When the Arizona Wildcats (2-1 overall) came to Camp Randall last Saturday, there were definite points of focus on both sides of the ball for both teams. Most notable was the highly touted Arizona offensive attack, thanks to senior quarterback Jason Johnson and junior running back Clarence Farmer.
However, the most telling aspect of the game was arguably the most overlooked. As it is many times, both teams' performance on special teams played an integral part in the Badgers' 31-10 victory over the Wildcats.
With the Badgers leading 7-0 in the second quarter, junior linebacker Alex Lewis was able to penetrate through the Arizona line and get a hand on punter Danny Baugher's punt. Senior special teams player David Braun recovered the blocked punt at the Arizona five yard line and brought it two yards to the three.
\Alex gets a lot of pressure when you send a block,"" Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez said. ""We brought the sprinters from outside in, so they had to double-count. He was one-on-one with the long snapper and we felt that he could beat him.""
That was all the work that the offense needed as sophomore running back Anthony Davis plowed his way into the end zone for a 14-0 lead on the next play.
Lewis also had a big day on the defensive side of the ball for Wisconsin. In only his third start for the Badgers, Lewis finished second on the team in tackles with 10, of which six were solo tackles and two of those were tackles for losses.
Another big play for the Badgers came late in the second quarter, with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Sophomore return specialist Jim Leonard returned an Arizona punt 31 yards, giving Wisconsin excellent field position, which allowed them to march down the field and led to a 32-yard field goal by Scott Campbell, his only attempt of the day. Campbell's field goal made the lead 24-0 going into halftime and dashed any Wildcat hopes of a second half come back.
""Today we came out and played really well on special teams,"" Leonard said. ""We feel real good going into the Big Ten season with the way our special teams have been going.""
Possibly the most important performance out of any special teams player was not Lewis' blocked punt nor Leonard's return. Instead, it was the consistency of sophomore punter R.J. Morse. Morse had a huge game and pinned the Wildcat offense deep in their zone numerous times, including three punts that were downed inside the 15-yard line.
Although Morse only averaged 36.3 yards per punt, his ability to keep the Wildcats backed up was crucial in controlling field position. And, as every Badger fan knows, as long as ""Barry Ball"" is here in Madison, field position will be as crucial as almost any other aspect of the game.
It proved to be true on Saturday as Arizona's offense, especially senior quarterback Jason Johnson, was unable to get into a rhythm and remained inconsistent throughout the Badger victory. The field position also helped the Badgers contain running back Clarence Farmer, as aside from one big run, Farmer was somewhat of a nonfactor.
""That was big,"" Bollinger said. ""Especially when you have a lead like that, not letting them eke their way back into it.\
