Wolverine Watch: Moving On Madison With Malice
Some say Michigan football captain Ben Bredeson is heading home this weekend. He begs to differ.
“Michigan’s my home,” the senior guard offered. “This place is special to me. I definitely belong here.”
The two-time captain flashed glimpses of how suited he was for the winged helmet at Wisconsin’s Hartland High. It was there, according to John U. Bacon’s new book, “Overtime,” that he demonstrated he could qualify as a Wolverine.
Bredeson labored academically under one teacher who matriculated from Ohio State.
“He kept bringing up the Buckeyes all the time, and it kind of made me angry,” Bredeson said. “Even Badgers hate Buckeyes. Ohio State fans bother me.”
In the civilized world, of course, that’s akin to saying torturing puppies bothers one. But it showed he was on the right path, one that led him to Ann Arbor and now back to Wisconsin, for one of the biggest football games of his life.
Win against the 13th-ranked Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium and wipe out all the negative talk following a turnover-filled fortnight to begin the season. Win and inject rocket fuel into the effort to capture a Big Ten title.
Lose, and face a massive uphill climb, with Iowa, at Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State as major challenges still ahead.
Of course, winning is easier said than done in Camp Randall. It hasn’t happened for U-M since 2001, when Michigan’s freshmen were in diapers.
The Wolverines dodged a whiskey-colored bullet when FOX grabbed this contest for a featured midday start. Had it been a night game, the locals would have been jumping around with supreme vigor.
Even so, a fan base fueled by cheese curds and chagrin over last year’s 38-13 humbling inside The Big House will be gulping vengeance for breakfast and hoping to feast on roasted Wolverine for lunch.
“I always found those games fun, where you get to go to the venues that are so passionate about their own teams,” Bredeson said. “Even if it’s loud against you, it’s energy, and you can feed off it.”
Michigan can’t allow the Badgers to feed off mistakes. Put the ball on the turf three times in the first half, and the Wolverines will be eaten alive. Drop passes, commit foolish penalties and the explosiveness Jim Harbaugh’s team dreams of will blow up in its face.
Bredeson stands ready to welcome back All-Big Ten tackle Jon Runyan Jr., who missed the opening two games with injury. Together, they form a formidable left side of Michigan’s offensive line.
“He and I just know everything the other is going to do,” Bredeson said. “There’s that almost telepathic sense of it, just from being next to him for so long.
“He’s got that experience level for a Big Ten road game that we’re about to go into. It will be nice getting Jon back. I’m excited for that.”
Harbaugh’s crew will need experience, toughness and the ability to corral Wisconsin’s All-American running back Jonathan Taylor. Two years ago, the Wolverines led Wisconsin midway through the third quarter, 10-7.
U-M had largely bottled up Taylor. But as Michigan’s offense went nowhere, the Badgers just stayed with the battering ram. They finally knocked the door down, scoring the game’s final 17 points. Taylor wound up with 132 yards on the ground and the go-ahead, 24-yard touchdown catch.
As much as Michigan talks about a “speed in space” offense, Michigan-Wisconsin often comes down to beef in a blender. Bredeson wouldn’t mind experiencing that again.
“Definitely last year, we won the battle in the trenches,” he said. “It’s one of those games I always look forward to. Speed is a very important part of the game. But as an offensive lineman, you always love the smash-mouth games — us versus them, and see who can win the line of scrimmage.
“Obviously, the hometown factor for this game, for myself, is always a big thing, but I love the style of play these teams bring to it. They always bring that attitude and toughness with them. It’s up to us to match it and exceed it.”
Do so, and it sets a tone for everything that follows. Fall short, and there’s still time to recover, but the fan wagon might prove as lonely as it did last year following an early stumble at Notre Dame.
Bredeson knows this much. He’s throwing everything he’s got at the Badgers, regardless of the outcome, and then he’ll return home.
“By the time I’m done here, in December, I’ll have graduated, I’ll have played four years here at Michigan with the best friends I could have,” he reflected. “I was able to take three trips overseas, to two different continents.
“The things I’ve been able to do here were unimaginable when I was 17, making this decision … I absolutely love this. I love this place, I love this team. I love everything college football has to offer. I’m enjoying every single second of it.”
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