[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Kraig Urbik's 2005 season didn't exactly begin the way he wanted.

After redshirting his first season on campus in 2004, Urbik was set to take over for departed seniors Mike Lorenz and Morgan Davis when spring practice opened last March. But, just four practices in, Urbik suffered an ankle injury, one that sidelined him for nearly a month and cost him vital snaps with the first unit.

But, for the redshirt freshman, things had definitely taken a turn for the better. After rebounding from the ankle injury, Urbik quickly reestablished himself as the man to beat at the right tackle position, earning the starting nod heading into fall camp.

Despite possessing nearly half a spring to separate himself from Urbik, Wisconsin's other option, sophomore Danny Kaye, was never able to pry the spot away from the young Urbik.

And Urbik has never looked back. Slated to make his third start of the season at right tackle Saturday night at North Carolina, Urbik is the first redshirt freshman to start on the offensive line since Chris McIntosh in 1996.

When asked if he saw any parallels between McIntosh and Urbik, offensive line coach Jim Hueber wasn't quite ready to put the two in the same breath.

"Kraig has a long way to go. Chris was a first-round draft pick," Hueber said. "But they both love the game and they both gave it their all."

It's been that love of the game, along with his 6-foot-6, 317-pound frame, that's been garnering Urbik attention across the Midwest since his days under Coach Craig Jilek at Hudson High School.

As a senior, Urbik was voted a Prepstar All-American and was highly regarded as one of the top high school prospects in the state. With a list of accolades as long as Urbik's, the Hudson, Wis., native wasn't sliding under the radar at Wisconsin, which had Urbik attend Badger football camps where Hueber got his first look at University of Wisconsin's future right tackle.

"We got to see him first-hand at our camps, and we knew he had good tools," Hueber said.

UW was one of the first schools to offer Urbik a scholarship, and, despite being located just half an hour from the University of Minnesota, he liked the idea of staying relatively close to home and playing for the Badgers.

"I wanted to be close to home and close to my family. It's also a great program, a great school, great academics," Urbik said.

Urbik struggled to open his first game as a starter earlier this season, committing a false-start penalty on Wisconsin's third play from scrimmage. But after the false start, Urbik settled down and helped the offensive line open up holes, resulting in 388 rushing yards in the team's season-opening win against Bowling Green.

"The week leading up to the game, I wasn't nervous because I was focusing on practice," Urbik said. "I didn't get nervous until about an hour before the game, when we got off the bus. I was pretty nervous right before the game, but once I started hitting people and the game started, I was fine."

Currently, the Badgers rank second in the nation in average points scored and fourth in rushing yards per game, thanks in large part to Urbik and the rest of the UW offensive line.

"We're happy with his adaptability. We're starting to see those tools come to form," Hueber said. "We expect the same things from Kraig as we do everybody: play the best that you can, as hard as you can and never stop trying."

Urbik will have many challenges on the field this season but, by his own account, the biggest challenge this season will be living up to lofty standards set by his veteran teammates.

"I don't want to be one of those freshmen who comes in and doesn't know what they're doing and lets the team down," Urbik said.

So far, so good.