Badgers players claim they wouldn’t even be thinking about Aranda if the media didn’t continue to ask about him. They know from first-hand experience that the coach will make an enormous impact on LSU’s defense, but it only makes sense for UW’s offensive players to focus on those they’ll actually line up against Saturday.

“Through camp last year, we weren’t worried about Coach Aranda tackling us or Coach Aranda making a spin move on our tackle and getting to the quarterback,” UW senior running back Dare Ogunbowale said. “That was (Joe) Schobert. That was (Michael) Caputo. It’s the guys in the huddle that you know are going to be out there making the plays.”

The defensive players, of course, were the ones with a closer relationship with Aranda. Biegel and others, though, said they’ve separated out that emotion when preparing for Saturday’s game.

They may not have the opportunity to meet with Aranda until after the game, and perhaps the Badgers prefer it that way.

“At the end of the day, we’re just focused on the opponent,” UW safety D’Cota Dixon said. “Coach Aranda’s not on the field. He’s a great coach and he’s a great play-caller, but at the end of the day, it’s about executing our job and executing the game plan. That’s what we’re focused on.”