The Milwaukee Post

How good can the Wisconsin football team be under the direction of head coach Gary Andersen? I'm starting to wonder. Can he be a great coach given the epic mess that has been going on the last week with the team? I'm starting to wonder. How do you beat the best in the Big Ten and compete for a national title when you can't even figure out how to provide basic information on the health of a Heisman candidate and a backup quarterback? I want to scream, "It's not Utah State anymore. This is big boy football." It feels like the right response to his performance as coach even though he seemed more than capable of handling the move to a big-time school in a big-time conference last season. His defensive staff got schooled against Penn State, but over- all he had a solid first year running the Badger football program. I've been a huge fan of his selection as head coach because it was made by Barry Alvarez and because Andersen has earned a great rep- utation for his defensive philosophies. Such a good coach just shouldn't have so much trouble explaining the health of his players. Andersen was told that Melvin Gordon had a hip flexor injury and should be used carefully in the second half of the game against LSU.He runs for 63 yards on the first play. So how hurt was he? He might have been less than 100 percent but still clearly good enough to help the team. He carried only a few more times the rest of the game even as LSU made a great comeback and won the game. Gordon acted like he didn't know why he wasn't used more in the second half. Andersen had no explanation after the game. If Gordon did have the injury, wouldn't it have been easy for Andersen to mention the fact after the game and add that he has great confidence in the backup running back and wanted to be extra careful with his star? Wouldn't it also have made sense to talk to Gordon during the second half and explain their plans? In addition, wouldn't the best running back in the country go to his running backs coach at some point in the second half and ask about his surprising time on the bench? It's the kind of situation that would make sense with a bad team and a bad coach. And it got worse. On Tuesday, Andersen reported that backup quarterback Joel Stave would be out for an extended period of time because of shoulder injury. It made sense. It explained why Andersen never used Stave when starter Tanner McEvoy strug- gled against LSU. It would have been nice for Andersen to pass along the informa- tion after the game, but it was a step in the right direction. Andersen was starting to figure out how to inform everyone about injuries. Instead of trying to keep all information private, he was providing all the facts. Yes, time to move on. Only a few hours later, Andersen and Stave said he was not injured. They said he's healthy but hasn't been throwing the ball well. What? Larry, Curly, and Moe are coaching the Badgers? I still believe in Gary Andersen, but UW should have beaten LSU. The Badgers might have won with Bret Bielema as head coach. Andersen should have earned the biggest win of his head coaching career. The events since the end of the game indicate he wasn't ready. There is clearly more to learn about Gary Anderson, and, more importantly, he needs to get better. September 5, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 11 "HOMER" on SPORTS (Ste v e "The Homer" True, host of "Homer and Gabe Show," heard from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on 540 ESPN, can be reached at homer@espnmilwaukee.com) Badgers football coach Anderson needs to improve STEVE "The HOMER" TRUE Post Staff MILWAUKEE — For mer Pewaukee High School and University of Wisconsin standout J.J. Watt has signed a reported deal with the NFL's Houston Texans worth $100 million, including a $10 million signing bonus and $51.8 million in guaran- teed money overall. He's now signed through the 2021 season. The 25-year-old Watt was the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year after regis- tering 20 1/2 sacks and batting down 16 passes. He has 74 tackles for loss, 36 1/2 sacks and 27 pass breakups since he joined the league as the 11th overall pick in 2011, and he leads the league in sacks (31) and swatted passes (21) in the past two seasons. Watt agrees to new contract with Houston Texans Post Staff MILWAUKEE — Marquette University announced it is naming its engineering col- lege the Opus College of Engineering to honor the life and legacy of alumnus Gerald "Gerry" Rauenhorst, who founded The Opus Group, a family of commercial real estate development, construction and design companies headquartered in Minneapolis with offices and projects across the country. Rauenhorst, who passed away in April, was a visionary in the construction and commercial real estate development indus- try. Drawing on his engineering back- ground, he was recognized for helping cre- ate the integrated design-build approach. The son of tenant farmers, he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Marquette in 1951, after receiving an eco- nomics degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1948. He started his company in 1953 and became a respected business leader and philanthropist. Rauenhorst was Marquette's longest - serving trustee, serving from 1970 to 2000, when he was elected trustee emeritus. In addition to providing counsel to university officials, he supported university initiatives and projects, including Marquette's College of Engineering. "It's clear Gerry embodied the Bible verse 'to whom much is given, much is required' and all of Marquette has benefit- ted from his leadership and support," Marquette President Michael R. Lovell said. The university will honor Rauenhorst's legacy and life with a program Oct. 3 on its campus. The event will include panel dis- cussion with engineering leaders at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union Monaghan Ballroom, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. At 3 p.m., the university will recognize Rauenhorst's contributions at a program held on the south lawn of Engineering Hall, 1637 W. Wisconsin Ave. Both events are free and open to the pub- lic but registration is required. Interested individuals must register with university special events by Sept. 26, at universityspe- cialevents@marquette.edu or 414-288-7431. Marquette renames engineering school after alumnus Check out Milwaukee/NARI Home Connection for trusted professionals in your area and featured articles on home improvement/remodeling. Use a NARI certifi cated professional for your next home project. Only in newsstand copies on September 12th. 709 W. Oklahoma Ave. 481-8170 Accepting Blue Cross, Anthem, TRICARE, Express Scripts and more... Health Tip of the Week Registered Pharmacist Bob Stresing and the Serv-U Team 24009004 COPD & Diet Healthy eating may help improve the lung function of those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a new study of adults with COPD, researchers found that those who ate grapefruit, bananas, fish and dairy had better lung function, a quicker gait and lower levels of inflammatory markers than COPD patients who didn't eat those foods. The study doesn't prove cause- and-efforts, only an association. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these foods may benefit COPD patients lungs. Other studies have shown that people whose diets are rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and grains are less likely to ever develop COPD.

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