For anyone that watched the annual Wisconsin spring game this past Saturday, one thing certainly stood out: The Badgers' offense was painful to watch. The defense dominated the game winning, 29-27 through some point system that I am not going to pretend I understand.
The bottom line though is that it was extremely disheartening to see an offense that had its way with the rest of the Big Ten conference last season struggle so badly in its first real test since UW's loss to TCU in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
The Badgers lost some key contributors during the offseason. Offensive line stalwarts Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt graduated along with tight end Lance Kendricks, quarterback Scott Tolzien and star running back John Clay who decided to forego his senior season in favor of declaring for this Thursday's NFL Draft. Despite those losses no one seemed to believe they would set Wisconsin back too far.
It is easy to see why the Badgers' offense wasn't expected to miss a beat. Their two workhorse running backs from last season, junior Montee Ball and sophomore James White are both returning after combining for 2,048 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground last season.
The Wisconsin football program has been defined historically by its prowess in the running game, so with two of the running backs that consistently ran over Big Ten competition last season returning, why should there be room for concern?
That concern, for now, rests under center. Because of the program's run-first philosophy on offense, Badger quarterbacks don't always find themselves in the spotlight, but having a competent signal caller is crucial for any football team's success. The mindset of a Wisconsin quarterback has to be that of a game manager. Because of the running game, UW quarterbacks don't have to be spectacular for the team to be successful. It is an old football cliché but they don't have to win games, they just can't lose them.
That is what made Tolzien the perfect model for a Wisconsin quarterback. During his two years in Madison, the UW football team won 21 games, earned their first Big Ten title in almost a decade as well as a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Tolzien fit what the Badgers look for in a quarterback to a tee. He was efficient with the ball, rarely made mistakes, and could make the plays with his arm when he needed to. He was good enough to keep defenses honest, preventing them from loading the box and focusing solely on stopping the running game.
Tolzien was one of the most successful Badger quarterbacks in recent memory and I'm not sure how many people realize how big of a loss he is. Trying to replace him under center next season are sophomore Jon Budmayr and freshmen Joe Brennan and Joel Stave, none of which looked impressive leading the offense during the spring game, prompting head coach Bret Bielema to say after the game, ""The three guys that got the majority of the reps today aren't anywhere where we need them to be for us to be a competitive team in the fall."" This isn't exactly a sentiment that will elicit confidence in Badger fans.
Budmayr has long been considered the favorite to win the job this fall, especially with the recent news that junior Curt Phillips will miss his second straight season with a knee injury, possibly putting his Badger career in doubt. Budmayr struggled out of the gates in the spring game, getting his second throw of the game picked off and having trouble hitting receivers. He was more consistent in the second half and finished the day 10-for-23 for 133 yards.
Budmayr looked like a young quarterback in his first real test under center, and maybe that is all the problem is. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it is still early, that Budmayr and the rest of the Wisconsin quarterbacks have plenty of time to grow before the start of the season, but it's clear that they still have a long way to go. With Ball, White and the rest of last year's offense still mostly in tact, they won't have to be spectacular for the Badgers to be successful, but they will have to be better than they were on Saturday because as Budmayr told me, ""The better play the quarterback has, the better the team plays.""
How confident are you in the Badgers current quarterback situation? E-mail Ryan at rmevans2@dailycardinal.com
