Notebook: Baun up for the challenge; Taylor's time frame

Zack Baun could feel he was turning a corner entering his final season of college football.

Hampered by a foot injury that cost him his entire 2017 season, Baun felt he was finding a groove at his once unfamiliar position over the final few games of what was mostly a team-wide disappointing 2018 season.

He knew he could become a great player when he terrorized Michigan in September.

“I knew being an elite player was a possibility,” Baun reflected.

As it turns out, Baun’s performance in UW’s 38-14 win over Michigan (7 tackles, 2 TFLs, one sack, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries) was just the top of the iceberg. Entering Wednesday’s Rose Bowl against No. 6 Oregon, Baun has 71 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Entering the season, Baun had 11 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in his career.

“I saw what Andrew Van Ginkel, Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel was able to do. As I grew up and matured, I realized I am not much different than those guys in there,” Baun said. “They are great players and I looked after them. I realized mid-season that I could play at a high caliber. In the off-season, I wanted to see where I could take my game.”

Those three players Baun mentioned left Wisconsin with the reputation for being playmakers, making big plays at the right moments. He is entering that realm. In addition to his performance against Michigan, Baun has had 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in the last four games.

From a kid who picked play football in the backyard instead of watching on television, Baun will play his final collegiate game with the distinction of being a consensus All-American.

“I never thought in a million years I would get to this point in my career,” Baun said. “The crazy part is I’m still developing and learning the game. I’ve only been playing linebacker for a few years and to be an All-American in my fourth year playing the position is really big. I’m excited to see where I’m going to go in my future.”

The Brown Deer, Wis., native has a chance to improve his draft stock against an Oregon offensive line that is the most experienced in the FBS. A daunting task all along the line, Baun will have to get to quarterback Justin Herbert by going through left tackle Penei Sewell. Rated the No.1 offensive lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus and the winner of the 2019 Outland Trophy, Sewell allowed just seven pressures and no sacks on the quarterback this season on 465 pass-blocking snaps.

“They really work as a group,” Baun said of the Oregon’s offensive line. “They're really physical. They're like big athletes. They're athletes, but they can move, and they're always working together. You can see their communication and hand signals on tape, and they're just a good overall line.

“If they're playing as sound as they are, that means we've got to step up our game and play sound football and make sure all gaps are spoken for.”

If tailback Jonathan Taylor has already made a decision on his NFL Draft future, the Wisconsin junior treats the media like he treats opposing defenders: being elusive.

“I kind of need some time,” Taylor said Friday. “It's been a long season, and we've had a lot of ups and downs, so I want to make sure I make the right decision.”

Whether Taylor leaves or not, the one decision he was confident making was playing in the bowl game. Unofficially, 21 players have announced their intention to skip their team’s bowl game to start preparation for their professional career. Taylor doesn’t knock that idea but never considered it a viable option for him.

“We earned the right to be here,” Taylor said, “I just wanted to make sure we finish off the year right.”

“He's committed to the guys,” added offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph. “Those are his teammates. And he loves them. And he's going to play for them and they're going to play for him. So, I don't think there was probably a lot of thought behind it. But I say that and there probably was a lot of thought and it probably came down to that. It probably came down to how you feel about who you get to go do it with. And if you care more about them than anything else, then you play the game. And, yeah, that's Jonathan.”

A two-time reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Taylor needs 91 yards to reach 2,000 yards on the season, becoming only the third tailback to record multiple 2,000-yard seasons. Taylor has played seven games against teams ranked in the top 30 nationally in rushing defense (Oregon will be the 8th) and has averaged 130.1 yards vs. those opponents.

“This year we had a little down, slippery slope with a two-game losing streak, but we were able to fight hard in November and come back,” Taylor said. “I think it's really just the way that I've played with my team throughout the years to be able to play hard and be able to get to a New Year's Six bowl. I mean, making it to a Rose Bowl, this is what it's all about.”

Part of the pomp and circumstances with playing in a high-profile bowl game is the experiences the players are treated to. Since arriving Christmas Day, the Badgers have been treated to a day at Disneyland and a prime rib dinner at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills Saturday. However, nothing compared to Florida cornerback Faion Hicks than getting an early sneak peak at the Rose Bowl.

“I definitely got chills,” Hicks said. “This is a game I watched since I was a young kid. And never in my life did I imagine I would be playing in that game. I tell myself, dang, I'm playing in this game that I watched when I was a young kid. To actually go to the stadium, see the stadium in person, a lot of memories of me watching the game as a young kid back home. So it's very fun.

“It feels a lot smaller -- but I'm sure once the stadium is packed it will be crazy.”