Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

['70 Grad]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Hey! Hey! Only one week away!

A scouting report given by my brother earlier this month:


Here’s the scouting report. For the Badgers, sounding like the QB position is still legitimately open so no one is distinguishing themselves. One solid possession receiver, the rest are all young & no experience. Passing game will probably not be “featured” anyway. Typical offensive line, all upperclassmen and huge. Smallest guy is 6-5, 320lbs.! Hope nobody for UNI gets hurt. 4 running backs capable of being 1000 yd rushers anywhere in the country. Thin on the defensive line, both in terms of experience and especially depth. Linebackers can rival running backs for strongest part of team (I think two of them were 1-2 leading tacklers in the Big 10 last year). Secondary has some experience and athletic, but prone to errors. After several years of good kickers, this year the punter, kickoff, & field goal guys are all new and young.

And he agrees with the earlier posts about the partying. The game is not quite the focus of the day, like it is for the Packers. To wit:



Now the Packers fans on the other hand know every statistic going back to Lombardi. The joke (or is it a believable story?) about the old guy with an extra Packers ticket. Sold it to a stranger outside the stadium. Slowly during the game they talk a bit, the old guy with the tickets laments how he and his wife never missed a game in 23 years until she had a heart attack. The other guy is sympathetic and asked how long ago. Old guy says “this morning”.

[ban basketball]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

I want all of the beer freaks out there to drink some Ale Asylum Hopalicious for me while in Madison! Local microwbrew that is one of my all-time favorite beers and breweries!

[casbern]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

I want all of the beer freaks out there to drink some Ale Asylum Hopalicious for me while in Madison! Local microwbrew that is one of my all-time favorite beers and breweries!

Consider it done.

[UNI MadCat]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Hey! Hey! Only one week away!

A scouting report given by my brother earlier this month:

Here’s the scouting report. For the Badgers, sounding like the QB position is still legitimately open so no one is distinguishing themselves. One solid possession receiver, the rest are all young & no experience. Passing game will probably not be “featured” anyway. Typical offensive line, all upperclassmen and huge. Smallest guy is 6-5, 320lbs.! Hope nobody for UNI gets hurt. 4 running backs capable of being 1000 yd rushers anywhere in the country. Thin on the defensive line, both in terms of experience and especially depth. Linebackers can rival running backs for strongest part of team (I think two of them were 1-2 leading tacklers in the Big 10 last year). Secondary has some experience and athletic, but prone to errors. After several years of good kickers, this year the punter, kickoff, & field goal guys are all new and young.

And he agrees with the earlier posts about the partying. The game is not quite the focus of the day, like it is for the Packers. To wit:

Now the Packers fans on the other hand know every statistic going back to Lombardi. The joke (or is it a believable story?) about the old guy with an extra Packers ticket. Sold it to a stranger outside the stadium. Slowly during the game they talk a bit, the old guy with the tickets laments how he and his wife never missed a game in 23 years until she had a heart attack. The other guy is sympathetic and asked how long ago. Old guy says “this morning”.

QB position has been solidified for some time now with O'Brien. I still expect to see Curt Phillips play a little to give a run/pass option as he did early in his career before a rash of injuries kept him out the last two seasons. But this has been O'Brien's job to lose since he transferred in spring.

The atmosphere should be interesting for visitors next weekend. Expect a late-arriving and lethargic student-body, more concerned about partying on Breese than in the stadium (you could argue this for most games, actually). And I expect the "general" crowd to be fairly sparse by UW standards and subdued with this being the last "unofficial" weekend of summer and parents moving kids in on campuses all around the state (school doesn't start until after labor day in Wisconsin).

That said, the fans will come alive if UNI plays well and stays in it.

Outside CR, the parties will be there for anyone interested. My advice to newcomers is to skip your own personal tailgate -- unless you've scored close parking -- and instead park in a neighborhood or a lot far away and make the walk and take in the sites. Beer gardens are as much a tradition as tailgating near Camp Randall and there are no less than 5 huge ones all with their own unique atmosphere. If you walk by and introduce yourself to the tailgaters in the prestigious donor lots near CR, you're bound to get a more than a brat at these luxurious spreads in trade for a beer, bloody mix or a brandy ol' fashioned and good conversation.

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Well I can't make it to Madison. Where's the best panthernation game watch gonna be in the cedar valley? Beck's on the hill?

[badger12]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

QB position has been solidified for some time now with O'Brien. I still expect to see Curt Phillips play a little to give a run/pass option as he did early in his career before a rash of injuries kept him out the last two seasons. But this has been O'Brien's job to lose since he transferred in spring.

The atmosphere should be interesting for visitors next weekend. Expect a late-arriving and lethargic student-body, more concerned about partying on Breese than in the stadium (you could argue this for most games, actually). And I expect the "general" crowd to be fairly sparse by UW standards and subdued with this being the last "unofficial" weekend of summer and parents moving kids in on campuses all around the state (school doesn't start until after labor day in Wisconsin).

That said, the fans will come alive if UNI plays well and stays in it.

Outside CR, the parties will be there for anyone interested. My advice to newcomers is to skip your own personal tailgate -- unless you've scored close parking -- and instead park in a neighborhood or a lot far away and make the walk and take in the sites. Beer gardens are as much a tradition as tailgating near Camp Randall and there are no less than 5 huge ones all with their own unique atmosphere. If you walk by and introduce yourself to the tailgaters in the prestigious donor lots near CR, you're bound to get a more than a brat at these luxurious spreads in trade for a beer, bloody mix or a brandy ol' fashioned and good conversation.

You may not see Curt Phillips unless the game is out of reach. He has torn his ACL in back-to-back-to-back seasons. He has not seen any significant playing time since 2008. On top of that, it isn't exactly clear if he or Joel Stave are QB2.

General move-in day for UW-Madison freshmen is this coming Wednesday and Thursday. Apartment leases for anyone not a freshman began on August 15th/16th, so you can expect just about the entire student population to be on campus for this game. However, you will likely not see the student section filled up until halftime. For these lesser known opponents, students are notorious for showing up late. The party comes first, the game second. Kind of weird, but what can ya do?

As for tailgating, etc: If you go to Wisconsin's Scout board, there is a separate tailgating board. However, as a recent graduate, I can put my two cents in as well:
1.) You need to understand the location of Camp Randall. It is unique in that it is situated in a middle of a neighborhood. The west side of the stadium is lined by student housing on Breese/Lathrop. The east side of the stadium is lined with housing and the Stadium Bar, which becomes a popular spot before/during/after games. The southern end of the stadium is lined by the Vilas neighborhood and the north side of the stadium lines the edge of the Engineering campus/Union South.
2.) What does this all mean? How do students tailgate? They don't tailgate, per se. Tailgating for students turns into early morning house parties with countless numbers of kegs. Being a recent graduate and spending four years doing this, you will not see many visitors in this environment.
3.) Beer gardens line Regent Street. Definitely a favorite for the older crowd. Hop your way beer garden to beer garden. These are generally PACKED.
4.) State Street. Located about a mile from the stadium, State Street is lively at all hours of the day. It is a pedestrian mall that starts at the Capitol and ends near Bascom Hill, a trademark of the UW campus.
5.) Memorial Union Terrace. I'd recommend this for any visitor. For those that don't know, Madison is located on an isthmus and is surrounded by two lakes, Mendota and Monona. The terrace lines Lake Mendota and is an awesome spot to grab a pitcher and sit on the lake.
6.) I noticed some are staying at the Doubletree and were talking about going to Badgerland Bar & Grill before the game. You can do that, but that is not too popular of a spot.
7.) The Farmers Market also happens to be on Saturday. All the stands are lined up around Capitol Square and you can get some awesome food (I recommend the spicy cheese bread from Stella's bakery).
8.) Good food joints: Old Fashioned, Great Dane, Coopers, Brocach's, Capital Tap Haus
9.) The more "college" bars: Chasers, Brats, KK, Johnny Os, Wandos, Logans, Vintage, City - these are all located on the lower end of state street/University Ave. The older crowd (recent grads, etc) will be more on the upper end of State Street at places on the square and also places like Paul's Club.

All in all, Madison is an awesome college town. It is popularly noted as one of the best this country has to offer.

If you're in Madison on Friday, I'd recommend catching the famous Wisconsin Fish Fry at one of the local bars/food joints.

[DomeIsHome]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Hey badger, are there any places where all the scalpers hang out? Trying to get a feel for where to go/where to look for them

[badger12]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Hey badger, are there any places where all the scalpers hang out? Trying to get a feel for where to go/where to look for them

You'll find most on Regent Street.

[badger12]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

One solid possession receiver, the rest are all young & no experience.

Thin on the defensive line, both in terms of experience and especially depth.

A couple thoughts:
1.) I'd consider Jared Abbrederis more than 'solid.' He is thought of as the best returning receiver in the B1G and is statistically one of the best punt returners in the country.

2.) Depth is thin along the defensive front, but there is no shortage of experience. The starting four will be: David Gilbert, Ethan Hemer, Beau Allen, and Brendan Kelly. David Gilbert was our best pass rusher in 2011 until he went down with a season-ending injury. He is back to full strength this season. Ethan Hemer started six games as a Freshman (RS) in 2010 and started every game in 2011. Brendan Kelly was Gilbert's replacement in 2011 and started eight games. The other defensive tackle next to Hemer, Beau Allen, has seen significant playing time over the past two seasons as Chris Ash has never been hesitant to rotate his defensive tackles.

[UNIAlum95]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

8.) Good food joints: Old Fashioned, Great Dane, Coopers, Brocach's, Capital Tap Haus

Had forgotten about Great Dane. Great place to go for sure.

[9YRPLAN]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

solid possession receiver= white dude

[jnutt]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

there is only one beer in Wisconsin, that's Spotted Cow. I have a fridge that was full of it and we be empty by friday and full again come Sunday.

[UNIGrainer]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Anyone seen a line published anywhere?

[9YRPLAN]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

no, its pretty hard to find official FBS vs FCS lines

[buckswope]

Re: Countdown to Wisky...Who's in?

Tailgating in the early morning hours with a few of my old teammates from 2001-2005