Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez appeared on ESPN Milwaukee's radio program on Tuesday and didn't mince words. The former coach was asked about a variety of topics, ranging from the Iowa loss to the team's identity, and didn't have much good to say about any of it.
“I understand fans’ disappointment, said Alvarez about the Badgers' loss to Iowa. "I don’t know what to tell you. I’m frustrated.”
Wisconsin lost 42-10 to the Hawkeyes in what was initially looked at as a very winnable game against a backup quarterback. Instead, Iowa pummeled the Badgers, leaving them with a lot more questions than answers heading into the bye. It was a troubling sight for a team looking to form an identity, something that not even Alvarez can find.
“I can’t answer that,” Alvarez said when asked about the team's identity. “I’d like to see it myself. When I took the job, I looked at the type of players that we could consistently recruit, and you look around the state. I’d have a summer camp, and you’d have 500 kids there, and 300 of them are linemen. I figured we could find some linemen consistently, and that’s where you start in Wisconsin. That was the mantra of our whole program. I’m crying to see the same thing, crying to see the physicality.”
Alvarez put Wisconsin on the map after years of obscurity with his physical, smash-mouth teams built around strong offensive line play. Now, the line hasn't been terrible this year, but the run game lacks severely, and there's little evidence that the passing game will pickup either. It's team that has nothing to fall back on, and it's costing them.
The lack of identity on both sides of the ball has drawn the ire of fans for weeks, and it seems now that one of the most respected names in Badger history feels the same. They'll need a strong finish to the year, or the calls for change will become even louder.