgers to a 10-3 record and a victory in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Tolzien threw for 2,705 yards, the second-best total in UW history, while his 211 completions set a new school record. His passing efficiency rating of 143.0 was the third-best mark in school history. It is great to see a Badger quaterback receive the credit he deserves. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!

Badger Football has high expectations

There was the anticipation during spring practice in April that the University of Wisconsin would be getting some national recognition in June when the college football preview magazines went on sale.
When starting quarterback Scott Tolzien was asked about the prospect of lofty expectations for the 2010 Badgers, he said, “The key is to block it out and that’s a hard thing to do when you’ve got guys reading the magazines.”
Here’s a sampling of what they might read:
Lindy’s has Wisconsin ranked No. 6 in the nation in its preseason poll behind Alabama, Boise State, Ohio State, Texas and Florida.
The Sporting News has the Badgers at No. 8; one slot behind Nebraska, which will join the Big Ten in 2011.
Athlon’s has Wisconsin at No. 16, while Phil Steele has the UW at No. 23.
These four publications agree on one thing: Ohio State is definitely the team to beat in the Big Ten.
Lindy’s and The Sporting News have the Badgers finishing second behind the Buckeyes.
Athlon’s has Wisconsin third behind Ohio State and Iowa, while Steele has the Badgers tabbed for fourth behind the Buckeyes, Hawkeyes and Penn State.
I am going to the homecoming game against Minnesota. I just ordered my tickets online. I hope the Badgers are undefeated when I go to the game. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Football Flop

Kickoffs were nonexistent, some scores counted for double and the quarterbacks looked more prepared for a Christmas party than a football game, wearing green practice jerseys over their cardinal or white jerseys.
Yes, Saturday’s spring game was just that — a spring game. However, despite the final score reading 33-11 in favor of the Cardinal (first team plus key reserves), very few Badgers were happy with the day’s offensive production.
“We need to be better than that in the fall,” starting quarterback Scott Tolzien said. “It’s good for us to have a setback like that, as long as we use it to our advantage to realize that there’s a sense of urgency here and we gotta have a great offseason to move forward.”
While the negative attitude may seem exaggerated given the date of the game, both the Cardinal and White squads had lackluster days on the offensive end, particularly in the red zone.
Starting at the 30-yard-line to prevent injuries on kickoffs, the Cardinal managed only two field goals on its first two drives and ended the first quarter up 6-0.
In the second, Tolzien led the first teamers down the field for a touchdown on a two-yard Montee Ball touchdown run. The sophomore was starting in place of John Clay, who has been held out of all spring practices after offseason ankle surgery.
“I feel that we got beat on the line of scrimmage. I feel like I could have made better reads too,” Ball said. “I got a lot of work to do and I’m taking pride in it over the summer.”
The Cardinal would score again shortly before halftime, this time on a seven-yard run by Ball. The first team managed only five more points in the second half, though, three on another Philip Welch field goal and two on a safety.

Lets hope with all the returning starters that the Badgers can turn it around come fall. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott Tolzien is gaining confidence

With the eyes of Wisconsin sports fans fixated on this weekend’s NCAA basketball tournament and WCHA playoffs, senior quarterback Scott Tolzien and the Wisconsin football team quietly began their spring practices this week.
After last year’s hectic spring and fall practices which saw Tolzien emerge from relative anonymity to claim the starting quarterback job, the quiet is more than welcome. This year’s practices will be more about building off the team’s success in 2009 rather than finding replacements for departed seniors, with nine of 11 starters returning for the Badger offense. For Tolzien, the spring practices will also be about building on his new role as a team leader.
“I think with the role I had last year on the team and all the starts I got, I need to bring a little more leadership to the table because guys are looking for me to make plays, so I have to lead by example but also be more vocal too,” Tolzien said.
And with leadership comes confidence. Having a full season under his belt in which he completed 64 percent of his passes and led the Badgers to a 10-3 record, including a victory over the heavily-favored Miami Hurricanes in the Champs Sports Bowl, will certainly command increased respect in the locker room for Tolzien.
But also having a full offseason to focus on orchestrating the Badger offense to perfection and not worrying about beating two other players for a starting position, as he did before last season, will be a major boon for the junior signal caller.
“I’ve always been big on coming in and working hard every day and I don’t think anything changes this year,” Tolzien said. “I’ve got one more season left and it’s up to me to maximize that.”
After watching Tolzien through the first three practices of the spring, junior receiver Nick Toon said he is already noticing the results of Tolzien’s offseason work.
“Confidence is the first thing that comes to mind,” Toon said. “[Tolzien] is 100 times more confident, I think he’s developing a nice swagger in the pocket, and that’s definitely going to carry over into the season.”
It certainly helps that Wisconsin is returning a bona fide starting quarterback for the first time since 2006, eliminating the need for skill players and offensive lineman to acclimate themselves to a new quarterback’s style. Senior wide receiver Isaac Anderson attested to that benefit, saying this offseason gave him and Tolzien a chance to become more familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses by watching film and working out together.
Tolzien echoed Anderson on the importance of continuing to build team chemistry this offseason, which he said started in a much more festive mood than last year because of the bowl game victory.
“I think you can hit the ground running and you have a better taste in your mouth rather than a bitter taste after the Florida State game [in 2008],” Tolzien said. “But at the same time, this program is built on hard work and we’ve just got to keep up with that.”
Tolzien and Wisconsin have plenty of hard work to put in before their September 4 season opener at UNLV, but with an abundance of returning starters under the leadership of an experienced starting quarterback, they’re already off to a great start.
The Badgers should have a solid squad this year and hopefully a BCS Bowl. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!

Badgers Beat Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl

The game plan was simple: play tough physical football, control the clock and leave the Champs Sports Bowl with a win and a 10-3 season.
That’s exactly what the Wisconsin Badgers did Tuesday night, dominating the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes 20-14 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Considering it was essentially home game for Miami, the result was especially impressive on a cold night in Orlando.
“What you have to understand a little bit with Wisconsin is we kind of take a boxer’s mentality offensively,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “Wear you out, wear you out, throw the body punches. Eventually that cumulative effect will be a ‘W,’ and that was what was able to happen.”
After just 23 seconds, however, the game appeared to be headed in a different direction.
On the game’s opening kickoff, Miami’s Graig Cooper took the ball back 84 yards to the Wisconsin 6-yard line. Following a 10-yard penalty for an illegal block in the back, Cooper took the ball outside for 16 yards and the score, putting the Hurricanes up 7-0 early.
The game’s final 59:37 was all Wisconsin, though.
Behind quarterback Scott Tolzien and running back John Clay, the Badgers did exactly what Bielema wanted them to do: they wore Miami down until they were unable to stop the UW rushing attack.
Clay, who was named the game’s MVP by the media, finished with 121 yards rushing on 22 carries and a pair of touchdowns despite missing significant portions of the second half due to injury.
Tolzien, a junior who surprised many people when he earned the starting role in fall camp, was poised and effective, passing for 260 yards while completing 19 of 26 attempts. He did have one turnover, an interception in the second quarter, but the Wisconsin defense backed him up as Miami lost 19 yards on the drive and punted after going three-and-out.
After the game, Tolzien credited his strong performance to his development throughout the 2009 season.
It was great to see the Badgers get a 10 win season, not only for the existing players but also for recruiting. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers VS Miami Champs Sports Bowl 2009 Orlando Florida December 29th

It's official. It will be Wisconsin Badgers VS Miami Hurricanes, Champs Sports Bowl, December 29th 2009. The Badgers will bring their solid run game to Orlando Florida. Miami is better known for their passing attack.

Nick Toon, Scott Tolzien, John Clay all need to bring their "A" game. The crowd will be loud, and decked out in Miami colors. Rest assured, Wisconsin Badgers fans will make the trip, and represent our state, but Miami fans have to drive just a few hours to the Florida Citrus Bowl stadium.