Sports

Talented, experienced secondary continues to struggle

They have the talent.

Scott Starks is as fast as anyone anywhere, a fact evidenced —- if not by his sub-4.3 40-yard dash time —- by the fact that he’s returning kicks for UW in the 2004 season over a proven asset in Brandon Williams.

He’s also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. In high school Starks had a 3.9 GPA, ranking him 24th in a class of 420.

He’s a smart, speedy defensive back whom everyone thinks should be one of the best shutdown corners in the Big Ten.

Jimmy Leonhard’s talent is undeniable. His nose for the ball is fast becoming Badger legend. He was named a first-team preseason All-American by Lindy’s and was a second-team selection by Street & Smith’s and Athlon’s.

By the end of the 2004 season, Leonhard should easily pass Jamal Fletcher to take over the Wisconsin record for career interceptions and should also pass Nick Davis to take over the Wisconsin record for punt return yardage.

Like Starks, Leonhard has also been selected to the Academic All-Big Ten team the past two seasons. Last year, he was a second-team Academic All-American.

Brett Bell has been touted since the moment of his Madison arrival. He’s got speed (a 10.6-second 100 in high school) and, from all accounts, has field smarts.

Other than an injury-speckled past, there was no reason to expect Bell not to become a big contributor for the Badgers this season.

They have the experience.

Starks, a senior, has started 36 games at Wisconsin. Leonhard, also a senior, has played in 39 games and has started 27 straight. Robert Brooks, who tops out the depth chart at strong safety but was replaced by Johnny White as the starter against Central Florida, has played in 38 of 39 games in three seasons. Bell, a fourth-year junior after red-shirting last season, has seen action in 27 Badger games.

And yet, after a game in which the Badgers went a long way toward answering huge questions at linebacker and quarterback, one question continues to hover over Madison — the same question that plagued the town much of last season.

Why is the secondary not stepping up?

Why are these guys, who are seemingly talented, experienced and passionate, not playing like everyone thinks they can?

Why did Steven Moffett, a quarterback who had never thrown for more than 65 yards in a collegiate game, scorch the Badgers for 177 yards?

Instead of showing that he can shut down anyone, Starks was singled out by the Golden Knight offense and looked like he was having trouble even keeping up for most of the game. The image of Starks helplessly flying out of bounds as UCF receiver Luther Huggins coolly turns up upfield is one that will last.

Leonhard looked great returning punts, breaking one for 38 yards, but was reduced to playing nothing more than the role of backstop, as Central Florida receivers continuously found open space in front of him. His seven tackles led the team (tied with fellow safety White), but he displayed little of his trademark playmaking ability with no pass breakups and much less interceptions.

Granted, it’s hard to find too many negatives in a game where the Badgers won by 28 points — and criticizing a defensive unit after it allowed just six points does seem at least a little bit uncalled for — but if the defensive backs don’t start to improve, they’re going to run into serious problems when they face quarterbacks like Kyle Orton (who, for the record, averaged 222 yards passing last season, 54 more yards than UCF starter Steven Moffett had in his three starts combined).

Wisconsin has the talent and the experience. All that’s left for the Badger secondary is to prove that having those two things can translate into success.