As Mark Hasty mentioned Friday, there is much pressure on the Wisconsin Badgers football team this fall. After a disappointing season a year ago, the heat is on to prove it was nothing but a fluke.To do so, Wisconsin will rely, in large part, on a "new" starting offensive backfield in 2009. 2008's starting running back, P.J. Hill, is gone. Also gone is the guy who started the season as the top quarterback, Allan Evridge.
At Saturday's Wisconsin spring game, we found that there could be a quarterback controversy later this summer. While Dustin Sherer, who finished last season as the starter, is penciled in as the guy for 2009, he could get some pressure from a youngster.
Curt Phillips, who opened spring practice as the No. 3 quarterback behind Scott Tolzien, capped a strong final week with a strong showing in the annual spring game Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.It makes sense for the coaches to anoint Phillips in this way. It's not a stretch to say that Wisconsin's quarterback play was very poor a season ago. The Badgers were at or near the bottom of the Big Ten in completion percentage, average yards per pass, and touchdown passes. Wisconsin may be forever a run-first outfit, but they know that such a lack of production through the air will do them no good.
If he makes similar progress in the summer it is conceivable he could push Sherer in camp.
"I like the fact he threw a couple strikes," coach Bret Bielema said of Phillips, who split time with Sherer running the No. 1 offense. "I think if you ask Curt where he is right now compared to a year ago . . . he's a lot further along."
Nothing motivates better than competition. If Bielema and his offensive staff can place Phillips in a position to be a legitimate competitor for the starting gig, it pushes Sherer to get better, while also pushing Phillips to improve, so he can perhaps win the job.
Meanwhile, Hill's departure leaves the running back position to be - presumably - filled by sophomore John Clay. The big, strong Wisconsin high school star ran for over 800 yards as a freshman, but isn't being handed the starting job just yet.
Clay has the physical talent to be a 1,500-yard rusher and first-team all-league pick. To do so, he must be more diligent about studying his playbook and watching his weight, which reached at least 250 pounds last season.Junior Zach Brown, who ran for over 500 yards and scored five times as a freshman in 2007, could compete with Clay for the starting job if Clay struggles with his weight.
