er success can be traced to the offseason -- exactly this time l

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst laments his teams small margin of error.Right now, were not that explosive of an offense, he said. Right now, were not putting a ton of points on the board.Yet the 7th-ranked Badgers (7-2, 4-2) are in position to win the Big Ten Conferences West Division if they can win their final three regular season games, starting with Saturdays visit from Illinois.The reasons? Defense and discipline, traits that will play well anywhere. Wisconsin is a top 15 unit nationally in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense. It ranks fifth in FBS in scoring defense, giving up 13.8 points per game.And the Badgers play a clean game week after week. They are second in FBS in fewest penalties with only 24 in nine games and are on pace to be the least-penalized team in school history. In its last three games, Wisconsin has committed exactly two penalties.It comes down to everyone being disciplined and everyone really trusting their technique and trusting each other, tight end Troy Fumagalli said. Just doing their jobs sound. I think its a testament to the way we practice and the way were taught the game.First-year coach Lovie Smith is hoping to instill some of that discipline into his program. The former NFL head coach has experienced some rocky times with the Fighting Illini, a team with a spate of potential NFL draft picks in their front seven that simply doesnt have enough high-level players to consistently win in the Big 10.Illinois (3-6, 2-4) led the conference in penalties most of the year, a spot it finally vacated last week when it sent Michigan State careening to its seventh straight loss with a 31-27 verdict that kept its slender bowl hopes alive.What you see is a traditional Big 10 powerhouse, Smith said. Big emphasis on running the football, play-action passes, good hard-nosed defense on the other side of the ball, playing together as a team. Thats what were going to see.We know were going to have to be at the top of our game. Well need to play better than we did this past week. We realize who were playing, but what an opportunity for our young football team to have a chance to play a great team like that.On paper, this doesnt look like a good matchup for the Illini. Their offense has had trouble scoring, hampered by injuries at the quarterback position that have forced them to start third-stringer Jeff George, Jr. the last three games.After struggling in most aspects of the game in one-sided losses against No. 2 Michigan and Minnesota, George engineered a game-winning drive against Michigan State. George found Sam Mays for a 16-yard scoring strike with 1:40 left, the highlight of a 13-of-29, 140-yard day.I think you just get to the point where you keep pounding the rock, eventually you see a crack, Smith said. I think you just stay the course and eventually you get over the hump. I think thats where we are -- we got over the hump last week.Last weeks hump looks more like an anthill compared to this one. George appears likely to start again as senior Wes Lunt, the quarterback for the past 2 ? seasons, continues to nurse a back injury that has sidelined him for four straight games.Its not known if wide receiver Malik Turner, by far Illinois leading receiver, will be able to play after sitting out the Michigan State game with a concussion. Turners potential absence will put more pressure on a running game fronted last week by Kendrick Fosters 146-yard, two-touchdown effort.As for the Badgers, theyre coming off a 21-7 win last week at Northwestern in which they outrushed the Wildcats 190-39. Corey Clement rushed 32 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, helping Wisconsin possess the ball for more than 40 minutes.Sporting five freshmen or sophomores in their offensive lineup, the Badgers have been hurt by inconsistency. They rank 98th in scoring, 110th in touchdowns and 113th in red-zone conversion ratio. They are on pace to average their fewest points and yards since 2004.Weve played good teams, Chryst said. Against good teams, youre going to have a smaller margin for error.But Wisconsins defense has taken up the slack, and then some.Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Custom Colorado Rockies Jerseys Cheap . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http://www.baseballjerseyscustom.com/custom-new-york-yankees-jerseys-cheap-466c . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Custom Washington Nationals Jerseys Cheap . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys Cheap . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014.Angelique Kerber was sweaty. She had just beaten Johanna Konta in the semifinals of the Australian Open to book a trip to her first major final. Her on-court interview had finished about 30 seconds earlier. Adrenaline pumping, she popped out into a quiet hallway at Rod Laver Arena.I had just finished my assignment for ESPN and was wandering back to the ESPN compound that hot Thursday Melbourne afternoon. I had just watched Kerber, 28 years old and playing in her 33rd Grand Slam tournament, pull off a crisp, clean match that included just 11 unforced errors to 14 winners.Kerber had won seven career titles at that point and more than $9 million. She had been ranked in the top 10 for years. She had been to the US Open semifinals in 2011 and the Wimbledon semifinals in 2012. But this -- this 2016 Australian Open moment -- was by far the biggest of her career.Well congratulations! I said.But she wanted more.I cant find anyone from my team, she said (and I swear I could see the excitement and thrill dripping off of her). Ive just gotten to my first major final, and I have nobody to hug.You can hug me if you want,?I said.And she did.Two days later, Kerber went on to beat Serena Williams -- the same Serena Williams who four months earlier was two wins away from a calendar Grand Slam and was holding all four major titles -- in the final to win her first major title.And Kerbers year just kept getting better from there. In addition to winning the Aussie, she was runner-up (to Serena) at Wimbledon, won the title in her home country at Stuttgart, took silver (to Monica Puig) at the Olympics, took out Petra Kvitova, Roberta Vinci, Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova to win the US Open. She started 2016 ranked No. 10 in the world and finished ranked No. 1.For so many years in womens tennis, we had been looking for that person, who, like Serena, could follow up a great result at a Grand Slam. That player who could make a run to the semis or the final annd then back it up.ddddddddddddNobody had been able to do it. But Kerber was able to break that pattern. She backed it up beautifully. From start to finish -- from the Australian Open to the WTA Finals in Singapore, where she lost in the final -- she was the best player in 2016.I think a lot of her success can be traced to the offseason -- exactly this time last year. She stepped up her physical strength, her conditioning, her footwork. She became more professional in all the little details.But she also worked really hard on the emotional side. That was always the big question mark around Kerber over the years: Could she remain emotionally competent week in, week out, match in, match out. A lot of the time I sit courtside during matches, and I would see her get negative ... the way she would look up at her coach, Torben Beltz, the way she would get testy when the tide of a match would start to turn. In 2016, she had her best attitude -- her most consistent, professional attitude.She was just really grounded, really professional, really consistent, really good.Ive been thinking over the past few days about what we can expect from Kerber in 2017. And I dont see her going away. She passed so many tests in 2016, and she is such a veteran. She turns 29 next month, and shes been a top-10 player for years. I think we can look forward to more from Kerber. Another major? I dont see why not. Another No. 1 at the end of the year? I wouldnt put that past her, either.More on Angelique Kerber? Kerber and the power of positivity?Story ?? The spectacular renaissance of Angelique Kerber?Story ?? Kerber tops Serena to win Australian Open?Story ?The IMPACT25 is espnWs annual list of the 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest difference for women in sports. Explore the 2016 list and more content at espnW.com/IMPACT25. ' ' '