Spring has arrived in Madison, even though some days it may not seem like it, and with the conclusion of the basketball and hockey seasons, Badgers sports fans everywhere are left to wait until the fall to get there fix of the biggest sports.
It may not seem conventional that when the temperature begins to rise and days get longer the first thing you think of is football. But that is the case in Madison. Sure, there are the Brewers, but Badger fans look forward to Badger sports.
This Saturday offers these die hard Wisconsin fans the first glimpse of what is to come as the Wisconsin football team takes the field for the annual spring football game at Camp Randall Stadium.
Coming off a terrific season that saw the Badgers go 11-1 overall and punch their ticket to Pasadena, only to lose to TCU in the Rose Bowl. That near perfect season has left Wisconsin fans wanting more, and the expectations are even higher.
But entering this spring, there are some question that need to be answered and some holes that need to be filled.
First, with the departure of quarterback Scott Tolzien, the Badgers are once again looking for someone who can step up and lead the team. At the front of the charge this spring is redshirt sophomore Jon Budmayer.
""Jon has continued to get better every week and I really like some of the things he's doing,"" head coach Bret Bielema said. ""He needs to be really sound with the football, making good decisions.""
In addition to Budmayr, redshirt junior Curt Phillips and true freshman Joel Stave are expected to compete for the starting job. Though, Phillips health is again in question with the admission that he needs a minor surgery on his knee
""The composure that Joel Stave has is incredible, the way he's been able to handle that, as a true freshman coming in at the semester,"" Bielema said.
Though the quarterback position is the biggest hole that needs to be filled this offseason, there are other areas in which there will be competition for the starting position.
One such area is attight end. Wisconsin has always been known for its running game, but maybe less known, but equally as skillful, is its tight end core. And this season will be no different.
Last fall Badger fans got to see redshirt sophomore Jacob Pedersen in action, and with his continued growth in the offseason, they can expect to see much more of him this fall as he leads a talented tightend group.
Along with the question of who is going to be there starters, the biggest question in the minds of some fans is the status of sophomore linebacker Chris Borland. Missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury, Borland is still unable to play and it remains to be seen what sort of role he will play this fall.
When completely healthy, Bielema said he sees Borland playing a key role in the middle, but likes his versatility on third down.
""I wanted to move him inside,"" Bielema said. ""He can cover so much more ground. But, yeah, on third down, there are very few people that could block him.""
Spring means football in Madison, and this spring promises to be an exciting one as a number of Badgers compete for a number of key roles on the field. Saturday's spring game offers fans the first look at how things may shape out as the fall season approaches.
