This past Saturday, the Wisconsin football team defeated the opposing Boilermakers of Purdue 41-10. The game was a complete 180 degrees from last week’s controversial loss to Arizona State University, with the Badgers crushing Purdue in their conference game debut.
While the outcome and the atmosphere of yesterday’s game was reverse, for some of the badger ladies, the confusion on what happens during the game remains the same. But during this time of year, talk of football dominates most conversation, so whether you’re a fashionista or a football enthusiast, it’s important to understand the basics of the game. These following tips and highlights will help my fellow badger ladies not only understand yesterday’s game, but all the games to come.
Know the positions: It’s important to not only know who the major players are but their positions as well. The key players to note from yesterday’s game were running backs Melvin Gordon and James White, who had 147 and 145 rushing yards, respectively. While not as effective in the game against Purdue, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis is another major player in the Badger offense.
It’s important to note that running backs can also be referred to as halfbacks, tailbacks, and fullbacks. These names just specify the player’s role on the field.
It might require you to do a little homework on what position is what, but no one will take your football talk seriously if you think that a tight end is a complimentary reference to a player’s backside.
Putting Points on the Board: There are four ways to score points in football. The ultimate goal of a team during the game is to catch or run the ball into the end zone and score a touchdown, which earns the team six points. After the touchdown, the scoring team has two choices to score extra points. They can kick the ball through the field goal, which will earn them one extra point. The other option is a two-point conversion, where instead of kicking a field goal, the team goes for another touchdown, which will earn them two extra points instead of one.
Touchdowns and extra points aren’t the only ways teams put points on the board. If the team is unable to score a touchdown and reach fourth down, they can try for a field goal attempt, which, if successful, will earn them 3 points. The Badgers dominated Purdue yesterday with five touchdowns and two field goals.
The final and least likely scoring play is a safety. Safeties occur when the player who has the ball is tackled in his own end zone and results in two points for the opposing team. When talking football with the guys, showing off your knowledge of this rare scoring play is an easy way to impress them with your football expertise. However, it’s essential to point out that a safety is also a defensive position, so make sure you know which safety people are talking about before you jump into the conversation.
Turnovers: Other than scoring, turnovers are another aspect of football that can be a major game changer. There are two main types of turnovers: interceptions and fumbles. Interceptions occur when the quarterback intends a pass to one of his players and it is caught, or intercepted, by a member of the defending team. When a ball is picked off, it becomes the intercepting team’s ball. In yesterday’s game, quarterback Joel Stave threw one interception early in the second quarter.
Fumbles are the second common form of turnovers, and they occur when the ball carrier or the passer drops the football. Once the football is knocked loose, players from both teams attempt recover possession of the ball by either diving on top of it or picking the ball up and running with it. Whichever team recovers the ball gains the possession.
It was confusion over a possible fumble play that resulted in the bizarre ending of the game against ASU. Stave stumbled when trying to take a knee, causing the Arizona State players to mistake it for a fumble and dive on top of the ball. By the time the Badgers reorganized, the time on the clock had run out.
With a basic understanding of these aspects of the game, not only can you better understand the game but all the talk that comes with it. Now next time you’re hanging around a group of guys talking about football, you can give your own two cents on the game, instead of just sitting on the sidelines.