Gary Anderson Blows Off The Badgers | Alverez To Coach The Outback Bowl

Wisconsin football head coach Gary Andersen abruptly announced on Wednesday that he would be resigning his position to take a job at the same role at Oregon State. Less than a week after the Badgers trouncing at the hands of Ohio State in the Big-10 Conference championship, Andersen notified University athletic director Barry Alvarez of his intentions, which were accepted as an immediate resignation of his head coaching duties. Alvarez spoke to reporters at a press-conference on Wednesday night to give details of the meeting, which he says was as much of a surprise to himself as it was to fans and players.

When asked about the player's reactions to the news, Alvarez mentioned that the older team members, many of whom had been witness to Brett Bielema's departure of a similar fashion, took it in stride. Though the younger players, the athletic director and former head coach said, were much more upset. Star Badgers running-back Melvin Gordon, who announced his own decision to enter the draft in 2015 rather than stay at Wisconsin, weighed-in on the topic over the weekend, exclaiming his surprise at the news, stating that no one on the team saw any sign that Andersen was contemplating the move.

Reporter's questions at Wednesday's news conference slowly trended towards the team's future, including the naming a successor and if that new coach would be in place for the team's Outback Bowl game against Auburn on January 1. Alvarez gave no speculation as to who would be named to the helm, though he said he hoped to have an applicant chosen by New Year's Day. As for the meeting with Auburn, Alvarez revealed later that evening that he would reprise his role as head coach for the game, returning to the sidelines for the first time since coaching the Badgers in the 2012 Rose Bowl in lieu of Bielema. Before being named athletic director at Wisconsin, Alvarez coached the Badgers to three Rose Bowl victories as head coach between 1990 and 2005.

Who Will Replace Anderson? 

Despite Alvarez's reluctance to name even a list of potential replacements on Wednesday night, media outlets on Friday were already reporting that one-time Wisconsin offensive coordinator and current Pittsburgh head coach Paul Chryst is set to fill the vacancy. Neither Alvarez nor Chryst have publicly acknowledged the report, though local media says that a reliable source close to the university is providing them with the information. Chryst would return to Wisconsin after three seasons in Pittsburgh, where he compiled a 19-19 record. He was a coordinator at Wisconsin for six seasons prior to accepting the Pittsburgh offer in 2012.   

Andersen's own comments regarding his decision were kept short when he released a statement late last week thanking the Badgers for having him as a head coach for two seasons. Though he did not give details about the reasoning behind his move, Alvarez revealed that in his meeting with the coach, Andersen made it clear that it was for family reasons that he chose to return to the west coast. Andersen leaves the Badgers after coaching them to a 19-7 record over two full seasons.

Badgers Look For Yet Another Quarterback For 2014 Season

It's another off-season, so that means its time for another spring quarterback race for the Wisconsin Badgers. Seemingly becoming an annual event, head coach Gary Anderson and his offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig spoke to reporters earlier this month, raising speculation that they were open to contenders for what was Joel Stave's starting position in 2013. Ludwig told a press conference on March fourth that he was looking forward to a competitive upcoming camp in terms of the quarterback position. He maintained that, as of now, Stave remains the returning starter, though he admitted the junior's season-ending broken collarbone in 2012 and two injuries this year were a concern.

Ludwig's talk of starting quarterback alternatives came as a surprise to many Wisconsin fans and analysts, who generally assumed that Stave would have all-but clinched the position with his dominating advantage of experience. A fourth-year junior, the Greenfield native holds a 13-6 record as the Badgers starter, the position he maintained all of last season and six games in 2012. His numbers as a full-time starter in 2013 were notable, including 22 touchdowns on a 62 percent completion rate. 13 interceptions were a black mark on his stat-sheet, though his performance was enough to garner a berth into the 2014 Capital One Bowl.

In his second year at the helm of the program, Anderson would probably like a starter with at least 500 pass attempts as a Badger. Unfortunately, the former Utah State head coach inherited a team that has seen instability at the position for the better half of a decade. Between his two seasons, Stave leads the four-some competing in this year's race by an impressive 454 throws. Sophomore Bart Houston claims the only other in-game experience on the Wisconsin roster, playing in two games last season with one pass attempted.

Stave and Houston are joined by converted junior safety Tanner McEvoy and incoming freshman D.J. Gillins in the corps’s spring camp this year. McEvoy also competed for the starting quarterback position in 2013's camp, and impressed with his ability to run and throw, but ultimately was moved back to safety after falling behind. At six-and-a-half feet and 223-pounds, McEvoy told reporters that he felt much more confident going into this year's competition with more muscle and a solid year in the program. Ludwig and Anderson reflected that confidence, both acknowledging that they are excited about the prospects advances over a year ago.

Ludwig's thoughts on the young Gillins were a bit more blunt. The Jacksonville native was an early enrollee at Wisconsin just a month ago when he signed with the team on national signing day. Though one of the most touted prospects in the country, Ludwig told reports that Gillins should not worry about becoming the starter his freshman season.

Anderson, Ball, And Frederick All Start Their New Careers On The Same Weekend

The two most prominent football leagues in the country welcomed a pair of freshman classes this month. The NCAA and NFL began their respective regular seasons over the past two weeks, as did the Wisconsin Badgers and a number of their alumni who are now pros. Nearly 20 individual players debuted in the leagues with ties to the school during the first weeks of the 2013 season.

First-year head coach Gary Anderson introduced 16 true and red-shirt freshman against UMass and Tennessee Tech. Another 29 have yet to see the field, including J.J. Watt's younger brother T.J. Watt. Running-back Corey Clement was the standout of the class during the two meetings, earning a combined 29 carries for 250 yards and three touchdowns. A run of 75 yards was Clement's highlight in Wisconsin's dominating win over the Golden Eagles.

Cornerback Sojourn Shelton also impressed in his inaugural performances with the Badgers. Against UMass, the true freshman recorded an interception, a batted pass, a quarterback hurry, and three solo tackles. He managed another tackle a week later, though sophomore T.J. Reynard took over most of the position duties against Tennessee Tech. Reynard, a transfer from Independence Community College in Kansas put-up a batted pass and four solo tackles that Saturday.

Red-shirt quarterback Bart Houston threw for one completion on one attempt in his debut for the Badgers against UMass. Just two former Badgers made their first appearances in the NFL last week. Montee Ball and center Travis Frederick represented the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys, respectively, in their team's 2013 opener.

Ball Has Slow Start At Denver

NCAA record holder for most career touchdowns, Ball dominated state headlines going into his much anticipated rookie season in the pros. In was an anticlimactic start, however, as the running-back took just eight carries for 24 yards against the Ravens. He traded duties with fellow running-backs Lance Ball, Knowshon Moreno, and Ronnie Hillman, though quarterback Peyton Manning did most of the work, tying an NFL record with 7 touchdown passes. 5-year veteran Moreno is expected to secure the starting-role in week two, though Broncos head coach John Fox told reporters all four running-backs would play.

Frederick's first night snapping to Tony Romo was a mixed-bag. The first-half saw a poorly-timed exchange and a lackluster effort in blocking sometimes two opposing lineman. He regained his composer in the locker-room at half, greatly improving his stance and effectiveness. 2008 pick Nick Hayden joined Frederick in debuting for Dallas in team's win against the Giants. Hayden will play in the starting tackle spot in-lieu of the injured Jay Ratliff until at least week six, though with three tackles and a forced fumble on Sunday, that playing-time could be extended.

Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt, and Nick Toon all started their sophomore seasons in the NFL over the weekend. All three recorded wins with the Seahawks, Texans, and Saints, with Watt leading a nail-biting defensive charge against the Chargers to allow come-from-behind win. 

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.