Coaches Corner: Gilmore knows trouble Trojans can cause for UW
December 29, 2015 | Football, Mike Lucas
Badgers’ first-year receivers coach is a former USC assistant
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
SAN DIEGO — While breaking down film of the USC defense, Wisconsin wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore admitted, "You have a moment when you reminisce."
Gilmore was not only an assistant on the 2011 USC staff, but he did his job so well, so efficiently, that he was named the Wide Receivers Coach of the Year by a FootballScoop voting panel.
Robert Woods and Marqise Lee had a big say in the vote. Woods had 111 catches for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns; Lee had 73 for 1,143 and 11 TDs.
Woods and Lee combined to average more than 200 receiving yards per game. The triggerman wasn't half bad, either. Matt Barkley completed 69 percent of his throws for 3,528 yards.
This season's starting quarterback for USC, Cody Kessler, was redshirting as a true freshman in 2011. So was the starting nose guard, Antwaun Woods, a stocky 6-foot-1, 320-pound beefeater.
Gilmore is familiar with Kessler and Woods and some of the other fifth-year seniors. Moreover, he's familiar with the type of player that the Trojans annually recruit and attract.
"We worked extremely hard in recruiting — that's the lifeline of that program," Gilmore said. "We probably spent more time in recruiting than anywhere I've ever been."
Gilmore recruited the Midwest and Northeast for USC head coach Lane Kiffin. The question that he often asked of himself on a prospect was, "Is he a first-rounder (in the NFL) or not?"
In good times or bad, the Trojans have always targeted special athletes.
"You're recruiting a kid," Gilmore said, "who thinks he is the best, whether or not he is."
Because of NCAA sanctions in 2011, the 10-2 Trojans were not allowed to play in the Pac-12 championship game or a bowl. In the final AP poll, they were ranked No. 6.
After that season, Gilmore took a job with the Oakland Raiders.
"I had turned it down on two other occasions," he said. "And I told my wife, 'I need to find out. I need to know one way or another why they're still asking.'"
After three seasons with the Raiders, Gilmore joined Paul Chryst's staff at Wisconsin.
On Wednesday night, Gilmore will no doubt take the opportunity during the warmups to seek out Clay Helton, who was named Southern Cal's head coach on Nov. 30.
Up until then, Helton had been the interim head coach, a title that he held since early October when the school fired Steve Sarkisian for "conduct that did not meet USC's standard or expectations."
When Gilmore was coaching the receivers in 2011, Helton was coaching the quarterbacks.
"First and foremost, he's a guy who cares about his players, all the players, not just his position players," Gilmore said of Helton, the son of Kim Helton, a former NFL assistant and college head coach.
"He's good people. He comes from a coaching family. It's in his blood."
Helton didn't waste any time reshaping his Southern Cal staff. At the end of the regular season, he dismissed his defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, secondary coach and offensive line coach. Grad assistant coaches and football staffers will fill the void created by the firings for the Holiday Bowl.
With so much uncertainty, Gilmore was sure of one thing. "Clay will do a terrific job," he said.
Gilmore definitely knows what his wide receivers will get from the USC defensive backs.
"Like I tell my guys, 'You're going to get some prideful young men that are going to come with a swag about them, if you will, and you'll have to show them, 'I'm here to compete as well,'" he said.
"They're a very athletic group, especially at the corners."
On one corner is Iman Marshall (6-2, 200), a true freshman from Long Beach. Marshall is the fourth-leading tackler and tied for the team lead with three interceptions. As a unit, they have 14 picks.
On the other corner is Adoree Jackson (5-11, 185), a sophomore from Belleville, Illinois. Jackson has drawn comparisons to Charles Woodson with his play on defense, offense and special teams.
Jackson is also an Olympic-caliber long jumper.
"It will be a great challenge for us," Gilmore said.
How long will it take for him to find out if his UW receivers are ready for it?
"When they make the first contested play," he said, "because we're going to see a lot of tight coverage. Can we win at the line of scrimmage? That has been our challenge with the guys.
"I told them, 'They're going to get in your face. Can we get open?' We have to adjust to game speed as soon as we can because obviously we can't simulate that with the scouts.
"We're going to have to prove early that we can win (those individual battles)."
Junior wide receiver Robert Wheelwright, in particular, will have to get up to speed. He's been out of action since late October when he broke his fibula in the second half at Illinois.
Wheelwright went to the sideline with 28 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns, still a team high. And despite missing four full games, he's still the third-leading receiver for the Badgers.
"I know everything happens for a reason but sitting out hurts," he said. "My whole goal was to get healthy and get back out there as soon as possible to help my team out."
Wheelwright credited Gilmore for serving as a driving force in his rehab.
"He helped me get through it," Wheelwright said. "He has given me a lot of confidence."
He will need it Wednesday. Wheelwright called USC's cornerbacks "agile" and "athletic."
"They're not as aggressive as Iowa's," he said. "But they really use their speed to their advantage. I've watched (on film) how fast they can recover to different types of routes."
How will Gilmore utilize Wheelwright considering his long layoff?
"It's going to be one of those things early in the game where I'll have to really watch him," he said. "Each day, he has been getting better. But he's still shaking the rust off.
"He still feels that he's ready to pick up where he left off (against Illinois)."
That prompted this warning from Gilmore.
"We just have to calm the emotions," he said, "when he gets back out there."
Gilmore will also keep close tabs on sophomore receiver Jazz Peavy.
"He's getting stronger mentally, which is huge for him," Gilmore said. "He's a lot like Rob in my opinion. When something goes bad, he has to be able to flush it and not let it affect him.
"We're making strides in that area. With Rob going down (with the injury), with him (Peavy) getting more reps, I think he felt like, 'I belong. I can do this.' Which is a good thing.
"I'm anxious to see how he accepts the challenge playing in this ballgame."
Gilmore knows what he will get out of senior Alex Erickson, UW's leading receiver.
"He continues to work," he said. "He continues to try and improve."
Given his Raiders background, Gilmore was asked about Erickson's pro aspirations.
"Right place, right time — timing — all of that comes into play," he said. "I will say this, he's a young man who will be able to handle the grind, and that is a grind at that level.
"It's a long season and not all of those kids can handle that. But he has the work ethic. He has the professionalism. And he'll make it extremely hard for a team to not keep him."
Gilmore used the same term — professionalism — in conjunction with wide receiver Jordan Fredrick, who has rarely gotten sustained playing time during his senior year.
"This has been tough on him," Gilmore acknowledged. "But he comes to work every single day. He has been a professional. I'm very proud of him. A lesser man may have handled it differently."
The Badgers will need a man-sized effort out of all of their wide receivers against the Trojans.
"Coach (Paul) Chryst calls the plays," Wheelwright reasoned. "But we make the plays."
Can they make enough?
"They're not satisfied," Gilmore said of his position group. "They want to continue to get better. They know there's so much more that we can still do because we're still leaving plays out there."
But can they win the contested ones? Gilmore figures to find out sooner than later Wednesday.
