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Sophomore Darius Marshall rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown to lead Marshall University to a 35-10 victory over Illinois State last Saturday. The Thundering Herd come to Camp Randall Stadium next Saturday.
“The thing that jumped out to me as I watched film is Number 5 — their running back — is extremely talented,” Bielema said Monday at his weekly news conference. “He’s going into his second year now and is seasoned and has a good feel for the game. He got better as the game wore on.”
Wisconsin also won its season opener, 38-17 over Akron. The Badgers were 13th last week, and the new AP rankings will be released Tuesday.
Bielema knows first-hand that Marshall — the team — is capable of pulling off the upset.
“Absolutely,” he said. “When I was at Kansas State I really believe we were suffering from ’fat cat’ syndrome. We were ranked (No. 6) at the time and they came in and beat us (27-20 in 2003).
While Bielema has watched a lot of video about his next opponent, he said he’s never seen “We Are Marshall,” the film about the school’s recovery from the tragic 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 37 players and five coaches.
“I’m not a big movie guy,” he said. “I’ve seen clips and read about it, but what I’ve tried to focus on is the Marshall team of 2008. I’m sure some of our guys are movie critics out there and have been on it.”
