Wisconsin vs. Georgia Southern: Coach Clay Helton set to face Badgers for second time
MADISON – After suffering a stunning loss to host Washington State in Week 2, unranked Wisconsin has one more nonconference test before Big Ten play.
The Badgers (1-1) host Georgia Southern (2-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“I’m in the same boat as these guys,” UW coach Luke Fickell said of his players and the loss at Washington State. “Had a vision and the vision didn’t pan out. Now you’ve got to be able to go back and re-evaluate those things, humble yourself and move forward.”
Georgia Southern, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, has victories over the Citadel and Alabama Birmingham.
Fickell noted that last season the Eagles traveled to Lincoln and stunned Nebraska, 45-42. Nebraska head coach Scott Frost was fired the next day.
“Hopefully that is a (reminder) to all of us,” Fickell said. “You look around college football it is just the reality. If you don’t come to play, don’t play your best, then there is an opportunity for everybody every week.”
Here are a few things to know about Georgia Southern, which has never played UW:
Fired by USC, Clay Helton found a home at Georgia Southern
Clay Helton, 51, is in his second season as Georgia Southern’s head coach. UW fans might remember Helton was the head coach at USC in 2015 when the Badgers and Trojans met in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
Helton had been named interim head coach after Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence that season and was named full-time head coach on Nov. 30, 2015.
Joel Stave passed for 217 yards and a touchdown; Corey Clement rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown; linebacker Jack Cichy had sacks on three consecutive plays in the second half; and Rafael Gaglianone hit three field goals, including the game-winner from 29 yards in UW’s 23-21 victory.
Helton compiled a 39-19 overall mark over the next five seasons but was fired after a 1-1 start in 2021.
TJ Woods, Georgia Southern's offensive line coach, worked at Wisconsin under Gary Andersen for two seasons
When Gary Andersen took over as UW’s head coach in 2013, he brought several assistants with him. One was TJ Woods, who coached the Badgers offensive line in 2013 and 2014.
Woods has bounced around since then, coaching the offensive line at Oregon State (2015-2017), Western Kentucky (2018), Utah State (2019), UNLV (2020-2021) and is in his second season at Georgia Southern.
Georgia Southern won six FCS national titles
Georgia Southern’s first full season of football came in 1924 but play was suspended for World War II and the school didn’t bring back a team until the 1981 season.
The Eagles were an FCS independent from 1984-92 and then competed in the Southern Conference from 1993-2013. They won FCS national titles in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999 and 2000.
The Eagles moved up to the FBS level and the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Clay Helton set to lead Georgia Southern against Wisconsin
