In the Badgers' upcoming battle against Northwestern this Saturday, junior quarterback Matt Schabert will not only have to prove himself worthy of a starting nod to the fans and coaches, but more importantly he will have to obtain the confidence of his teammates.
Schabert has seen limited action in his three years in Madison, but an injury to Jim Sorgi catapulted Schabert to starter this week. With no career starts, Schabert will have to rely on his instincts and the little experience he has seen this season. Even though he has never started, Schabert believes that being able to take some snaps the past two games is a big confidence builder.
\I think that it's huge these last couple of weeks getting in and especially in as big of games as they were, against Purdue and Ohio State, it's definitely going to help,"" Schabert said.
With the team just getting used to Sorgi's style of play, the players will have to adjust to another quarterback and distinguish the differences between the two. The offensive line and the wide receivers are most affected by the change, but senior wide receiver Lee Evans expressed confidence in Schabert.
""He's stepped up big in many situations and played the game, and played effectively,"" Evans said. ""He's been around awhile and he knows the offense and he knows how to execute it.""
In Schabert's first extended action this season, it was Evans who was on the receiving end of a 79 yard touchdown bomb that eventually beat defending national champion Ohio State two weeks ago.
When asked if Evans has to adjust his game to better fit Schabert's strengths and weaknesses it was evident that the star receiver will play the same as he does every weekend regardless of who is throwing him the ball.
""Certain quarterbacks throw certain routes better than others, but that has nothing to do with me and the way I have to play,"" Evans said. ""When you can take advantage of something, then you do. If you have someone who throws the ball well down field then we have to get downfield. If he's better underneath than we have to get underneath, but I don't adjust my game at all.""
Being a senior and team leader, Evans knows that it is his job to calm Schabert down before the game and he knows what he is going to tell him.
""Just calm down and play,"" Evans said. ""He's played before so he knows how to handle that much, but in the whole flow of the game when we don't have the momentum and things aren't going as we expected to, then you just have to settle him down and tell him to play the game.""
UW Quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton may have the toughest job of preparing Schabert both physically and mentally for his first start, but he believes Schabert has what it takes to succeed.
""With the success he had against Ohio State and against Purdue last week, guys have started to believe in him and they know he can find a way to help them win,"" Horton said. ""We also understand that Matt doesn't need to be the all-star out there, he has a lot of good players out there and he just needs to manage the game.""
With experience under his belt, Schabert's only obstacle left is to gain the confidence of his teammates, but it looks as if that has already been accomplished.
""We all respect him and we know what to expect out of him,"" Evans said.
