Following the disappointment of a 5-7 season in 2001-UW's first losing season since 1995-the 2003 spring game could and should have marked a return to normalcy. Instead, the meaningless scrimmage will forever be looked upon as one of the lowest points in Badger football history: senior receiver Lee Evans, coming off a phenomenal season in which he obliterated both the Wisconsin and Big Ten receiving records, came down awkwardly on his left knee and tore a ligament. In that moment, Evans' season ended before it started and UW was forced to enter the year without its best playmaker.
UW sorely missed Evans in 2002, especially during the Big Ten season, but even with some struggles, the Badgers' very green wide receiving corps performed better than anyone could have asked. Then redshirt freshman Jonathan Orr assumed the role of go-to receiver early on, playing particularly well during the non-conference season. Under the lights at UNLV in only his second game, Orr demanded the nation's attention, catching seven balls for 150 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
The next week against West Virginia, Orr continued his stellar play by catching two more touchdowns, but it was his teammate and fellow freshman wideout Brandon Williams who was most impressive. The pint-sized Williams caught six balls for 125 yards, proving to be nearly impossible to cover.
As the season went on both Orr and Williams continued to play exceptionally well, with Orr accumulating a team high 872 receiving yards and Williams a team high 52 receptions, both UW freshmen records. After the season, both players were named second-team freshman All-American and first-team freshman All-Big Ten by The Sporting News.
Great freshman seasons notwithstanding, neither Orr nor Williams could account for the loss of Evans' clutch receiving, as several winnable games-Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State-slipped through the receivers' (and UW's) hands on last-effort drives. The difference between a 2-6 and 6-2 conference record was a lot smaller than one would think.
With Evans back this year, the Badgers' receivers are arguably the envy of the nation, and certainly the best in the Big Ten. Williams, who added much-needed muscle to his wiry frame, plays like no other receiver UW has seen during the Alvarez regime. At 5'11\ and 170 pounds, Williams possesses a frightening combination of lateral quickness and straight-ahead speed that makes him UW's best receiver after the catch and the most fun to watch. He can turn a two-yard screen pass into a 15 yard gain just as he can haul in a 30 yard bomb.
In regards to his offseason, Williams said, ""I think I got a lot stronger and a lot quicker. I'll be able to do a little bit more.""
Orr, 6'3"" and 190 pounds, was UW's second-best playmaker last year behind junior running back Anthony Davis, and possesses a great knack for both catching over the middle and beating his man deep. His freshman season would have been nearly perfect if it had not been for his periodically unsure hands. However, with Orr's confidence reportedly high as the season starts, look for less drops during his sophomore season.
Junior wideout Darrin Charles has been somewhat of a mystery during his first two years as a Badger, as he has continually fought through injury and inconsistency, but nobody questions his talent. Without Charles' gutsy performance against No. 14 Colorado at the Alamo Bowl, UW probably would have lost.
In San Antonio, Charles caught five balls for 67 yards, including a touchdown and a 28-yard reception on fourth down with less than a minute left in the game that led to the tying touchdown. The catch was perhaps the toughest, and certainly the most important, of the season and could very well propel Charles into a positive 2003. Towering over defensive backs at 6'6"", Charles is an ideal target in the endzone as well as everywhere else on the field. Senior quarterback Jim Sorgi and offensive coordinator Brian White just need to find a way to incorporate the talented junior into the passing game.
While Williams, Orr and Charles will all play gigantic roles in helping UW get back to the prominence it enjoyed in the late 1990s, none are as important to the team's success as Evans. When the game is on the line with time running out and when a team needs to put together a drive, the quarterback needs a receiver he can count on to make the play. And as good as the other three UW receivers are, none have proven yet that they can assume that responsibility. Thankfully, Evans has.
One need look no further than last week's win at West Virginia: Battling impressive fan noise, a determined Mountaineer team and themselves, the Badgers fell down by 10 points late in the third quarter. After kicking a field goal to get within a touchdown, the Badgers drove deep into West Virginia territory, finding themselves on third down with 12 yards to go at the Mountaineer 20. As Sorgi dropped back, there could really only have been one option in the back of his mind: Even though pressure from West Virginia made it impossible to see Evans, he threw it in his direction. Evans went up for the 50-50 ball, snatched it away from the helpless defensive back and 20 yards later, the game was tied.
With the return of Evans, Alvarez said, ""You add one of the top five football players in the country to your offense and to your team, as well as the productivity that he can bring.""
This is what the Badgers lacked last year, and with it back-and with three serious other weapons at its disposal-look for them to win those close games that they lost last year.
