Badgers bask in Orlando’s warmth
Under sunny skies and t emperatures in t he mid-70s, the Wisconsin Badgers took the practice field Thursday in preparation for their New Year’s Day matchup in the Capital One Bowl against South Carolina.
It was a far cry f rom the snow and mid-20s the team faced this week in Madison.
“It was a good start,” said Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen following practice. “We got out here and got into the heat.”
Andersen added it was good to get back outside after spending much of the break indoors.
“The game plan is in, but we’ve got a long way to go before we’re ready to compete,” Andersen said.
Wisconsin arrived in Orlando Wednesday and spent the evening celebrating Christmas with a dinner at the team’s hotel along with surprise guest Santa Claus, who posed for photographs with the players.
The 19th- ranked Badgers ( 9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) returned to the practice field Thursday preparing f or t heir matchup with No. 9 South Carolina (10-2, 6-2 SEC) at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1at1p.m.
South Carolina arrived in Orlando late Thursday afternoon and will practice today.
This isn’t the first time Wisconsin has found itself playing a postseason bowl game in Orlando.
The Badgers played in the Champs Sports Bowl in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009.
Since then, Wisconsin has spent the previous three seasons celebrating the holidays at the Rose Bowl, absorbing narrow losses in each of those games against TCU, Oregon and Stanford.
While Orlando is a far cry from Pasadena, it doesn’t diminish the importance of this New Year’s Day matchup.
“It’s a one-game series for a championship,” Andersen said. “This is a big-time bowl on January 1 and you don’t find a bigger stage in college football so it would mean a lot for this program.
“Kids are excited about it. Badger Nation is excited about it and everybody around this program is excited,” added Andersen. “It would be a big- time victory against a big-time opponent in South Carolina.”
Scouting USC
Andersen believes a key component of South Carolina’s success is the team’s speed.
“The speed still shows up,” Andersen said when asked what he sees from the Gamecocks on tape. “The more you watch them, they can really run.”
The first-year coach also points to quarterback Connor Shaw and his playmaking abilities.
“The quarterback is a very good football player,” Andersen said. “He makes a lot of plays and he runs the offense well. He manages the game, but also gets them out of some situations.”