[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Coming into the 2004 season, an unproven corps of linebackers was probably the biggest question mark the Gridiron Badgers had on their depth chart. With three new starters at the position, it was anyone’s guess what kind of production Wisconsin would get.

Through five games, the linebackers have surpassed all expectations. UW has allowed a touchdown or less in each game, and Reggie Cribbs, Dontez Sanders and Mark Zalewski have played integral roles in creating that level of dominance.

A large part of the corps’ surprise success is attributable to redshirt sophomore Zalewski. Zalewski came into this season as the second most experienced Badger linebacker (with one career start and eight tackles in 2003). But after Lamar Watkins lost his starting job on the weak side to Sanders, Zalewski found himself as the grizzled veteran of the starting unit.

He hasn’t disappointed. Zalewski has racked up 21 tackles in 2004, good enough for fourth on the Wisconsin roster. His main impact has come on the Badger pass rush; he is second on the team behind only Erasmus James with three sacks and he has caught opponents in the backfield five times in five games this season.

The success is hardly going to the 232-pound Wausau native’s head.

“I don’t really like to grade us,” Zalewski said after the Badgers held the previously dynamic Illini offense to barely more than 200 yards and seven points (on a short-field touchdown) Saturday. “You guys can grade us. I just want — I think we just have got to keep getting better. Every game there are things we’ve done wrong. There are a lot of things that we’re doing right, but we just have to correct the things we are doing wrong.”

“[We] still have to step up and make some more plays on that [than we did],” he added.

Regardless of his assessment of the unit’s wrongdoings, they have played an enormous part in an undefeated start for UW. Sanders, Zalewski and Cribbs are all in the top four on the team in tackles.

“We’ve come together especially with the communication,” Zalewski said when asked how the linebackers have improved this year. “I mean we’re all getting [more used] to certain formations when there are shifts going on or anything like that — the linebackers are responsible for communicating and telling the whole ‘D’ what we’re going check into and anything like that. I think all of us are really, really working well with each other with knowing what to do and where to line up and things like that.”

For a team with a new defensive coordinator in Bret Bielema, Zalewski’s progress as a vocal component on ‘D’ is an important transition. Having him buy into Bielema’s theory of playmaking defenders is even more so.

“I think we have — in our D-line and secondary and our linebackers, everyone — we’ve got a lot of playmakers out there. It’s always great when you’re making big hits and are making plays on ‘D’,” Zalewski said. “It’s one of our other goals to put points on the board every game as a defense — either on a field goal block or on special teams or on ‘D’ or anything like that. It’s always great when we don’t have to depend on the offense to score and can try to make something happen ourselves.”

Against the Illini, Zalewski recovered a fumble at a key point in the game, showing that he can be counted among the lengthy list of Badger defenders who are capable of coming up with clutch plays at key times. With the Badger offense sputtering at times, a big-play mentality on defense is more important than ever.

“It’s tough when you’re about to sit down and go over what happened on the last drive and then all-of-the-sudden you have to run back out on the field,” he said. “[But] one of our goals is to be able to respond when there’s a sudden change like [a turnover] and step up and try to force a three-and-out and we kind of failed in that respect (on the allowed touchdown).”

Playing behind an experienced and established defensive line, Zalewski explained, can take some of the pressure off of the linebackers, allowing them to step up in those types of situations.

“All of those guys (on the defensive line) are incredible and that helps a ton,” he said. “When you’ve got guys like that up front it makes everyone’s job a lot easier. Not letting the O-lineman get up to you and getting pressure on throws and anything like that — all of those guys have been here for a while and have been starting for a while and that helps a ton. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to those guys.”

But he also accepts that it is his role on the team to not rely too much on the security blanket of the pro-caliber line.

“Everyone has their own responsibility,” he said. “You have to try to make plays yourself. Those guys know how to help you out.”