You could make a case that Wisconsin had the greatest running back and quarterback tandem in college football history. Quarterback Russell Wilson broke the season passer rating record, and tailback Montee Ball tied the season record for touchdowns. The Badgers were the first team to ever have a player run for 30 TDs, and another player pass for 30 TDs.
Production like that will no doubt attract attention for the offensive coordinator, and Paul Chryst parlayed the astronomical numbers he generated into a new head coaching gig at Pittsburgh.
Today, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema named Matt Canada his replacement.
Canada (You gotta love a guy with a nation as his last name) will be the Badgers’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Canada spent last season in the same role at Northern Illinois, helping the Huskies to an 11-3 record, a MAC championship (their first in almost 30 years) and a victory in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
“Matt has a terrific history as an offensive coordinator and has excelled at developing quarterbacks throughout his career,” Bielema said. “I know he is very excited about running a pro-style offense and handling a game the way we typically have at Wisconsin. I think this is a great hire for us and I can’t wait for him to get to work with our coaches and players.”
Last season, Canada worked for former Badger defensive coordinator Dave Doeren and directed one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Northern Illinois finished among the top 12 in the country in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. The Huskies joined Wisconsin as two of the five teams in the country to average at least 230.0 yards rushing and passing last season.
NIU’s quarterback, Chandler Harnish, finished ninth in the country in total offense, averaging 328.2 yards per game. He ended his career as the best QB in NIU history, and projects to be a round 4-6 NFL Draft prospect.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
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