On Saturday we saw a team that played with a fire and intensity that had been lacking all season, especially on defense.  Yes they were playing for a championship, but they played with less intensity against Indiana to get into this game.  Pure talent got them past Indiana and the same was true against Michigan when a missing Kosta was on their minds.

I believe the impact of Kosta's funeral on Wednesday bonded this group of young men closer than anyone could have imagined.  Most of these young men played for championships before, either last year and/or in high school.  Few went through an experience of losing a teammate.

To me, that's why we saw a complete team on Saturday with everyone on both sides of the ball playing at a higher level.  Was part of it better coaching, probably, but when "Holy Shit" comes out of Fickell's mouth he knows that's the players effort, not coaching.  With the intesity level of hitting taken to a higher level by everyone, from seniors on defense to true freshman on the kickoff team, something else motivated these players.

Would they have beaten Wisconsin on talent alone on Saturday night?  I believe so, but playing the  way they had been would have seen a result like 28-21, 28-14, etc. which wouldn't have been enough to get them into the playoffs.

So I believe the Silver & Gray lining of Kosta Karageorge's death is it bonded his teammates together and pushed them into the playoffs.