SPORTS
Starter needs to emerge as leader
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Also by Ben Voelkel:
- Rocky trip Outback for UW (January 1, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Donovan likely starter (August 6, 2007)
- Quarterback roulette (April 19, 2007)
- Change needed at QB position (October 15, 2007)
- Spring practice off to early start (March 14, 2007)
- Second-string proves not to be 2nd rate (November 13, 2006)
by Ben Voelkel
Friday, August 31, 2007
The question swirled around the Wisconsin football team for what seemed like forever: Who would succeed John Stocco as the starting quarterback for the Badgers in 2007?
The two main contenders, fifth-year senior in-state product Tyler Donovan and junior transfer from Kansas State Allan Evridge, battled back and forth for all of spring practice and the first three weeks of fall camp, neither taking control of the position because of their sporadic play.
After nearly six months of competition, Donovan was announced as the starter late last week. It was a move the UW coaching staff was compelled to make. At the same time, it was a move that may eventually come back to haunt the staff. Either way, it was a decision that will go a long way in determining how history looks back on the 2007 version of the Badgers.
Before we get too far, let me preface what I am about to put forth. Neither is Donovan a terrible quarterback nor did the coaching staff make a completely misguided decision. The fact is Donovan entered the competition in the lead, already having four years under his belt at UW and more experience in the offense. And although neither was stunning for extended stretches of camp, Evridge never separated himself enough to jump past Donovan and force the coaching staff to name him starter, something a challenger must do. Likewise, Donovan never was bad enough to warrant losing his lead. The right-handed Donovan and the left-handed Evridge were, for the most part, mirror images.
There is no denying the UW football team is exceptionally talented. With a defense that should rival, if not better, last year's top-five national unit, solid special teams, a good ground game and weapons in the passing game, the Badgers should be a bowl team regardless of who the starting quarterback is. What will make the difference between a 9-3 record and another berth in the Capital One Bowl, and a gaudier record and BCS appearance is quarterback play. More specifically, how the signal caller reacts to tough environments like the Horseshoe and Happy Valley and pressure situations in other high-profile contests will chart the Badgers' course.
That is where the Donovan decision could come back to haunt Wisconsin.
Sure, Donovan has been around the block with the UW program and has more time logged in the offense than Evridge. He also has a career 2-0 record as a starter, winning twice at the end of last season when Stocco was out with a shoulder injury. And while he won both games and looked good doing so, neither win came against good teams.
Wisconsin and Donovan caught Iowa right as the Hawkeyes season was falling apart. After beating up on low-tier major conference teams in their first four games, the Hawkeyes went on to lose seven of their last nine to finish with a 2-6 record in the Big Ten. Quite simply, Iowa was not a good team last year.
The next week, Wisconsin dismantled Buffalo. No explanation besides a 2-10 record is needed for why Buffalo does not constitute a good team.
That's it. That’s the starting experience in the system Donovan has over Evridge: two wins over teams no one would mistake for championship contenders.
And it's not as if Evridge has no starting experience. In 2005, Evridge impressed head coach Bill Snyder so much that Snyder made Evridge the first true freshman quarterback to start a game for him in his 17-year stay at Kansas State, including games in tough environments like Nebraska and Texas Tech. Although Evridge's record was anything but spectacular, so was the talent around him. The real litmus test for Donovan will likely not come until the second month of the season, when Wisconsin travels to play a talented Penn State team in what is always a crazy environment. Three weeks later, the scene will be Columbus, Ohio, in front of the more than 100,000 that make Ohio Stadium the most feared locale in the Big Ten.
In those situations, leadership will be as important as any other factor the quarterback brings to the table.
In that category, Evridge has the edge on Donovan. One senior starter expressed some doubt about Donovan's leadership capabilities, telling me he isn't "captain material." Evridge, that same player said, is captain material. If Evridge has made this big of an impact on the minds of his teammates in the brief time he has been around the program, there must be something there.
Although Donovan may not be the natural leader Evridge is, he can still become a leader in the eyes of his peers. Coming through with some big plays to right the ship early in the season when the team may be struggling against a lesser opponent would be one way to do so.
Earlier during fall camp, well before the quarterback situation was close to being decided, Evridge offered an interesting thought on the topic of leadership. "You can try to fake leadership," Evridge said. "But eventually you'll get caught."
He wasn't talking about his counterpart, but whether Donovan gets caught or not — whether he is faking leadership, or is able to command and lead his offense — will go a long way to determining whether this is a special season in Madison or just another good one.
Ben is a junior majoring in political science and journalism. Share your thoughts on UW football by contacting him at bvoelkel@badgerherald.com.
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