» Richt, Wisconsin’s Chryst looking to finish strong,
Strong defenses are only beginning of teams’ similarities.
HOLLYWOOD — Mark Richt was informed his head coaching counterpart in the upcoming Orange Bowl, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, was also a quarterback for the school he now coaches. He responded in his usual calm, self-deprecating style.
“I’m sure he was a better one than I was,” said Richt, who was mostly a backup at UM from 1978-82. “He also didn’t have to compete against Jim Kelly.”
The first part isn’t quite accurate. Chryst saw action as a reserve quarterback in 1987, and was moved to tight end and long-snapper as a senior in 1988. Richt played four seasons, mostly as Kelly’s backup, and became the starter in 1982 after the future NFL Hall of Famer busted his shoulder.
Richt and Chryst, the coaches of the year in the ACC and Big Ten, respectively, lead teams with a few things in common. Both nearly survived the season undefeated and would have made the College Football Playoffs had they not lost in their respective conference championship games. Both have outstanding defenses and offenses led by boomor-bust quarterbacks.
And when they get together Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium, both want to end the season on a high note after disappointing defeats.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard Wisconsin was like Miami,” Chryst joked.
Wisconsin is happy to escape the always-cold weather. Temperatures in Madison were in the high 20s when Chryst, on the opposite side of the dais from Richt, answered questions from reporters poolside, with straw-hut cabanas flanking the stage and the sun nestling into the palm trees at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.
Chryst already was thinking about the beach.
“For at least a week, it’ll get us out of the cold,” he said.
The Orange Bowl, of course, is more than happy to welcome Badgers fans hoping to trade snow for sand.
After Hurricanes coaches spend this week recruiting and players rest, run, study and lift, they will begin bowl preparation. The week of the game, they’ll stay in a hotel on the beach, participate in Orange Bowl activities, and prepare to face a Badgers team that won its first 12 games before losing 27-24 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
The Badgers finished the year in the top five in sev- eral defensive categories: first in yards allowed (253.2) and opponent passer rating (96.32); second in rushing yards per game allowed (92.62); third in yards per play allowed (4.24) and points allowed (13.2); and fifth in yards per carry allowed (2.96).
“Tough, physical, hardnosed bunch of players,” Richt said of Wisconsin. “They are serious about being physical. They coach it, they teach it, you can see it in their body types. It’s going to be a battle.”
Miami’s FBS-long 15-game winning streak ended two weeks ago at Pittsburgh, and top-ranked Clemson followed with a 38-3 win in the ACC Championship.
“I know our players certainly were disappointed at the outcome of the last two games,” Richt said. “It certainly was painful. But when the dust settled and we ended up in the Orange Bowl, that’s about as good as it gets . ... We’re not going to have any problem with motivation.”
This is UM’s first Orange Bowl since 2003 and first major bowl since 2005. Wisconsin, which beat UM 20-14 in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl, has never played in the Orange Bowl.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be here,” Chryst said. “I’m really thankful for our team and what they’ve done to give us the opportunity to play in this game . ... It’s an iconic bowl game.”