The UW football team begins Big Ten play this Saturday against an Illinois team that has given the Badgers more than its share of problems over the past two seasons. The Illini embarrassed Wisconsin last year in Madison, defeating the Badgers 37-20 in convincing fashion.
Illinois is off to a slow start with a 1-3 record, including a 31-24 loss to California in Champaign last weekend. Despite Illinois' poor record, UW senior wide receiver Lee Evans knows it will not be an easy game.
\They've got a lot of athletes back there, they're very active and they move around a lot.??They pose a lot of problems for people,"" Evans said, ""They've played some teams down to the wire.""
UW's defense will be challenged by a versatile offense led by senior quarterback Jon Beutjer and his cast of talented receivers. Beutjer leads the Big Ten with 1137 yards passing and eight touchdowns. UW??Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove feels that Beutjer and the Illini offense are so effective because of all their options, something quite similar to that of Wisconsin.
""They've got a high-powered offense, they give you a lot of formations, they spread the ball around and it's not just one guy catching the ball,"" Cosgrove said.
""They have backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield which is unique. Not everybody has that luxury ... they got a pretty balanced offense.""
Senior linebacker Jeff Mack believes that UW can stop Illinois' potent attack if they stick to their game plan.
""Pretty much more than everything we have to stick to our assignments,"" Mack said. ""With a versatile offense such as Illinois, or any offense you play with that kind of firepower you have to just worry about your assignment alone.??Each one of the 11 guys on the defense has to worry about their assignment, therefore we can negate each weapon one at a time.""
While Illinois boasts a strong offense, the same can not be said of their defense.??A weak secondary has allowed more than 200 passing yards twice this season in only four games.
Even though the return of junior running back Anthony Davis is still questionable, the Badger offense is prepared for a shoot out if necessary. Senior quarterback Jim Sorgi will still have to prove that his dismal performance against UNLV was just a fluke and that UW's offense is still a strong point of the team. With the start of conference play , Sorgi and company will have to prove to fans that they are capable of finding their stride for an entire Big Ten season.
More significant than all the statistics and the countless hours that each team has prepared for the game, this is the start of the Big Ten season. This is where teams have to come together and Pasadena is the ultimate destination.??Seniors like Evans and Mack are no strangers to Big Ten play and how important this opening game is.
""It's crucial. You can't say enough about it,"" said Evans. ""It's vital to just get some momentum rolling and start it off.""
""Once you get into the Big Ten season the games just mean that much more.?? In conference play it's a grind, it's a long season, and you just have to be prepared.""
Mack provided the same enthusiasm as Evans and agreed that this weekend's game is a must-win.
""It's very important, especially being Illinois who creamed us the last two years,"" Mack said. ""We just want to come out there and play sound football, be very consistent with what we do, and hopefully pull one out down in Champaign.\
