MADISON, WIS. -- Saturday technically brings together former player versus former coach.
Before his six years as a Wisconsin assistant -- five as the program's defensive coordinator -- and his 10-year NFL career spanning five teams, Jim Leonhard claimed All-American honors as a safety from 2001-04. Former head coach Barry Alvarez hired Bret Bielema to initially run his defense starting with Leonhard's final season in Madison, and for the majority of their games, the Badgers stood firm in stymying their adversaries on the turf.
Opponents scored only 15.4 points per game and gained 291.2 yards per contest against Wisconsin that season (124 rushing yards, 167.2 receiving). The team accumulated 20 turnovers, and the Bielema-guided defense -- with Leonhard as its star safety -- stopped foes on third down 31% of the time.
UW allowed 17 or less points in the first nine contests of that season, with opponents not reaching double digits until the sixth game, a 24-13 win for the Badgers over No. 16 Ohio State inside "The Horseshoe." UW started 2004 undefeated, going 9-0 before falling in its final three contests.
Leonhard finished second on the team in tackles (72) and tied for the team lead in interceptions (three) and pass breakups (10) on way to All-America honors for a third straight year.
Wisconsin (1-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) hopes to turn the tide against Illinois (2-4, 1-2) on Saturday in Champaign (2:30 p.m. CT, BTN), and earlier this week, Leonhard discussed playing for Bielema.
"Coming in as a senior, having success and just seeing how he put his stamp on the defense and what we were gonna do, and the big thing I remember was just the amount of confidence that he gave us and that he tried to preach," Leonhard said on Monday. "Just the style of play -- the physicality, the play speed, just what were our calling cards going to be on defense? I think in Year 1 that was more than Xs and Os and scheme. That was what he wanted to kind of get across to the players, and we had a talented group.
"He wasn't overly complicated, but he wanted us to play a certain way, and he called us out if it wasn't that way. So I think that was the number one thing that I remember from playing with him, just how he came in and the mindset he tried to instill in the team, and I'm sure he's trying to do that very same thing in Illinois. You're seeing it in the physicality they're trying to play with and the commitment to playing a certain style of football."
Leonhard and his defense -- which ranks first in the nation in rush defense (45.3 yards per game) and third in total defense (249 yards per game) heading into the weekend clash -- will face an Illinois offense averaging 20.7 points and 355.3 yards per contest. More than 187 yards comes from its rushing attack, which averages 4.5 yards per carry.
The running back duo of Chase Brown (379 yards, 7.3 yards per carry, three touchdowns) and Josh McCray (329, 5.5, one) lead the way for the Fighting Illini and could pose a challenge for UW's front seven. Brown claimed Big Ten offensive player of the week honors for his 257-yard performance against Charlotte on Oct. 2, while true freshman McCray boasts a 6-foot-1, 240-pound frame. The latter ran for 156 yards on 24 carries against Purdue.
"Obviously, they've played a number of backs," Leonhard said of Illinois' rushing attack. "I think they all run physical. They make you tackle. They're not a group that falls down without a fight, so I like their scheme. It's kind of similar to some of the things Michigan does with some of the fly motions and deception, using receivers in the run game, but the backs, they give you different skill sets.
"Different size, different speed. They're running powerful, they're running behind their pads. I respect the game. They want to make it a physical game and use a run and play action to try to throw the ball vertical, just as we've seen pretty much everyone do different ways the first part of the season."
