Chryst inspires with passionate speech
MADISON – Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst never will be confused with Jim Harbaugh, his counterpart at Michigan.
Harbaugh on the sideline appears as if he overdosed on caffeine.
Chryst appears as if he took too many sleeping pills.
Yet according to several UW players, Chryst delivered a blunt, passionate halftime speech with UW and Utah State tied during the Badgers' opener Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.
“Coach Chryst gave us a little speech, got us pumped up (and) told us what we needed to hear,” safety D’Cota Dixon said after UW scored 59 consecutive points in the 5910 victory. “We just came out and executed.”
A speech by the softspoken Chryst inspired the players?
“I always describe coach Chryst as a dad away from home,” Dixon said. “He is just the same guy. He is very smooth, very calm, very collected." But? “But,” Dixon said, smiling, “as a father would when the child needs to be disciplined and he needs to be talked to he will discipline us.
“He just honestly told us the truth. We were beating ourselves. He gave us a wake-up call.”
Honoring dad: Sophomore wide receiver Quintez Cephus likely won’t forget his first touchdown.
Cephus was covered tightly down the right sideline but adjusted nicely to a back-shoulder throw from Alex Hornibrook for a 21-yard score in the final minute of the third quarter.
Cephus celebrated in the end zone and then pointed to the sky, a gesture to his father, who was shot to death last spring.
“It was a lot of buildup coming out here after my dad passed,” he said. “I was just thinking about my dad. To succeed for my dad, that’s special to me . ...
"I know they all want to see me do well, and they've had my back through this whole thing. I know they're with me and they always rally around me when I need them."
Honoring Cichy: Senior tight end Troy Fumagalli switched his uniform to 48 from 81 for the opener.
He did so to honor inside linebacker Jack Cichy, who will miss the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Cichy watched the game from the coaches’ box as Fumagalli caught five passes for a college-high 105 yards and a touchdown.
"Jack means the world to this team,” Fumagalli said. “He's a vocal leader, he’s played a lot of foot- ball, so just any way I can respect him.”
Davis earns praise: Freshman wide receiver Danny Davis did not record a catch in his first college game.
Nevertheless, he made two huge plays that contributed to UW touchdowns and impressed his coaches and teammates.
The first came on Zander Neuville’s 28-yard touchdown catch, Neuville’s first catch overall.
Davis was downfield when Neuville caught the ball just past the line of scrimmage, in the left flat.
Davis turned and engaged one Utah State defender. He continued to strain toward the sideline and blocked the first defender into two other defenders, allowing Neuville to sneak down the sideline and into the end zone.
“Coach always says when somebody catches the ball, go find work,” Davis explained. “I seen the corner and the safety. I just tried to create some contact, tried to make the best block I can.”
It appeared as many UW players celebrated with Davis as with Neuville.
“It felt good,” Davis said. “It felt like I scored.”
UW on its next series faced third and 6 from the Utah State 28 when Hornibrook threw deep down the right side to Davis. Cornerback Wesley Bailey appeared to have inside position but Davis located the ball, fought to the inside and drew a pass-interference call.
Jonathan Taylor scored on a 13-yard run on the next play.
“He was going to attack the ball and that's what he does,” Chryst said of Davis. “It would have been nice for him to get one and he'll have opportunities.”
Critical ejection: Utah State lost senior cornerback Jalen Davis in the opening minute of the second quarter on a targeting call.
Cephus was open along the sideline when Davis sprinted from the middle of the field to break up the pass. Cephus never got his hands on the ball but Davis hit the receiver in the helmet, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Extra points: UW reserve safety Patrick Johnson appeared to suffer a left-shoulder injury on kickoff coverage late in the first half. He left the game and did not return. …
Jon Dietzen and Micah Kapoi split time at left guard. Kapoi got the start and the pair alternated series in the opening half. Dietzen played the majority of the second half, however . ...
UW has outscored its foes by a combined 25323 in the last five home openers . ...
The Badgers won their 38th consecutive nonconference home game, dating to a 23-5 loss to Nevada-Las Vegas in 2003 . ...
UW forced four turnovers - three interceptions and a fumble. The Badgers converted those turnovers into 24 points.