Sports

Badgers on new turf

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Related stories:

• Camp Randall's turf will get makeover (August 8, 2001)
• FieldTurf well received by Evans, Badgers (September 17, 2003)
• Badgers look to the air this week (November 12, 2003)
• Women's hockey names captains, hands out awards (April 17, 2003)
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Also by Roger Anderson:

• Badgers take Big Ten lead to Illinois (February 18, 2004)
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• Summed up in the music (January 19, 2004)
• Badgers use 2nd half to run away from Wolverines (January 22, 2004)
• SEC joins the 21st century (December 4, 2003)

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Looking to build upon a hard-fought victory a week ago, the Badger football team is hoping it gained enough experience in week one to prepare for its Camp Randall debut.

With new turf in place and the relatively unknown Akron Zips coming to town, the Badgers are focusing this week on the visiting team as well as on any equipment adjustments that may need to be made in order to get a feel for the new playing field. Head coach Barry Alvarez believes the new FieldTurf which was laid earlier this summer will be much more player-friendly and consistent for his players. Alvarez compares the new field to that which the Badgers played on last week at West Virginia.

“It was a different turf, a different style than ours,” Alvarez said. “You will see the black rubber come up in ours, yet there’s good footing; if we get some rain I don’t think it will get slick.”

Among other new things the fans will notice is the color differences inside of Camp Randall. For this season the end zones will not be painted cardinal, and the Wisconsin emblem will not appear at the 50-yard line.

“The fans will notice the texture of the field when they walk in; it’s a softer texture; it’s a different feel than the old Astroturf,” Alvarez said.

With the highly pass-oriented offense of Akron, the Badgers will be counting on field traction to stay with the Zips’ receivers. After throwing for 407 yards last weekend, Zips’ quarterback Charlie Frye is the player Badger coaches will be keying on come Saturday.

“He understands their offense [and] knows where to go with the ball,” Alvarez said of Frye. “They spread people out; they make you play in space, it’s going to be quite a problem, so we have our work cut out for us.”

Although Frye notched a record-breaking pass performance against Kent State, the Zips have nowhere near the amount of offensive talent the Badgers maintain. With Anthony Davis running for 167 yards along with a touchdown and Lee Evans on the receiving end of a 20-yard scoring pass, the Badgers are being faced with the early season prospect of having two Heisman trophy candidates.

“To have a chance at a Heisman you have to have tremendous statistics,” Alvarez said. “The next thing is you better be on a good football team, and that’s the one that concerns me the most.”

In his first game back after a near two-year absence, Lee Evans impressed his coaches and is having his name once again thrown into the Heisman mix along with Davis.

“I hope we have that problem,” Alvarez said of having two Heisman prospects. “I feel Lee got better as the game [at West Virginia] went on. I really felt in the fourth quarter he really kicked it in and competed very hard.”

New-edition Badgers also made a huge impact on the field last weekend, as quarterback-turned-wide-receiver-turned-tight-end, Owen Daniels and safety-turned-cornerback Brett Bell made big plays against West Virginia.

“Brett has always told me that corner is his natural position, and I can’t disagree with that,” Alvarez said. “I thought he played well; as a matter of fact, he was the coaches’ player of the game.”

Daniels was able to catch three passes for 41 yards in his first game as a receiver and blocked superbly for Jim Sorgi and Anthony Davis. His position, which Coach Alvarez calls a stand-up tight end, provides Daniels with the ability to be more comfortable on the line, while still allowing him the ability to see the defense and make his blocks.

“I thought he really competed and blocked well for the first time playing that position,” Alvarez said. “He gives us tremendous flexibility.”