Ready to go: Three defenders are healthy after missing 2016 title game.
MADISON - Defensive linemen Alec James and Conor Sheehy and linebacker Chris Orr didn’t care for their view of the 2016 Big Ten football title game.
The trio spent the night on the Wisconsin sideline as Penn State rallied for a 38-31 victory.
“Lot of hurt, lot of pain,” Orr said this week when asked what he recalled seeing in the UW locker room after the Badgers blew a 28-7 lead. “Just seeing the pain in some of my teammates’ eyes. Seniors hurting. Just looking in their eyes and me feeling hurt for them. I most definitely still remember that feeling.”
James missed the game because of a high-ankle sprain. Sheehy had a broken arm and Orr had been out since suffering a season-ending knee injury in the opener against LSU.
The absence of James and Sheehy affected Wisconsin’s ability to pressure Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley in the second half. McSorley finished 22 of 31 for 384 yards and four touchdowns.
“It was tough,” James said. “But I was there for the guys and the guys who did play did an amazing job so you can’t take anything away from them. But it’s definitely a good feeling knowing I’ll play this year.”
James, Sheehy and Orr are healthy and ready to play when UW (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) faces Ohio State (10-2, 8-1) for the 2017 title at 7:17 p.m. Saturday in Indianapolis.
James has a personal-high 51⁄2 sacks, the No. 2 mark on the team. Sheehy has 51⁄2 tackles for loss.
“We definitely are excited,” James said, “but at the same time you definitely want to just play within yourself and not try to be someone who you haven’t been all year. Just do your job.”
Orr, who returned to action last week after missing two games with a hamstring injury, is eighth on the team in tackles with 36.
“I’m going to be having fun,” said Orr, who gives the staff an experienced third option on the inside behind T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly.
Orr got in late against Minnesota so he could get a feel for the speed of the game. He finished with one tackle.
“I got a little taste,” he said. “You don’t want to miss three full weeks without seeing a different O-line coming into the Big Ten championship against a good team like Ohio State.”
Biggest stage? UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was asked whether Saturday will be the biggest game in program history.
“There have been a lot of really big games, significant games in this program’s history,” said Leonhard, who played at UW from 2001-’04. “This is one of them. Pretty honored to be a part of it and obviously the goal is to go out there and win it and make it more special.
“There’s a lot of big games that have put this program in the position we’re in right now.”
Sharing an old tale: UW players were asked during a teleconference this week to identify the moment they knew freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor was a special player.
That moment, the players recalled, came during a Friday night scrimmage in camp. Taylor, on the No. 2 offense, burned the No. 1 defense with a long touchdown run.
“He broke an 85-yard run to the house,” Edwards said. “It was either we were going to be really bad or he was really good.”
The latter turned out to be true. Taylor closed the season No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing with 1,806 yards.
Viewing party: Senior cornerback Derrick Tindal acknowledged that for the first time this season he watched the revealing of the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday.
“I watched them for the first time because I walked through the players’ lounge and everybody was sitting down,” he said. “So I watched.”