The WISCONSIN WAY is to look for guys who WANT to work. Guys who want to hit the weight room hard and practice like theres no tomorrow. In the long run you will get alot farther with guys like that.
.." Another player who came to Madison largely because of the line was Wilson, a transfer from N.C. State who was the runner-up for ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2010. When he visited the Madison campus early this summer, he was given a tour of the weight room, where several of the linemen were working out. Gazing at the Paul Bunyan--like figures grunting and yelling as they lifted weights, Wilson went bug-eyed. "Never seen anything like that before in my life," says Wilson, who at the time was also considering Auburn. "I couldn't believe how much weight they were pushing. That pretty much made up my mind."
Then Wilson met the linemen, one by one.
• Wagner, a 6'6", 320-pound junior, is a former walk-on tight end from West Allis. He's gained 70 pounds since arriving on campus in 2008 and is the most athletic of the group. "Everyone on this line was a Wisconsin fan growing up," he says. "We have so much in common. That helps our chemistry."
• Frederick, a 6'4", 330-pound sophomore, is from Sharon and is known as the intellect of the Big Uglies. He's one of only 100 students at Wisconsin (which has an enrollment of 42,099) with a double major in engineering mechanics and computer science. "Football has just been a vehicle for me to get an education," says Frederick, who is the strongest player on the roster—he recently squatted 750 pounds, only 30 shy of the school record—and may be the most ferocious one-on-one run blocker in the Big Ten.
• Konz, who is from Neenah, is the rare snapper who can pull and flatten a safety 20 yards down the field. "None of us wanted to play in a spread offense," he says. "We like to hit people and move them out of the way."
• Zeitler, a 6'4", 315-pound senior, is from Waukesha. He's regarded as the hardest worker of the group, a self-made player who rarely makes a mental mistake. "I've been a hermit for the last three years because football is like another major, given how much time we've spent in the film room," he says.
• Oglesby, a 6'7", 330-pound senior, is from St. Francis High in Milwaukee. In 2007 he was the nation's No. 1 offensive tackle prospect, according to Rivals.com. He has the most natural ability of the starters. "I almost felt obligated to come here because of the O-line tradition," he says. Oglesby is backed up by the heaviest Badger of all, Havenstein, a 6'8", 345-pound redshirt freshman from Mount Airy, Md.
And here they come, stomping off the field after a two-hour practice at Camp Randall. The uniforms of the five Big Uglies are soaked; the offensive linemen are the only position players who don't get an extended break during practice. "The tempo we go at is nuts," says Konz, "but that means we'll be ready for that big moment when the team needs us. It hasn't happened yet this season, but we know it's coming."
Will that moment arrive against the Huskers? The Big Uglies sure hope so....."
"The coach stood in the late-afternoon shadow that stretched across the field at Camp Randall Stadium, watching his offensive linemen prepare for a one-on-one blocking drill against the scout team. This is one of Bret Bielema's favorite moments of the week: a full-contact, full-speed practice, in which the tone is set for the coming Saturday. As he watched one of his starting linemen crouch into a three-point stance, ready to unleash holy hell on the redshirt freshman across from him, Bielema smiled devilishly, as if he couldn't wait for the bloodshed to begin. "This is what Wisconsin football is all about: man-on-man smashmouth," Bielema said. "Just watch this."
A whistle blew, and center Peter Konz, a 6'5", 315-pound junior, blasted forward, hitting the smaller scout teamer with startling violence, like a brick to the face. Konz drove his man back five, eight, 10 yards, finally leaving him sprawled on his back, gasping for air. Minutes later, after a few more torturous reps, that scout player staggered to the sideline to collect himself. "There's a standard here for offensive linemen like nowhere else in the country—and no, I don't feel bad for the scout teamers," Konz said that evening as he lounged on a couch outside the locker room of the seventh-ranked Badgers (4--0). "All of us linemen have that caveman spirit of wanting to dominate the guy in front of us. We love contact. Love it."
And it shows on game days, because Wisconsin may have the most ruthless offensive line in the nation: the Big Uglies, as Bielema calls them..."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1190864/1/index.htm
