Final home game special for Wisconsin’s Tolzien
MADISON, Wis. More than an hour after Wisconsin’s players held fresh red roses aloft to celebrate their likely New Year’s Day destination, senior quarterback Scott Tolzien still hadn’t peeled off his uniform.
Was the Rolling Meadows resident trying to hold on to the Badgers’ 70-23 Big Ten victory over Northwestern and his final game on the Camp Randall Stadium turf as long as possible?
Not exactly.
He merely was taking care of postgame priorities in the proper order. As if you’d expect anything less from a guy who never fails to tackle challenges one step at a time.
His mom, Ginny, wanted him to take pictures with his family and his godfather (Scott Tremberth, for whom he’s named), so that meeting in the McClain Center came first after the game.
“That’s really the truth behind it,” Tolzien said. “Because I know she would have been on me for the next week if I hadn’t been up there.
“The most emotional thing was seeing my parents and it was special. There’s a lot of people that don’t get this opportunity, so I’m grateful and I’m thankful and we’ve got another game to play.”
Tolzien, who entered Saturday afternoon’s game seventh nationally in passer efficiency, saved his best start for his last home appearance.
The 2006 Fremd High School graduate fired 4 touchdown passes in an 8-minute, 49-second stretch of the second quarter to turn a 21-3 lead into a 49-17 whipping.
He finished 15 of 19 for 240 yards and those career-high-tying 4 TDs to post Wisconsin’s fifth-best single-game efficiency rating.
Keep in mind, Tolzien entered Wisconsin’s fall camp last season as the No. 3 quarterback. He rallied to win that battle and proceeded to win 21 of his first 26 starts.
“He’s a guy that takes advantage of every opportunity, every play,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. “He made a tremendous check at the line of scrimmage on that last (40-yard) deep ball to David (Gilreath in the third quarter). That was all him. He recognized a look and put our offense into it.
“He’s so clean with the football. Scottie, he’s going to get an NFL opportunity. There’s no doubt about that. I wish him the best of luck down that road, but I guarantee he’ll be a pretty good coach down the road as well.”
Tolzien shrugs off such talk. Never mind that he leads the nation with his 74.3 completion percentage a number that shatters the Big Ten’s single-season record and puts him on the short list behind Colt McCoy’s NCAA record of 76.7 percent.
“It all starts with what the offensive line has done and the run game,” Tolzien said. “We have a lot of weapons. I think a lot of guys could have the same success, just based on the weapons that we have and the way everyone plays well together.”