Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

	Jeff Hanisch-US Presswire
	Badgers cornerback Jay Valai will likely get a loud reaction from Ohio State fans on Saturday.

Visiting players rarely get a welcoming committee in Columbus, but Ohio State fans likely will direct some extra venom toward Wisconsin safety Jay Valai on Saturday afternoon (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). After all, Valai knocked out two Ohio State players (wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and running back Dan Herron) from last year's game at Camp Randall Stadium with vicious hits. Valai's reputation for big hits is well known around the Big Ten -- the 5-9, 201-pound safety fully admits he has "little-man syndrome." While Valai still loves to lower his shoulder, he has tried to play more under control this season. His next challenge is finding a way to slow down Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who led the Buckeyes' game-winning drive a year ago in Madison.

One of the league's more colorful personalities, Valai checked in this week to discuss the matchup in Columbus.

You know they're having Jay Valai appreciation day down there in Columbus, right?

Jay Valai: [Laughs] I think I'm going to get flowers and roses as I walk into the stadium.

Obviously, it was a tough loss for you guys last year, but any time you go against these guys, do you get more excited?

JV: This is a historic program, so any time you go against them, it's going to be a fun thing. Great players like Terrelle Pryor and the guys they have on offense over there, it's going to be fun.

How would you rate the defense's performance to this point in the season:

JV: Good so far. It seems like close to the end of the games, we need to improve. We'll be good for three quarters, and then about five or six minutes [left] in the fourth, we've been breaking down and not able to finish it off. Once we play a complete game, we'll be playing pretty good on defense.

I know finishing was a big theme for the entire team during the offseason. Is it a matter of hammering that point home even more now?

JV: It's finished the way we wanted to [in terms of the score], but just not how we wanted to. That's the major thing, just not letting it get that far, having that mentality to step on their throat to finish the game.

I know you're a guy who likes to hit people. How do you approach tackling Terrelle Pryor?

JV: First, you've got to pray, and then you come with a full head of speed and come with all you've got. He's a great football player. You've got to go low and watch that stiff-arm. He's embarrassed a lot of people doing that. He's a great football player, so you've just got to come with it every time.

From watching Ohio State this year, is there anything different that you've noticed with Terrelle or the offense? It's his second year, and you guys last faced him when he was very young in his career.

JV: Yeah, he's a lot more confident in knowing what to do, and he's a lot more savvy. He's got great athletic ability, so we've just got to stay on our keys and be ready to go against him.

You guys have done a great job this year of being opportunistic and creating turnovers. Anything different in terms of that aspect?

JV: We're just in position to make plays and playing aggressive football and playing as one unit. When I was on the field last year, I didn't know about the one-unit thing. I didn't know what it meant. The way we've been playing now, I really see a big difference with our defense.

A lot of your fans feel you should be ranked at 5-0. How do you feel about it?

JV: I don't care about the rankings because I know we're playing Ohio State this weekend. If you start thinking about the rankings and you lose this game, then you would have dropped out anyway. You wouldn't have to worry about it any more. Playing Ohio State is first and foremost in our minds.

You guys have a lot of experience in the secondary now. Do you guys bond together even closer for a tough road game like this one?

JV: We have each other's backs, man. We're going in there by ourselves, basically. We'll have a couple fans there, but not too many of them, obviously. It's going to be our backs against the wall. You're going to stay there and get beat up, or you're going to fight back. I think our defense and the whole team is going to go out there and fight and be confident in ourselves.

What area of your game have you tried to improve the most for this season?

JV: Playing in control, not being crazy on the football field. I'm not going to lie to you, last year, my mentality, I just wanted to hit everything I see and try to kill everything I see. Now I'm playing more in control of myself and letting the hits come to me. It's paying off. I'm playing within myself, and the defense as a whole, Mike Taylor's our leading tackler and about six or seven of us are within 12 tackles of him. So we're really playing as one unit, all together.

Has there been a time this year where you've shown more control instead of trying to take someone's head off?

JV: A good instance of that would be ... [long pause] ... the Michigan State game, with their big tight end [Dion Sims], he's a big freshman, about 6-6, 6-7. Last year, I would see if I could pop his head off because he was that big and that strong. But making a simple tackle and bringing him down for a 1-yard or 2-yard catch, it's a big difference from last year, I know that much. Last year, I could have hit him and he could have bounced off and kept running. But just wrapping up and finishing it off and being smart, it's helped out a lot.

Any final message for the Ohio State fans?

JV: It's going to be a show, man. It's going to be fun. I just can't wait to go against them.