Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said football coach Bret Bielema’s firing of offensive line coach Mike Markuson after two games was “absolutely necessary.”

Writing in the school’s official magazine “Varsity” this week, Alvarez said he met with Bielema the morning after the Badgers’ 10-7 loss at Oregon State.

“It can’t be based on just one incident, one play or one game,” Alvarez said. “There has to be a build-up and reasons why this has to happen.”

In noting that in-season firings are extremely rare, Alvarez writes: “When it does happen, you know there are enough issues that a change had to be made.”

Alvarez said the Wisconsin offensive line has “two potential first-rounders and some good players.”

“But they have to know what they’re doing, they have to do it with confidence and they have to do it fast without any hesitation,” he said.

Offensive line play at Wisconsin is the football program’s “heart and soul.”

“I just want to see them play like we know they can play,” Alvarez said. “That’s what we want to see Saturday night.”

I will be at that game — Wisconsin (1-1) hosts Utah State at 7 p.m. Saturday — to provide our readers with a full report. The Badgers come to Nebraska in two weeks.