"Its a big game for us.

MADISON, Wis. cheap jerseys . -- Several schools tried to lure Gary Andersen away from Utah State. Wisconsin finally got him. Andersen was officially hired as the Badgers new coach Thursday, and will be formally introduced at a news conference Friday morning. He replaces Bret Bielema, who left the Badgers for Arkansas this month. "I dont know if I can really have a word for how excited I am to be at Wisconsin and have this opportunity," Andersen said in a video on Wisconsins website. "I know Im humbled, I know Im blessed." The 48-year-old Andersen just completed his fourth and best season at Utah State. The 18th-ranked Aggies finished 11-2 with a bowl victory against Toledo and won the Western Athletic Conference. One of those losses was at Wisconsin, where the Aggies missed a 37-yard field goal in the final seconds to allow the Badgers to escape with a 16-14 win. Its been a remarkable rise for a program that had been near the bottom of major college football for years, and stuck in distant third in its own state behind BYU and Utah. The Aggies won nine games in the previous four seasons before Andersen took over. The last football coach to finish his tenure in Logan, Utah, with a winning record was Phil Krueger who went 21-12 from 1973-75. Andersen drew interest from California, Colorado and Kentucky last month, but decided to pass on those opportunities and received a contract extension from Utah State. When Wisconsin called, however, Andersen couldnt resist. "It all came together," he said in a video on Wisconsins website. "By no means was I sitting out there going, Ive got to have a job, Ive got to have a job. But as soon as this one popped open, to me, this was a special, special place." Before Andersen left Logan, Utah, however, he called his players -- all 107 of them -- so they would hear the news that he was leaving from him and not on TV or Twitter. "I couldnt tell them yet that I had taken the job," Andersen told UWBadgers.com. "But I told them if I was offered the job I was going to take the job. There were a bunch of tears and hard conversations." Andersen replaces Bielema, who left Wisconsin on Dec. 4, three days after the Badgers routed Nebraska to win the Big Ten title and a school-record third straight trip to the Rose Bowl. Athletic director Barry Alvarez has agreed to coach Wisconsin in the bowl at the request of the players. Though the Badgers 8-5 record going into the Rose Bowl is their worst since 2008, Andersen is inheriting a team loaded with talent through Wisconsin will lose Montee Ball, who set the major college record for career touchdowns this year and tied the single-season mark last year, along with linebacker Mike Taylor and standout defensive backs Marcus Cromartie and Devin Smith. The Badgers still have James White or Melvin Gordon, who rushed for a total of almost 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jared Abbrederis has led the Badgers in receiving each of the last two seasons, and Joel Stave showed promise before the freshman broke his collarbone. Disruptive linebacker Chris Borland, who is second with 4 1/2 sacks and 95 tackles despite missing two games, also is expected back. And while this will be Andersens first job in the Midwest, one Big Ten opponent has no doubt he can succeed. When Alvarez was considering Andersen, he called Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who had Andersen on his staff at Utah in 2004, when the Utes went 12-0 and won the Fiesta Bowl. "(Meyer has) had some very good assistants," Alvarez said on UWBadgers.com. "Urban told me that Gary is in the top five of all of them; hes the real deal. I said, Would he fit here? Would he fit in the Big Ten? He said, Absolutely." cheap nfl jerseys . -- After losing centre Roy Hibbert to an injury after the first half, the Indiana Pacers turned to their defence, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Pendergraph. wholesale jerseys . So much for an NFC title game hangover. Smith tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brett Swain on the opening possession, backup Colin Kaepernick ran 78 yards for a score on the next and the 49ers breezed past the Minnesota Vikings 17-6 Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding his chances to play against New England this weekend. After returning to practice Wednesday for the first time in nearly three weeks since spraining his right knee, Jackson said the next test is seeing how his leg feels once he wakes up on Thursday. "I felt OK about practice today. That was good," Jackson said. "I think whats going to determine more than anything is how Im feeling like the next day. If I can come out here and continue to work, thatll help get me better. But if I wake up tomorrow and its swollen or too sore to do anything, then thats going to set me back." Despite his concerns, Jackson stuck to the prediction he made on Monday, when saying hes 70 to 75 per cent certain hell be ready to play on Sunday. The Bills (2-1) could certainly use him in preparing for an early season showdown against their AFC East rival Patriots (2-1). With Jackson out since a season-opening 48-24 loss at the New York Jets on Sept. 9, Buffalos running attack took another blow after C.J. Spiller hurt his left shoullder in a 24-14 win at Cleveland last weekend. wholesale nfl jerseys. Spiller missed practice on Wednesday, and is considered to have an outside chance to play against New England. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin did not practice with what the team listed as a groin injury. Jackson said he felt only a little pain after practicing on a limited basis. He did experience some difficulty while cutting on the turf, and said he also needs to become more comfortable wearing a brace. The Bills have relied on their running attack to win the past two games. Buffalo ranks third in the NFL with 534 yards rushing. Though initially projected to miss about a month, Jackson has been eager to return earlier in part because of the injury to Spiller and a chance to face the Patriots. "Its the Patriots, we need all guys on deck to go out there and get a win for us," Jackson said. "Its a big game for us. But at the same time, Ive got to be smart and make sure Im out there able to make plays for my team." Tashard Choice, who had 91 yards rushing against Cleveland, would take over as the starter if Jackson and Spiller cant play. cheap jerseys ' ' '