When things go badly for a football team, the man behind center takes the blame.
Fans usually have an infatuation with the second-string quarterback, and if Saturday was any indication, that trend holds true in Madison.
The boos rained down as starter Allan Evridge completed just two passes while leading an ineffective offense. When backup Dustin Sherer came in, however, the fans lauded him with applause and cheers, it seemed, just for not being Allan Evridge.
That was, until Sherer threw his first interception and the crowd turned yet again.
Sherer could be an improvement over Evridge, or he could be worse. In the end, there will not be a huge difference.
This is not like Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman, where one is a dynamic talent and the other is a game manager.
Sherer and Evridge are in the same boat as most Wisconsin quarterbacks: nice players but rarely difference-makers.
This has also bred an unusual strain of complaints calling for freshman Curt Phillips to start, despite the fact that he has redshirted the entire season.
Phillips was well-rated coming out of high school, getting four stars out of five from Rivals.com and being listed as the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback prospect in the county. He was not, however, in the upper crust of quarterback prospects who had a chance to see time as true freshmen.
The only time fans have seen Phillips play was in the Spring Game, where he was nothing special, not a surprise considering he had left high school a few months before and enrolled early at UW. He hardly looked like a world-beater, and it frankly was not surprising when the coaching staff decided to spend this year developing him.
Yet there is still a large part of the fanbase calling for change, change, change, damn the consequences.
This, however, is not a new phenomenon.
Last season many fans called for Evridge to start. Standing in the student section, there was always someone nearby, calmly explaining to his or her friend, Evridge is just a lot better, Donovan sucks.""
Early in John Stocco's career, fans called for Donovan, though it was not as big of a stretch, since Donovan was a very hyped-up prospect. Before that, fans called for Stocco over Jim Sorgi, and before that, many wanted Brooks Bollinger to be benched for Sorgi (Bollinger was the last Badger QB to take the job from someone mid-year, six games into the 1999 season).
As for the situation in the coming weeks, the Badgers' season goal can only be a middle of the conference finish and a mid-tier bowl game. The question will be about weighing the value of this season and the developmental value for Sherer.
Will playing the next six or seven games give Sherer enough experience that the beginning of next season goes more smoothly? Will the receivers suddenly become that much better with a change in QB?
What should happen is a trial by fire for Sherer. Throw him out there and see what happens. Do not, however, expect his play to change the face of this team. There will be no Dustin Sherer ""era,"" no revolution in the way this team plays.
Unless every part of the offense gets itself together, it won't matter who plays QB. Evridge and Sherer manage games, and without a good group to manage, neither of them will earn the fans' admiration.
Feel like Scott Tolzien is the answer behind center? Tell Ben about it at breiner@wisc.edu.
