Wisconsin coach expecting well-coach Rebels team

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was on the Big Ten Conference teleconference this morning answering questions about the No. 12 Badgers' football game against UNLV on Saturday.

He said the Badgers were pretty healthy entering the 8 p.m. season opener at Sam Boyd Stadium, and that he expected face a well-coached team after Rebels coach Bobby Hauck's success at Montana, where he was 80-17.

Bielema made it clear this was no vacation for the Badgers, that the players would see the Strip for only 45 minutes. Previous coach Barry Alvarez let the players dine at a buffet.

"I'm not that bold," Bielema said.

He also talked about the improvement of his quarterback, Scott Tolzien.

"He's really taken his game to the next level," Bielema said. "He's ready to make a big jump. At times (previously) when he had bad plays, he was slow to respond. Now he moves on. Balancing the run game and the pass game will help him more because he knows what his strengths can be when we keep a defense off guard."