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Don’t let spring football game get your hopes up

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Also by Mike Ackerstein:

Masters needs attitude check (April 10, 2008)
Anderson selected 23rd in draft (April 10, 2008)
IU's hire trouble for UW (April 3, 2008)
Wildcats keep Badgers off their game (March 31, 2008)
Curry leaves UW with upset stomach (March 31, 2008)

by Mike Ackerstein

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Don’t make any judgments based on what happens Saturday. There are still more than 150 days until UW officially kicks off its season.

Playing its annual spring football game at Camp Randall Stadium this weekend, the football team will make its first appearance of 2008, giving fans an opportunity to gauge where the program stands heading into the upcoming season. Unfortunately, it also gives Badger supporters a chance to start getting their hopes up (or down) about what awaits in the fall.

Whether quarterback Allan Evridge throws for 300 yards or safety Shane Carter intercepts four passes, it’s important to remember that there is still almost half a year before the team takes its first real snap of the season against Akron.

Keep in mind that after the game last season, there were plenty of good signs to focus on.

Lance Smith, for one, looked like an all-conference running back after rushing for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Anyone expecting a breakout year from the sophomore was ultimately left disappointed, however, as Smith was suspended before the season started and ended up missing all five of the team’s regular season road games.

The first string (cardinal) defense also offered plenty to be excited about after giving up just six points in last year’s contest. But once the season began, it became apparent that stopping actual opponents was going to be a problem and the unit was a major liability all season.

As in all sports — but especially football, where injuries are prevalent — things change. Players have good days and bad ones. They get better or start to struggle. There are injuries and suspensions.

All of those things should be considered while watching Saturday’s game, because the team that takes the field this weekend may not bear much resemblance to the one that does four months from now.

Saturday is more than just a chance to see how Allan Evridge’s arm looks or if David Gilreath has gotten more explosive.

In fact, if there are any conclusions worth making about the game, they are more likely to be found in the stands instead of on the field.

This season is a chance to measure where the Badgers are headed in Bret Bielema’s critical third year at the helm. The spring game is an opportunity to see whether he still has the support of the fans.

Bielema could do no wrong in his first year, going 12-1 and leading UW to a victory in the Capital One Bowl. Last season was a step back, though. Marked by several tough midseason losses, the Badgers finished the year with a disappointing 9-4 record and the coach’s image had taken a hit.

Now, three years removed from Barry Alvarez, it’s put up or shut up time for Bielema, and what happens in the stands should indicate the confidence fans have in his ability to replace the legendary coach.

In 2006, Bielema’s first year on the job, there were a little more than 10,000 fans on hand for the spring game. Twelve wins later and that number almost doubled to 18,020 for last year’s game.

Coming off a down year, however, it will be interesting to see what the crowd turnout is like. Have the fans started to lose faith in Bielema? Do they stand by the head coach?

This past Saturday, Florida packed in 60,000 fans, as well as the College GameDay crew, for its spring game.

Alabama, in its first season with Nick Saban, welcomed more than 95,000 Crimson fans to see his team scrimmage last year.

While Wisconsin probably wouldn’t approach those numbers even after a great season, if this year’s turnout is lower than last year’s, it isn’t a good sign for the coach.

Of particular note will be the number of students in attendance, as well as their behavior.

Bielema has been trying to get students to arrive at games earlier and earlier, and a good turnout Saturday probably means that more respect is being shown to the head coach. Last season’s “Sea of Red” turned out to be a success, but with two more primetime games announced for this year, the students will need to take another step in the right direction if fall Saturdays are going to have their focus shifted from drinking to football.

While things can indeed change with the crowd between now and the start of the season, it’s less likely to shift as dramatically as the team’s level of play.

In any event, both on the field and off, Saturday’s game is still just a glorified practice. Nothing counts until August.

Mike is a sophomore majoring in political science. If you have already jumped to conclusions about the game, or have other thoughts on the team, he can be reached at mackerstein@badgerherald.com.

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