Minneapolis, Minn. - Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda doesn’t crack. Even among the most torrid of situations, Aranda remains even-keeled and calm, always focused on fine-tuning a defensive unit that has established itself as one of the best in the country. However, when his defense forces turnovers, which is the focal point of his coaching philosophy, he lets himself enjoy the moment.
“I think it depends,” senior linebacker Joe Schobert said of Aranda’s demeanor after turnovers. “Sometimes when it’s a pivotal moment he’ll be yelling ‘good job,’ and stuff. He doesn’t get too over the top, but he’ll start yelling and being excited and that just pumps up the whole defense when you see him like that. So [we] just keep playing so you can see him do that stuff again.”
Seeing their coach break out of his perpetually stoic disposition probably wasn’t the primary driver of the Badgers’ season-high five turnovers against Minnesota, but it definitely didn’t hurt. Going into Saturday’s Border Battle in Minneapolis, Minn., Wisconsin had notched 15 takeaways (seven fumbles, eight interceptions) which, in conjunction with its struggling offense, was good for a minus-two turnover margin, tied for the fourth-worst mark in the Big Ten.
Aranda’s emphasis throughout the season has been on improving that ratio.
“Going into every week, coach Aranda, he comes in with his game plan, the keys to win,” redshirt senior cornerback Darius Hillary, who had two fumble recoveries Saturday, said. “Usually we talk about getting three or more turnovers per game and I think we came out and did just that today, so I’m really proud of all the guys.”
“Stopping the run first and foremost,” Hillary continued. “Winning third down, creating takeaways, just being able to tackle, those are some of the things he generally looks for during game week.”
Hillary took advantage of Minnesota mistakes on two consecutive drives. His first fumble recovery in the second quarter, forced by Schobert, who popped the ball out of redshirt junior quarterback Mitch Leidner’s hands and into the air, set up redshirt freshman running back Taiwan Deal’s 13-yard touchdown run to put Wisconsin up, 21-14.
Senior safety Michael Caputo forced another fumble on Minnesota’s subsequent drive, which Hillary scooped up at the Gophers’ 30-yard line. Six plays later, redshirt junior running back Dare Ogunbowale broke off an 18-yard touchdown run that made it a two-score game.
“Our defense has been playing lights out, they’ve been getting turnovers left and right, especially today,” redshirt senior tackle Tyler Marz said. “That’s fun when you’re sitting on the bench. All of a sudden, they get a pick or there’s a fumble, and you’re running out there, and then you go score again too.”
With the exception of redshirt senior safety Tanner McEvoy’s two fourth-quarter interceptions, one of which allowed Wisconsin to take a knee to run out the clock, all of UW’s turnovers led to a score on the other end.
Schobert nearly generated points on his own, as he returned his third-quarter interception 48 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back by a targeting penalty against redshirt sophomore linebacker Jack Cichy, who was tossed from the game. The interception, which was Schobert’s first of his career, was forced by redshirt sophomore linebacker T.J. Watt, who tipped Leidner’s pass high in the air after he was pressured by Cichy into a quick throw.
Watt, who has bounced between defensive end and outside linebacker, which is nearly synonymous in Aranda’s system, was pleased that his work manifested itself in such a noticeable fashion Saturday.
“It’s definitely a steep learning curve at first, but after a while, as each game progresses, it’s gotten a lot better,” Watt said. “Starting to feel more comfortable, trying to contribute more and more each game.”
Caputo, a team captain and one of the more outwardly emotional players on the Wisconsin defense, stressed that although the defense played well in last week’s loss to Northwestern, the ingredient it couldn’t quite get its hands on were turnovers. That self-evaluation feels harsh given that the Badgers ceded just 209 yards of total offense to the Wildcats, but that’s how this defense operates.
“We knew that coming into this game we had to cause turnovers one way or another,” Caputo said. “That’s what we determined last week would have made the difference. So this week we made an emphasis to cause turnovers and we came out and we did it. We knew the scheme of things and how Minnesota played and how their players played, and I think we capitalized on a couple [mistakes].”
Last season, Wisconsin finished fourth in the nation in total defense, but it had a minus-nine turnover ratio, getting just two takeaways in its final four games.
Down the stretch this season, UW has picked up eight turnovers over its last four games, and it again is fourth in total defense nationally.
Wisconsin’s five turnovers Saturday, the most it has had since five takeaways against Nebraska in mid-November last season, showed Aranda has improved on an already dominant defensive model he had in place last season. The balance UW has struck between making game-altering plays and establishing consistency from play to play has made it one of the strongest units in college football. If that’s not enough to make Aranda crack a smile, it’s difficult to imagine what will.
