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Wisconsin begins second season under Bielema vs. Washington St

Sep 1, 2007 - 12:09 PM Washington State at No. 7 Wisconsin 3:30 pm EDT

MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Wisconsin hopes the 2006 season was just a sign of things to come under coach Bret Bielema.

The seventh-ranked Badgers start their second season under Bielema when they host Washington State on Saturday.

Formerly the Badgers' defensive coordinator, Bielema took over for Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez last season and guided the team to a 12-1 record - the winningest mark in school history.

The Badgers went 7-1 in the Big Ten Conference, tying for second place with Michigan, which handed Wisconsin its sole defeat.

P.J. Hill, who rushed for 1,569 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, will be the focal point of the Badger offense, but new starting quarterback Tyler Donovan looked sharp in a pair of late-season games spelling for the now-departed John Stocco.

Wisconsin once again should have a rock-solid defense. Last year's squad finished second nationally by yielding just 12.1 points per game, and the Badgers return star junior linebackers Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy, who led the team in tackles for loss and sacks, respectively.

Wisconsin also led the nation in pass-efficiency defense and brings back outstanding cornerbacks in Allen Langford and especially fellow junior Jack Ikegwuono, who earned all-conference honors after shutting down opponents' top receivers.

The Cougars were 6-6 overall last season, including 4-5 in the Pac-10 Conference. Senior Alex Brink, who threw for 2,899 yards and 19 touchdowns last year, once again will lead the Washington State offense.

The teams have met just one time previously, with Wisconsin posting a 36-26 win here in 1976.