Wisconsin came in to the last two games and three weeks wanting to play a two-quarterback system. However, Joel Stave had other designs on Saturday against Maryland. The junior quarterback made an emphatic statement in the Badgers’ 52-7 win over the Terps, perhaps cementing himself as the one guy we’ll see behind center from here on out.
It was a game out of nowhere, considering Stave entered the game completing just 45.5 percent of his passes for 187 yards and one touchdown to three interceptions. Numbers that didn’t exactly say he was “the guy” over what Tanner McEvoy had to offer in athletic ability.
On Saturday though, Stave looked much more comfortable in his second start. It showed in the results, as Stave completed 9-of-15 for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
It wasn’t just the raw numbers, but how it happened that should give head coach Gary Andersen the clues that Stave needs to be the full-time starter going forward for UW. Stave managed to twice complete important passes downfield and didn’t make the big error in throwing the football that has plagued his career at UW to date.
Those important passes also happened to be of the big play variety, something most Badger fans, coaches and players have been waiting to see all season long from this offense.
“That’s what we’ve been working on,” Stave said. “To really open it up and hit a couple of those really takes a load off our shoulders and really expands this offense.”
First it was a team best 43-yard pass to Alex Erickson down the sideline just when the Badgers needed it most. That throw helped Wisconsin to its first touchdown of the game, as Gordon punched it in from six yards out.
After some questionable moments, including a bad missed 5-yard pass and a sack that cost the Badgers an opportunity to put points on the board, Stave settled back in.
He capped off a decent day at QB with a new season-high 47-yard touchdown bomb to Alex Erickson in the third quarter. It was a touchdown that put the icing on the cake of a game that was never really in doubt to begin with.
“That was a really familiar feeling for us last year,” said Stave, via Badger247. “To see Alex come down with that ball was a great feeling for the whole team.”
What will be interesting to see is if the Badgers keep going two-quarterback on us all, because one could also argue that Tanner McEvoy did as much good on the ground as Stave did with his arm on Saturday.
Perhaps it is all up to personal preference, and that may be where the decision lies going forward. Will Gary Andersen allow the passing game to get loose or will he continue to make Ludwig begin the transition to a more read-option and quarterback heavy offense?
Wisconsin may want to become a team with a running option at quarterback, but until Andersen as a full complement of players capable of running the system to perfection, Stave may give UW the best option to win games the rest of 2014.
After all, we’re talking about matchups with stout defenses like Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. Figuring out the true identity of this team before then and getting comfortable is going to be huge.
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