Forgetting who you are

The 2011 Rose Bowl, Wisconsin has a running back named John “The Hammer” Clay.  John Clay came into the season on the watch list for every running back award, he was a Heisman candidate until and MCL injury sidelined him for three games and took him out of the running.  Clay was one of the three best running backs in the country, and he played for a team that had running in its blood.

Wisconsin has a stable of running backs, but at 7:34 remaining in the Rose Bowl with the ball at their own 23 Bielema went to Clay.  Bielema knew exactly who is team was, he knew exactly who is best player was, and Clay went up the gut for 14.

The very next play, Bielema still knows exactly who he is. Clay up the gut for 30, he has 43 yards in two carries.

The badgers burn a timeout.

Enter a young Montee Ball, Clay is still struggling with the injury, and he gets a sweep to the outside and picks up nothing.

Montee gets four, up the gut.

Scott Tolzien completes an 11 year pass to move to sticks.

Clay goes up the gut for 5.

Clay goes up the gut for another 5 yards.

Third and inches, they give it to John Clay who hammers it up the gut for the conversion.

In the first half Clay had 12 yards on 4 carries, at this point in the second he has 60 yards on 6 carries.  TCU hasn’t stopped a single power run from Wisconsin.  The senior is a man playing possessed; he is carrying his team to the promise land.  If Wisconsin wins they will win behind Clay, if Wisconsin loses they should lose with Clay holding the ball.

 Wisconsin has 8 yards to go and 2:51 on the clock.  Clay takes them to the 3 yard line, up the gut.

Montee Ball gets the edge and scores a touchdown for Wisconsin.  They are now down 2, with 2:00 on the clock.  Wisconsin lines up for the 2 point conversion, they have a fresh John Clay, everyone in the house knows what’s coming except for Bielema.  In this moment, with the chips on the table, Bielema forgets who Wisconsin is and he lets Scott Tolzien throw the football right into the defensive line.  They didn’t even set up a play action; they went for a shotgun set pass.

I still can’t believe it.  I probably never will get over it.  You have a guy named the hammer and you’re going to throw it for two yards?  Why didn’t they run?  Why didn’t they trust in who they were?  Nothing bothers me more than when a team forgets who they are and tries to be cute.  Why do teams do this?  If you’re a power run team, then you need to be a power run game in crunch time.