We continue our week long look at the main storylines and players we will be looking at on Saturday as we switch back to the offensive side of the ball following our look at the new aggressive nature of the defense that we could all see for the first time on Saturday.
Chances are as you fire up the grills and head into Camp Randall on what's supposed to actually be a sunny Saturday there may only be one main storyline on your mind and that's what's up at quarterback. It's a fair question to say the least as there are a ton of QB's with limited experience on the roster and no one starter who blew us out of the water in 2012.
So, as we head into Saturday you can bet your bottom dollar that all eyes will be on the QB's, but what has taken place this spring and who, if at all, could have a leg up in this competition? Well, it's the million dollar question and one of the main focuses we'll have during the spring game.
Background:
Do we really need to rehash the less than awesome play Wisconsin got from all but Joel Stave at QB last year? The Badgers couldn't complete a deep pass to save their lives with Danny O'Brien at the helm and when Stave went down injured Curt Phillips got his turn behind center, only to never really be allowed to work in the full offense.
Phillips managed games well and never made bad mistakes throwing the football, but he also was far more of a turn and hand-off kind of guy only completing 46 passes in 5 games as a starter. In fact he only threw the ball more than 20 times twice in those five starts.
Heading into 2013 all three are back and Bart Houston has been added to the mix after sitting out last season with a shoulder injury that wouldn't have been healed enough to start the season.
What's Happened This Spring:
We know there is a somewhat clear hierarchy emerging this spring as Gary Andersen as said as much. It appears that there are three players that have separated themselves in terms of getting reps and then two of those three have emerged as clear frontrunners.
The group we speak of is of course redshirt sophomore Joel Stave, sixth-year senior Curt Phillips, and redshirt freshman Bart Houston.
According to most reports Phillips has thrown the ball much better in spring than he was last season and he's able to get down field with more accuracy as well. That's also a theme that's emerged with Stave, but he's also shown command of the offense in the last two weeks that weren't there completely at the start of spring ball.
All reports and Andersen's statements indicate that the game hasn't exactly slowed down yet for Houston. He's got time to grow and he has emerged as that single 2nd tier guy in the QB stable at the moment.
What to Watch for on Saturday:
We'll have our eyes glued to the battle between Joel Stave and Curt Phillips to say the least, but it won't be all about numbers for us. We'll be watching the nuances of the game at QB and much more.
Andersen has made it clear that no starter will emerge, but could one separate from the other in the competition and be the main competitor to incoming JUCO transfer Tanner McEvoy?
We're also anxious to get to see Bart Houston for the first time in front of a crowd at Camp Randall Stadium. It's hard to remember any other QB being as hyped out of high school and coming to Wisconsin. It'll be interesting to see how he looks and what he can truly deliver for this team.
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