Not only will Bulldog Stadium be home to two nationally ranked teams Saturday, but it also will host two of the best tight ends in the country.
Fresno State's Bear Pascoe and Wisconsin's Travis Beckum are candidates for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's best tight end at the end of the season.
They have some similarities and some differences.
"They have a fire that burns in their belly to be very good and very competitive on the field,"
said Wisconsin running backs coach John Settle, who used to coach the same position for the Bulldogs.
They are both seniors who are used heavily in their team's passing games, as well. Pascoe was the second-leading receiver for Fresno State in 2007, grabbing 45 passes for 553 yards and four touchdowns. Beckum finished the season with 75 receptions for 982 yards and six touchdowns and led his team in receiving ... by 45 catches.
Not only will Bulldog Stadium be home to two nationally ranked teams Saturday, but it also will host two of the best tight ends in the country.
Fresno State's Bear Pascoe and Wisconsin's Travis Beckum are candidates for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's best tight end at the end of the season.
They have some similarities and some differences.
"They have a fire that burns in their belly to be very good and very competitive on the field,"
said Wisconsin running backs coach John Settle, who used to coach the same position for the Bulldogs.
They are both seniors who are used heavily in their team's passing games, as well. Pascoe was the second-leading receiver for Fresno State in 2007, grabbing 45 passes for 553 yards and four touchdowns. Beckum finished the season with 75 receptions for 982 yards and six touchdowns and led his team in receiving ... by 45 catches.
Which brings us to their differences: Pascoe is a key threat in the passing game, but Beckum makes the Wisconsin passing game go.
"I'd probably cite his receiving skills over his blocking,"
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Beckum (6 feet, 4 inches and 235 pounds). "Not to say he's not a good blocker, but the thing that makes him so dangerous is that he has great size, speed, agility, gets open, catches the ball and runs well after the catch.
"Other than that he's an OK player."
Settle called Beckum, who lines up on the line of scrimmage and off the line as an H-back, an athletic player who "runs like a receiver"
but can also help block in the run game.
Said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema of the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Pascoe: "They use him to get open in short yardage, goal-line and third-down conversions. He does a great job of using his body to shield off defenders and being able to make plays."
The main difference between the two players this season is that Pascoe has played and Beckum has not.
Pascoe caught three passes for 24 yards against Rutgers.
Beckum missed the Badgers' first two games because of a hamstring injury. But that should change this week.
Beckum nearly played last week against Marshall, but clearly wasn't needed as the Badgers dismantled the Thundering Herd 51-14. Instead, Beckum inadvertently showed how healthy he was in his support for his teammates.
Bielema said there was a play in which backup tight end Lance Kendricks caught a pass and you could see Beckum running stride for stride with him down the sideline.
Beckum practiced with his team this week and told Wisconsin papers Tuesday that if the game had been played Tuesday, he would have competed. Beckum was not made available to The Bee.
Outside linebacker Kyle Knox is one of several Bulldogs who could end up covering Beckum on his pass routes and Knox gave Beckum credit for being a talented tight end.
"But if I stick to my technique, I should be able to defend him,"
Knox said. "Going up against Bear and just our linebacking corps has instilled in my mind that nothing can stop me from doing what I want."
