Credit not only to the RBs for picking up the blitzes, but also to the coaching staff for clearly identifying what WI was likely to do, and clearly coaching the team during the week on what we would do to counter, including passes to the vacated spots from the blitzers.
I just re-watched some plays. Tanner's TD pass to CAB, on a field-wide crossing route, was a slow developing play. One on the LBs, I think Sanborn, shot a vacated gap cleanly on a blitz. Ky Thomas surged forward to meet the LB and, before the LB could maneuver, crumpled him like a rag doll. Gave Tanner the extra 2 seconds standing his ground, clean, to make the play work. RBs who play like this when they aren't carrying the ball are an enormous benefit to a passing game.
One of the time-honored ways to beat a defense whose LBs are blitz crazy is to release a TE to the place vacated by the blitzing LB. Why we didn't do that against BG is a topic for the ages. But we did do it against the Badgers, with great success, punishing them for their risk-taking. Thank you.
We did it on the pass to Bucko too.
Had a row of them behind me. They were insufferable. Not drunk but very condescending.
Gotta admit, after the pick 6 I pretty much gave up hope. I've watched too many Gopher/Badger games. Man it feels good to win one of these!
Yeah, it felt like the typical Badger/Gopher game until Walley's pick.