The Badgers' motto all season has been 1-0. The goal is to go 1-0 in every game they play, and it is a motto that sophomore quarterback John Stocco has preached in every postgame interview this year.
\Our only goal is to be 1-0,"" Stocco said. ""The whole team, we know we can get a lot better, but we just have to be 1-0.""
Granted, the team has gone 1-0 in all five games so far this season, but it seems as though the successful defense and individual performances from senior running back Anthony Davis and junior fullback Matt Bernstein have overshadowed the mediocre play from Stocco.
The Badger defense has been dominant this season. Saturday was the fifth game in a row in which it held its opponent to seven points or less, something the Badgers have not done since they did it over the last seven games of the 1951 season.
Saturday, junior linebacker Dontez Sanders and sophomore linebacker Reggie Cribbs combined for 23 tackles, including two Sanders sacks. In three combined tackles-for-loss, the two took 21 yards away from Illinois.
The only points given up by the stingy defense came after the Badgers' only turnover, a blind-sided sack that forced Stocco to fumble the ball.
Anthony Davis compiled 250 yards of offense against Illinois, 143 more than the rest of the offense combined, and scored all three of Wisconain's touchdowns.
So did his return to the backfield make Stocco's job any easier?
""A.D. has been a big part of this offense the last two years,"" Stocco said. ""I don't know if it made it easier. I just have to play my game regardless of who's in there.""
Unsure if he made it any easier? Davis scored more touchdowns in Saturday's game than opposing offenses have scored against Wisconsin all season.
Not only was he the Badgers' leading rusher, but he was the leading receiver. Stocco completed just six passes to wide receivers on Saturday.
Stocco has thrown as many touchdown passes this season as Davis scored Saturday. He also has as many interceptions as touchdowns. He has completed 56 of 117 pass attempts this year, just a 48-percent completion percentage.
""As long as we win, I don't care. It just doesn't matter to me,"" Stocco said when asked if he needed his completion percentage to eclipse the 50 percent mark. ""I just need to keep getting better and keep winning games.""
So why, in a city full of fans who have loved to hate their team's quarterback, do people seem to think that Stocco is playing well?
Last year, Jim Sorgi completed 57 percent of his passes, throwing almost two touchdowns for every interception, and many called for a change under center. Yet Stocco's job seems to be secure.
""I thought John made very good decisions,"" Head Coach Barry Alvarez said. ""I thought he made a couple of very good throws and checked some things down. I thought he played better.""
The sophomore's 99 yards Saturday marked the lowest output of the year, as he hit the top two receivers on the depth chart, juniors Brandon Williams and Jonathan Orr, just three times for 13 yards.
The best thing that Stocco has been able to do is limit interceptions. He has only been intercepted once outside the Penn State game.
""The one thing that has been underappreciated of John Stocco is that he has been able to get rid of the ball a lot,"" offensive coordinator Brian White said.
That may be the only real reason to really appreciate John Stocco this year. That said, at least he realizes that he needs to get better.
""All I care about is winning games, but at the same time I know personally that I can get a lot better,"" he said.
However, it is hard to believe that freshmen Tyler Donovan and Marcus Randle El could not hand the ball off to Davis just as well as Stocco, and they could probably complete nearly 50 percent of their passes.
The next two weekends, with games at Ohio State and Purdue, should provide Stocco and the Badgers with their biggest challenges of the season. Davis should be able to do some damage against the two opponents; however, if Stocco does not show improvement, it may be time to look at other options.
