Classes have begun and the sting of the Badgers' 21-17 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Outback Bowl has worn off. So we here at The Daily Cardinal sports staff thought it would be a good time to take an objective look back at the Badgers' 2007 season.
It was a season of ups and downs marked by injuries on both sides of the ball and inconsistent play on defense. Still, UW recorded its fourth consecutive season with at least nine wins. With that in mind, the Cardinal presents its report card for the 2007 Badgers.
Quarterback: B
Senior Tyler Donovan stepped into the cleats that departed quarterback John Stocco had held for three seasons, and played above average overall.
Fans got what they expected from TD: a quarterback with a decent arm (2,607 yds, 17 TD, 11 INT) and quick legs (510 yards rushing), and indecision about both. Donovan's kryptonite was his inability to pick either the run or the pass, and the results were hard hits and headaches.
Next season, Allan Evridge will be the favorite entering camp, with freshman Curt Phillips challenging Evridge for playing time.
Running backs: A-
Entering the season, sophomore P.J. Hill was a candidate for the Heisman. But, after a leg injury that sidelined the back for most of the last third of the season, someone else needed to step up.
With fellow sophomore Lance Smith unable to travel with the team, freshman Zach Brown took over the workload and put up impressive numbers. Five touchdowns and 568 yards are not bad for a third-string back.
Next season the backfield will only become more cluttered, as Hill, Smith and Brown will be joined by redshirt freshman John Clay, one of the top rushers coming out of high school last year.
Offensive line: B-
After losing All-American Joe Thomas to the NFL, UW had its share of trouble this season. Freshman Gabe Carimi took over Thomas' spot at left tackle, and played well enough.
However, as a group, the O-line has seen better seasons.
Thirty-three sacks were given up this season, including 10 against Ohio State alone, resulting from inconsistent blocking and missed assignments.
The squad is only losing center Marcus Coleman to graduation, and should come back next season more confident and gelled.
Wide Receivers: B-
Injuries were the theme for the 2007 receiving corps, as starters Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan missed playing time with leg injuries. Hubbard was able to return from his knee injury, but Swan's torn hamstring left him on the sideline for the final seven games.
With Hubbard and Swan gone, the load will rest on the shoulders of a very young group, led by Kyle Jefferson (412 yards, 2 TD) and David Gilreath, as well as unproven players such as Nick Toon.
Tight Ends: A
The top two receivers on the team in 2007 were tight ends, with Travis Beckum receiving the bulk of the attention from Donovan. Beckum's 75 receptions for 982 yards are both UW records, while freshman Garrett Graham pitched in for 30 catches for 328 yards. Combined, the two had 10 total touchdowns, more then the rest of the receiving corps combined.
While Beckum could have split for the NFL, he has chosen to stay for his senior season, making him and Graham one of the top tight end duos in the Big Ten.
Defensive Line: C-
The dismissal of senior defensive end Jamal Cooper in fall practice limited the depth of what many predicted would be the strength of the defense. Junior Mike Newkirk was forced to play downs at end despite being much more effective inside at defensive tackle.
Freshman defensive end Kirk DeCremer emerged as a rising star, leading the Badgers in sacks with 5.5. Junior Matt Shaughnessy also displayed flashes of greatness while earning second-team All-Conference honors. Senior defensive tackle Nick Hayden capped his UW career with his typical hard-nosed play.
Nevertheless, the line failed to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks for the majority of the season. They ranked eighth in the conference with 28 sacks.
Linebackers: D-
Touted as one of the fastest linebacking corps in recent UW history, juniors Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy and sophomore Elijah Hodge failed miserably to live up to the public's lofty expectations.
The group looked baffled whenever they faced a spread offense, and never developed the leadership provided by Zalewski. Missed tackles sprung running backs for big gains especially in losses at Illinois and Ohio State.
The good news for the linebackers is they will all return in 2008 and will have plenty to prove come September.
Secondary: C-
Junior cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu was named first-team All-Big Ten. Freshman Aaron Henry looked like a formidable starter until he suffered season-ending leg injury, and Ben Strickland played solidly during limited action in his senior season.
Other than these three players, the Wisconsin secondary struggled. Sophomore safeties Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant both played inconsistently throughout the season.
Junior corner Allen Langford became more recognized for giving opposing wide receivers a fifteen-yard cushion than for breaking up passes. Quarterbacks often picked on him before an ACL injury against Illinois ended his season.
With an increasing number of teams using spread offenses, the pressure will once again be on the Badger secondary to produce as it did in 2006.
Special Teams: A-
After a dreadful year in 2006, the UW special teams units bounced back in 2007. Senior kicker Taylor Mehlhaff boomed most kickoffs into the end zone and converted on 21 of his 25 field goal attempts.
Freshman returner David Gilreath led the conference in punt return yardage and the Badgers ranked first in the Big Ten in kickoff coverage.
Wisconsin will have to find a new punter and placekicker with the graduations of both Mehlhaff and senior punter Ken DeBauche.
