Perhaps the biggest question for the Wisconsin football team heading into this season was how well the young group of linebackers could fill the roles of graduated Badgers Alex Lewis and Jeff Mack. Through the first two games they have stepped up and proven they can do the job.
Although none of them had extensive game experience, first-year defensive coordinator Bret Bielema has been able to get the most out of his three starters: sophomore Mark Zalewski, sophomore Reggie Cribbs and junior Dontez Sanders.
\I think next week we should play even better,"" Sanders said. ""The linebackers are young and the defensive line is older so we are going to get together and play as a team more.""
The three of them were the top tacklers for the Badgers in their win over UNLV this past weekend, combining for 21 total tackles. Each of them can claim his own piece of the linebacking puzzle as they had a number of big plays Saturday.
""We communicate very well. We know where each other are going to be at certain times and I think we get along pretty well,"" Cribbs said.
Cribbs leads the Badgers in tackling this year. He has 10 total solo tackles already this season, including six this past weekend.
He also came up with quite possibly the biggest play of the game Saturday when he blocked a UNLV field goal which would have given the Rebels the lead. Instead, senior safety Jim Leonhard took advantage of Cribbs' big play and parlayed it into an 86-yard touchdown.
""I have no clue what happened,"" Cribbs said. ""I haven't been known for my incredible hopping abilities, but on that play I jumped and it hit my hand.""
Zalewski has been the strong, solid leader of the corps so far. He had 1.5 tackles for loss last week, including his sack of UNLV sophomore quarterback Shane Steichen which resulted in a safety and two points for the Badgers. It was his second sack of the season.
Sanders has been a loud, flashy, big-play caliber player, if only the whistles would stop calling back his big plays. He seems to be a factor on almost every play from scrimmage. He had seven tackles, broke up one pass and intercepted another, although it was eventually brought back because of a roughing-the-passer penalty.
""I just go out there and play fun,"" Sanders said. ""I don't worry about messing up or making mistakes.""
It was the second week in a row that Sanders had a big play called back. In the season opener he had a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown that was nixed after a replay showed his knee was down when he picked up the ball.
""It's two weeks in a row, but what can I do? I just go out there and play hard and hope next week that the whistle doesn't blow,"" Sanders said.
Sanders also made a key play Saturday in the second quarter when he broke up a first-down pass on UNLV's best drive of the day. At that point the Rebels were all the way down to the UW 16-yard line and if Sanders had not batted the ball away, the play very well may have been a touchdown.
The fact that the inexperienced linebackers have stepped up has been key for the Wisconsin defense, which has allowed just nine points and not a single touchdown through two games this season. Despite their success, the Badger defense knows they have not yet played their best game.
""I'm pleased [with how we've played]. But we feel there are ways that we can get a lot better,"" Zalewski said. ""We have to keep working.""
Sandwiched between an experienced front four and an experienced defensive backfield, the linebackers began the season as the team's biggest area of question. If they continue to come up with big answers, teams are going to have trouble putting points on the board all season.
