Badgers Go With Joel Stave In 2013 | Passing Game Must Improve This Season

Though first-year head coach Gary Anderson has made no public announcement, analysts around the country are expecting Joel Stave to take the reigns at starting quarterback for the Badgers season opener against UMass on Saturday. The sophomore was seen working with the first-team offense during the team's final days of camp, while his competition, senior Curt Phillips, drilled with the second-line.

Stave and Phillips were the last to stand after spring and summer training camps whittled down the corps to just the pair. Starter through week four of last season, Danny O'Brien is the most notable name to be booted from competition for the spot in 2013. O'Brien lasted mere weeks as Wisconsin's lead signal caller before Stave took over the job through week 9. A broken collar bone in a game against Michigan State sat Stave for the season, allowing Phillips a chance for the final five games of the regular season.

During their respective times as helmsmen of the huddle, Phillips and Stave had virtually identical stats. Both completed nearly 60 percent of their passes with at least five touchdowns. Five interceptions between them was the low-point of their numbers on the year, though Stave's ratio of attempts-to-turnovers is significantly better due to his 119 possible pass-plays compared to Phillips 86. Stave's average 15 yards-per-pass also out-did his counterpart's in 2012; Phillips managed just over six.

That power of the long-ball is what most critics expect has kept Stave as the front-runner as camp winds-down. He told reporters this week that he has really been focusing on stretching the field with a stronger arm this summer.

Anderson also acknowledged his pleasure with the younger quarterbacks improved distance and accuracy, citing the Badgers being too dependent on their ground-game in 2012. Specifically the coach mentioned Wisconsin's ranking as the 16^th most rushing team on first down in the country, a down he thinks Stave could add a little flare to with the occasional surprise deep-ball.

O'Brien hopes to make impact

They play the same position, came from the same conference and took advantage of the same rule.

Ultimately, they both landed in the same program, for similar reasons.

The comparisons between Russell Wilson and Danny O’Brien should end there, but they won’t, of course.

Since O’Brien made the decision to transfer from Maryland and follow the path Wilson forged a year ago to the University of Wisconsin — each getting a chance to play right away, having earned a degree — much of the focus has been on the similarities between their situations.

Now that O’Brien has arrived on campus, spent two months getting to know his teammates and has gone through the first week of preseason camp, it might be appropriate to point out the differences.

One of Wilson’s strongest supporters, from Day One, was UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, who quickly recognized the special talent that arrived from North Carolina State.

So, after O’Brien signed with UW in the spring, Alvarez was asked to make a comparison between the two.

Let's hope the Badgers go to BCS game this year.

Badgers looking forward to this season

Back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances go a long way in building a nationally recognized football brand. But in 2012, the wisconsin football program has the chance to take a final, long-awaited step forward.

After spending years adjacent to the circle that surrounds college football’s “elite” programs, Wisconsin has the opportunity next season to finally anchor itself among the upper echelon of not just the Big Ten conference, but all of college football.

And a Heisman frontrunner coupled with a remarkably deep and talented defense may be just enough to finally bring the Badgers much-deserved validation as one of the conference’s perennial contenders. Wisconsin’s pursuit of becoming an elite program (à la Ohio State) has been a reappearing topic for years — including a recent ESPN college football roundtable — but next season it has the opportunity to capitalize on recent success and establish a spot on the national scene.

Analysts are quick to point out potential issues arising from the exodus of UW coaches this offseason, most notably offensive coordinator Paul Chryst. But the talent returning on both sides of the ball puts Wisconsin in great position for a third-consecutive BCS bowl appearance that could place them firmly among the Big Ten’s best and no longer keep them looming a half-step behind.

This chance at claiming a spot among the country’s best programs begins with one of the most dangerous players lining up in the backfield in all of college football — running back Montee Ball. After piling up simply absurd numbers in 2011 — 1,923 yards and 39 total touchdowns — the senior running back will be the unquestioned centerpiece of the Badgers’ offense next season.

Ball is the rare, once-in-a-decade player who can single-handedly carry the offense as a one-man touchdown machine. Although he’ll have a tough time surpassing the stats he managed in 2011, the senior’s speed and vision out of the backfield alone could earn Wisconsin a couple of victories. Beyond that, Ball’s name staying in the Heisman discussion all season will continue to elevate the image of wisconsin football. Even if Danny O’Brien fails to exhibit the skills through the air he showed as a Maryland freshman in 2010, Ball will be ready to take a starring role in the Badgers’ offensive attack.