Last season, Wisconsin received shaky play at best from quarterbacks Allan Evridge and Dustin Sherer. Evridge graduated, and Sherer has been in an intense quarterback competition with freshman Curt Phillips. Regardless of who wins the battle, the quarterback play for Wisconsin this fall will be the most important and intriguing element of the offense.
Not since Wisconsin started John Stocco as a junior in 2005 have the Badgers fielded a quarterback who was not a senior on opening day. If Sherer wins the job, as expected, the trend will continue. And regardless of who earns the starting quarterback position in 2009, the Badgers will field a first-year starting quarterback on opening day for the third consecutive season. Wisconsin's inability to develop a quarterback has highlighted the criticism of the Badgers' offense.
After a 3-0 start in 2009 under Evridge and a No. 9 ranking, the Badgers lost their next three contests, including a gigantic collapse against Michigan and a blowout at the hands of Penn State.
Head coach Bret Bielema responded by handing the reins over to Sherer, who lost his first start at Iowa, 38-16, before gaining his first career win next week at home against Illinois.
Sherer finished 4-3 as a starter and threw five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Under Evridge and Sherer, the Badgers finished seventh in the Big Ten in passing yards per game and tied for last in the Big Ten with 11 total touchdown passes.
Wisconsin's passing game in 2008 was defined by poor play and inconsistency. Its running attack, however, was strong.
Wisconsin averaged 211.2 yards per game on the ground, best in the conference. Running back P.J. Hill departed for the NFL draft, but the Badgers will return sophomore John Clay and junior Zach Brown to their offensive backfield.
As a freshman in 2007, Clay finished fifth in the Big Ten with 5.7 yards per carry and seventh in the conference in total yards with 884, despite splitting his carries with Hill. Brown's 5.6 yards per carry in 2007 were good for seventh in the conference.
The Badgers' offensive line will look to be a strength of the team again this season. Wisconsin lost three starters on the offensive line from last season to graduation, but the Badgers will remain confident in the unit, which seems to play at a high level every season. Junior center John Moffitt and junior left tackle Gabe Carimi will return as starters this fall.
With a solid backfield and offensive line, the Badgers should be able to count on another productive year from their running game.
Wisconsin's receiving game in 2009 will center around reliable senior tight end Garrett Graham. After Travis Beckum suffered a season-ending injury in 2008, Graham became the focal point of Wisconsin's receiving game. And Graham responded by leading all Big Ten tight ends with 540 receiving yards and 40 receptions.
The Badgers will return all contributing wide receivers from last season for 2009. The player to watch within this group may be sophomore Nick Toon, who played well late last season.
Toon caught just 17 balls last season, but averaged over 15 yards per reception, representing a home-run threat for the Badgers. Toon will see many more balls come his way in 2009.
The wide receiver with the most receptions last season for Wisconsin was David Gilreath, who will be a junior in 2009. Gilreath caught 31 passes in 2009, which ranked 26th in the conference. Wisconsin will need drastic improvement from its wide receivers to be successful in 2009.
