Bielema’s Badgers Roll Past Falcons » Brats & Beer

September 3, 2006
posted under: Badgers football

The UW Badgers opened their 2006 campaign with a big win for first year head coach Bret Beilema, rolling past Bowling Green 35-14 last night. Some questions surrounding this team were answered in the debut win and others were left to be pondered, but overall it was a good way to start the season.

One question on everyone’s mind this summer has been the Wisconsin running game, and PJ Hill may have provided the answer. The redshirt freshman rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, picking up right where Brian Calhoun left off last year. John Stocco also eased the minds of many Badger fans by making a swift recovery from knee surgery to start in the season opener. He threw for 124 yards and a score, and also rushed in for another touchdown from one yard out at the end of the first half.

The defense, though, appears to still be something of a work in progress. The Badgers gave up 299 yards to the Falcons, including 217 yards on the ground. Most of that came from quarterback Freddie Barnes, who rushed for 150 yards on 29 carries. Fortunately, though, the freshman, pressed into service to replace starter Anthony Turner during his one-game suspension for pot possession, could not carry the team the entire game. Still, coach Bielema and defensive coordinator Hank Hankwitz need to find some solutions for the defense, otherwise this could be a long season once the Big 10 games start.