For Wisconsin’s Bielema, Tough Times Become Motivators to Success

While reflecting on an upbringing filled with callused hands, early wake-up calls and a don’t-skip-a-day work ethic that helped mold him into one of the country’s top young coaches, Bielema, 41, also recalled one of the defining moments of his formative years.

While he was a student at Iowa, only hours after the Hawkeyes beat Michigan in 1990 to help propel them to the Rose Bowl, Bielema found out that his 27-year-old sister, Betsy, had died while doing charity work with underprivileged children in the Seattle area. A snake darted from under a rock and spooked a horse, which threw Betsy, who landed on her head.

Since that day, games against Michigan have always carried extra meaning for Bielema. Last year, Bielema told his team before the Michigan game that everyone deals with demons, but “how you handle those things really define you.”

Bielema did not mention his sister, but after the Badgers won, 48-28, the Wisconsin senior defensive back Aaron Henry approached Bielema and said, “Your sister is watching, Coach.”

Tears welled in Bielema’s eyes while he reflected on Henry’s gesture.

“I got caught up in the moment,” he said. “After we had just beat Michigan like we did. Wow.”

When No. 4 Wisconsin plays No. 15 Michigan State in the marquee game of Saturday’s college football schedule, there will also be a reminder on the opposite sideline of that dark time.

The Michigan State defensive line coach Ted Gill held the same job at Iowa in 1990 and was the one who delivered the news of Betsy’s death to Bielema on that Saturday night.

“I went over to the dorm and everyone was still on the high from beating Michigan,” Gill said. “When I told him what happened, we went from one extreme to another.”

Bielema is still grateful that four of his closest friends, all of whom will be groomsmen in his wedding, met him at the Iowa football facility that night and rode home with him. One, Chris Greene, stayed with Bielema for a week, through all the services for his sister.

Betsy’s death forever bonded Bielema and the teammates who helped him through it. It also further strengthened his resolve.

“That probably did go a ways in terms of making him feel like, I’m going to wake up and go to work today,” Greene said. “Life is precious and can end unexpectedly. He’s not going to waste the opportunity he’s been given. And as much as anyone, Betsy is one of the ones he would have wanted to disappoint the least.”

Bielema’s response to his sister’s death accentuated the relentless mentality forged while growing up on a hog farm in a town, Prophetstown, Ill., where the Bielema family’s 2,500 pigs outnumbered the human population of 1,800.

Bielema woke up before sunrise every weekday, primarily saddled with the task of cleaning out the hog pens. He would wake at 7 a.m. on Saturdays to work while his friends spent leisurely days at the mall. Family vacations were nonexistent; Bielema said the only traveling he did was to a pig show in Minneapolis and a few bus trips to the Six Flags amusement park in a Chicago suburb.

“That was a big deal,” he said. “I’d never been on a plane until I went to the Peach Bowl my freshman year at Iowa.”

For Bielema, football became a joyous escape from the monotony of farm life. He chose to be a walk-on at Iowa instead of going to a Division III college but finished his career as a scholarship player and a team captain.

Bielema, Greene and Paul Kujawa got Hawkeye tattoos after all three earned scholarships, a pact they made early in their careers. The tattoo is a humorous talking point every time Wisconsin plays Iowa, and Bielema likes to note that he was born at Illini Hospital in Silvis, Ill., giving him two awkward ties to Big Ten rivals.

View the original article here

When did Garrard's back become an issue?

David Garrard will not re-emerge in Oakland or anywhere else this season. He told Chris Mortensen he’s got a herniated disc and will soon schedule back surgery. GarrardGarrard missed some time in the preseason with back problems.

It’s unclear when the injury became an issue that needs surgery, but it’s a bizarre twist for the quarterback who was let go by the Jaguars just before the regular season started.

The indication when he didn’t land in Miami after Chad Henne's injury was that he was not satisfied with the role offered or the lack of guaranteed money. He clarified his rationale for passing up the Dolphins in a conversation with Mortensen.

In that interview on Oct. 9, Garrard told Mortensen: “Here's the bottom line: I'm staying in shape. I'm taking care of my body, my legs, my arm -- I'm having regular massage treatments. I'm ready to play. I'm ready for the right opportunity.”

That would suggest he had no disc problem eight days ago. Or that he had one he was hoping would settle down, one that could have been a factor in his dealings with the Dolphins.

View the original article here

Oregon wants to become road warriors

Oregon coach Chip Kelly recently groused about how hard it is to get elite teams to sign a home-and-home series with his Ducks. While money, as it often is in college football, is an issue, the biggest reason is teams don't want to get their butts kicked. Kelly's crew has won 18 in a row at home, last losing to Boise State on Sept. 20, 2008.

So when you ask Kelly about what he's learned about his team during a pair of home blowouts after it lost to LSU in Cowboys Stadium, he doesn't make any sweeping pronouncements of newfound skill, confidence or maturity.

"We're a good team at home," he said. "What we've got to learn now is how do we play on the road?"

[+] Enlarge Matthew Emmons/US PresswireChip Kelly's Oregon squad will try to regain their momentum by beating Arizona on the road Saturday.That's a fair point. Though Oregon has lost only five games over the past two-plus seasons, each has been outside the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium.

And the numbers show a decided difference, too. The Ducks averaged 59 points at home last season and 36.7 points on the road. They averaged 41.6 points at home in 2009 and 29.7 point on the road. On defense, the Ducks held foes to 14.8 points at home in 2010 and 22.0 points on the road. In 2009, it was 20.4 at home and 27.7 on the road.

Of course, every team is better at home, and the quality of the home and road schedules matter. But when your team is trying to join the super-elite, those are numbers coaches notice and point out to players. For example, Auburn last season played better defense on the road, and averaged 45.8 points at home and 36.3 points on the road. In 2009, Alabama averaged 32.7 points at home and 31.4 points on the road. Those are the last two national champions.

So Kelly wants his team to take its A-game -- its Autzen-game -- to Tucson to face reeling Arizona.

Speaking of the Wildcats, a lot has been made of their seven-game losing streak to FBS foes. No one likes a seven-game losing streak.

But some perspective, folks. Four of those games were against top seven-ranked foes, and a fifth was against an Oklahoma State squad that finished 2010 ranked 13th. The Ducks will be the Wildcats third top-10 opponent in three weeks.

"This has been a perfect storm and we've got to weather it," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops (a visit to No. 23 USC is next, by the way).

Further, Stoops is a defensive coach. His most infamous sideline frowns and gesticulations come when his defense is not doing what he wants it to do. And that's been happening a lot of late, seeing that his defense ranks 111th in the nation.

Oregon, by the way, will be bringing the nation's No. 6 offense, the third consecutive top-20 offense the Wildcats will have faced, which is also a good reason the defense has looked so lousy. You might be surprised, however, that the fiery Stoops has become philosophical, preaching the power of positive thinking and learning from adversity.

"You have to look at where it's exposing our weak areas, where we have to get better," he said.

Stoops then is probably noting his run game, which ranks 116th in the nation with an anemic 55.7 yards per game. The Ducks defensive weakness, at least thus far, has been against the run, see 214.3 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the Pac-12. So that's an interesting weakness-on-weakness matchup.

It's more likely, though, this one will come down to a showdown of strength on strength: Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles versus a good Oregon pass defense, which ranks No. 1 in the conference.

Kelly is a big fan of Foles.

"I think Nick is one of the top quarterbacks in the country, not only in this conference," he said. "I don't think he gets nearly enough credit."

Of course, we could have another barn burner. The last time the Ducks visited in 2009, they won a thrilling 44-41 decision in double-overtime, a game that it looked like the Wildcats had in the bag. Until they didn't.

"I remember Jeremiah Masoli just running around making plays," Stoops said. "He made some incredible plays down the stretch. We couldn't come up with that last play to win the game."

Oregon doesn't want that. It wants to come in a take care of business -- like Stanford did in Tucson last weekend -- and look like a team that shouldn't yet be written out of national title contention.

Stoops' team is just trying to weather the storm. But he sees "speed everywhere" with Oregon. And he knows no team brings an offensive maelstrom like the Ducks.

View the original article here