Chris Borland is going to be missed inside Camp Randall this coming fall and for his finale in the Big Ten he was rewarded as the conference's pick for the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.
He finished the regular season with 102 total tackles, good for fifth in the conference. Additionally, he added 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
Along with being named the Linebacker of the Year, Borland was one of three Badgers to be named a first team by the coaches or media.
Most impressively, Borland as one of just two unanimous selections to the 1st team All-Big Ten by the coaches. The other was Michigan State defensive back Darqueze Dennard.
Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis was a consensus 1st team pick and guard Ryan Groy was named 1st team All-Big Ten by the coaches. He was a 2nd team selection by the media.
In total, 14 Badgers earned some form of all-conference honors.
James White and Melvin Gordon were consensus 2nd team picks and tackle Rob Havenstein was a 2nd team pick by the media (honorable mention by the coaches).
The Badgers offensive line selections weren't done though as redshirt freshman Tyler Marz was named a consensus honorable mention all-conference pick.
He was joined in that honor by tight end Jacob Pedersen, nose guard Bea Allen, defensive end Pat Muldoon and safety Dezmen Southward.
Quarterback Joel Stave was honorable mention by the media, along with sophomore safety Michael Caputo and true freshman cornerback Sojourn Shelton.
Reaction:
– Amongst those picks, Shelton as just honorable mention shows you how deep the league was a defensive back this season. It was so deep that there was a six-person tie for 1st team honors on the coaches team.
– Joel Stave being on any of the lists should tell you just how un-inspiring the play at quarterback was this season and just how little some in Badger nation appreciated his year in totality. Additionally, how Southward is on any list, let alone a consensus honorable mention pick is beyond me.
– His play this season was questionable during every loss the Badgers had and overall he wasn't the same player he was a season ago. Perhaps he lived on his name from 2012 a bit?
– Chris Borland winning over Ohio State's Ryan Shazier is a massive shock. Shazier had insane tackle and tackle for loss totals (122 and 21.5) for the season and was a dynamic playmaker for the best team in the conference. It just goes to show you how respected Borland was amongst those that know the game best.
Overall though, not too shabby of a showing for the 3rd best team in the Big Ten this year. Congrats to each Badger and now it is on to whichever Florida bowl game UW is heading to.
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