No beer bongs were poured from the porches of Lathrop Street. Inside Camp Randall Stadium no one was ""Jumping Around."" Yet while most UW students slept soundly with dreams of bracket-busters and Sweet 16 Cinderellas dancing in their heads, UW head football coach Bret Bielema and the Badgers were hard at work.
Wisconsin officially kicked off the 2007 football season with a 6:30 a.m. practice Tuesday at the McClain Center. Although the players arrived in the morning darkness, they did not seem bothered by the early start time.
""I like the tempo,"" Bielema said. ""Definitely there's guys flying around, running around, and you shouldn't have to motivate them too much on the first couple days.""
The reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year also added that the carryover in the coaching staff has helped the Badgers make a smooth transition from 2006 to 2007.
""Every kid in our team last year, other than the wide receivers, was being coached by a different position coach [than they had the year before]"" Bielema said. ""There isn't a new phase as far as trying to get used to each other [this year].""
Even with a year of experience in Bielema's system, the new season will bring new challenges for UW.
""Last year our goals were a lot more oriented toward an X's and O's standpoint,"" Bielema said. ""Now it's more on the fundamentals of football, hustle to the football, leverage to the football. With our group in particular, [two] things I'm going to harp on them all spring, and until we get more consistency, is just accountability and dependability.""
While the Badgers will miss the consistency and dependability of quarterback John Stocco, two talented signal-callers will vie to lead Wisconsin's offensive attack.
Fifth-year senior Tyler Donovan completed 33 of 50 passes for 536 yards and four touchdowns in his two starts when Stocco went down with a shoulder injury against Penn State.
Junior Allan Evridge sat out last season after transferring from Kansas State. As a freshman for the Wildcats, Evridge passed for 1,365 yards, a school record for KSU freshmen.
Donovan and Evridge showed off their strong arms during seven-on-seven passing drills, but both admitted they could improve in different areas.
""It was good to get out there and kind of get the rust off,"" Donovan said. ""The first day is always to ... get the juices flowing a little bit.""
The Hartland, Wis., native also noted that the quarterbacks and receivers have not established their timing yet.
""We've been working together this offseason, a lot,"" Donovan said. ""But getting out there and going full speed against a defense, that kind of thing takes a little bit of time to get the speed down.""
Evridge said he needed to improve his footwork when dropping back to pass.
""Drops are different,"" Evridge said. ""At Kansas State I was in the gun a lot ... so right now I'm just trying to get used to taking drops and throwing and timing up my drops with different receivers' routes."" The quarterbacks may be working on techniques and timing, but sophomore Lance Smith is already going full speed as he fills in for P.J Hill at the starting running back position. Smith ran for 345 yards and five touchdowns last season.
""I just want to come in and restart everything that I did last year and try to get to know everything again,"" Smith said. ""The reps I think are going to be pretty valuable to me, and hopefully it should help me when the season comes.""
Some UW students might not care about the football season until September, but the Badgers' 1-0 mentality continues, even at pre-dawn practices in March.
Injury Report
Hill and senior tight end Andy Crooks continue to recover from offseason surgeries. Junior fullback Chris Pressley and junior receiver Marcus Randle El are recovering from knee injuries suffered last year. Senior offensive lineman Marcus Coleman should return to practice soon after injuring his ankle a few weeks ago. Junior fullback Bill Rentmeester has mono and will be out two to three weeks, according to Bielema.
Play of the Day
Sophomore linebacker Elijah Hodge fired up the defense with his interception off of a deflected Donovan pass.
