With 13 starters lost to graduation, the Badgers will need players to step up and take bigger roles. Four-year starter Anthony Davis and his 4,676 rushing yards have gone to play in the NFL. Junior running back Brian Calhoun, who transferred two years ago but was forced to sit out a year due to NCAA rules, will have to immediately step in and become the focal point of the offense. The Badger brass love his running ability, but are even more impressed with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Coach Barry Alvarez never really used Davis as a pass catcher, so Calhoun's ability will add a new element to the offense. With three starters and their combined nine seasons of starting experience gone to the NFL, the offensive line will look to junior tackle Joe Thomas for leadership. Thomas was an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection this season. Thomas, 6'8\ and 303 pounds, has the physical tools to be one of the best linemen in the conference this year. However, the player who probably has to step up the most is...
With last year's dominating defense, Stocco was able to get by with efficient game management despite issues with consistency and accuracy. However, this season, the coaches will ask a lot more from the Richfield, Minn., native. His position was up for grabs in camp this year, but Stocco held off sophomore Tyler Donovan. He will have to have more games like last year's Minnesota contest for this year's squad to be successful. Against the Gophers, Stocco went 19 of 26 for 297 yards with one TD pass and two more rushing in a 38-14 victory. He will have plenty of weapons with senior wideouts Brandon Williams and Jonathan Orr, senior tight end Owen Daniels and Calhoun.
Last year, the Falcons' high-flying offense put up an astounding 44.3 points and 506.3 yards of total offense per game. All talk about Bowling Green begins with junior QB Omar Jacobs. He led the nation with 41 TD passes and finished second with 4,002 yards passing while only throwing four interceptions. Despite playing in the mid-major Mid-American Conference, there is buzz surrounding Jacobs as a possible Heisman candidate this season. However, there is more to the Falcon attack than just Jacobs. Senior wide receivers Charles Sharon and Steve Sanders made 121 catches for 2,054 yards and 23 TDs. Senior running back P.J. Pope gained his second straight 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,098 and catching another 490 yards, while scoring 21 total TDs.
With such a supercharged passing attack coming to Madison for the season opener, the Badger defense will rely heavily on its secondary. The problem is that three of last year's starters graduated, and the other back, Brett Bell, tore his ACL in January. Bell was an honorable mention all-Big Ten pick last year when he made 64 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups for a pass defense that ranked seventh in the country. The question mark rests not with his abilities, but his health. ACL injuries typically take six to nine months to fully recover. Bell has been in camp since June after working hard to get ready for the season and has been rewarded with the team's captainship. Complicating the health issue is the fact that Bell had the same injury his senior year in high school and was also forced to take a medical redshirt in 2003 for a shoulder injury. Bell will need to be healthy if the Badgers are to shut down the Falcons' aerial attack.
The strength of last year's dominant defense was undoubtedly the defensive line. All four starters were seniors and all will be playing on Sundays this season. Despite the losses, Alvarez believes there is enough talent and experience to be successful. Sophomore end Jamal Cooper will be called on the lead the inexperienced line. Last year, the undersized Badger (6'4"", 217 lbs.) filled in admirably whenever one of the starters went down, even starting against Northwestern. He finished the season with two sacks and five tackles for loss. In the big win against Purdue, he forced one fumble and recovered another. For his great play, Cooper was named the team's defensive rookie of the year. The team suffered a big blow when sophomore tackle Justin Ostrowski hurt his leg, and he remains sidelined indefinitely. The team will look to junior end Kurt Ware and sophomore tackles Nick Hayden and Jason Chapman to fill in the line. If there is one glaring weakness for Bowling Green's offense it is their line, which lost three starters from a year ago.
