Canada and Bielema had issues over control of the offense

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With Paul Chryst leaving to take the head coaching job at Pitt after the 2011 season, Bielema, a defensive coach by trade, got more involved with the offense in 2012, at times overruling Canada’s plays and dismissing some of his ideas for sets, sources close to the program told the newspaper.

The butting of heads came to a head prior to the Big Ten title game, where Canada stood up to the coach and wanted control of the offense. He got that chance, and the result was a 640-yard outing by his unit, including 539 on the ground, in the 70-31 pasting of Nebraska. The Badgers ran plays and formations they had not used all season.

Canada acknowledged the meeting happened but downplayed the significance, saying, “There wasn't any clearing of the air."

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Part of the reason Canada was reluctant to be so bold early on was that he had a healthy respect for the success that the Badgers’ offense had gained in recent seasons with a punishing running attack. So when he came on the job, he thought doing things the same way would work, until they didn’t. It showed on the field with a 3-2 start, including too-close-for-comfort wins in that stretch against Northern Iowa and Utah State. Standing up for what he believed in resulted in a third straight Rose Bowl bid for the team. "That was a special night," he said of the win earlier this month vs. Nebraska. "No doubt about it."

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