While the quarterback situation continues to steal the spotlight in the early going this fall, it’s not the only position on the field, and certainly not the only thing Badger fans should be worried about as Wisconsin gets the ball rolling on its 2013 season.

Yes, the quarterback position is a crucial one, and yes neither redshirt sophomore Joel Stave or sixth-year senior Curt Phillips seem poised for a Russell Wilson-esque season, but both are still comfortable and capable of executing the offense that Wisconsin’s offense requires.

What I mean to say is, the quarterback position may not be the biggest headache head coach Gary Andersen has as he tackles his first season in the competitive Big Ten Conference.

Besides, it has already received enough attention this summer as Badger fans across the country agonized each week, hanging on Andersen’s every word for a clue as to who would be the man at the helm.

Instead, I’d like to turn your attention to what may actually be the biggest question mark (call me crazy) as the season “kicks” off: the kicker.

An oft forgotten part of the game, the kicking game is usually one of the most predictable aspects in the sport.

Kickers work long and hard at practice to make each field goal attempt more or less a routine, something that (within a certain range of course) the coach can count on when fourth down comes around. The three points they earn their teams can become a set of gimme points of sorts when the offense can’t make it all the way to the endzone.

In a close game, these points can become the difference maker between a clutch win and a disappointing defeat.

But what if your kicker isn’t so routine?

Enter Kyle French, a redshirt junior, with his name listed as the No. 1 kicker on the Wisconsin depth chart this year.

Now beginning his third year this fall, French owns a career field goal percentage of just more than 60 percent through his first two years.

To give you an idea of where that stat falls against Wisconsin’s biggest competition this fall, Ohio State kicker Drew Basil owns a 75 percent field goal percentage over the last two years, accompanied by a monster 52-yard field goal completion in 2012.

Meanwhile, French’s inconsistency is made worse by the fact that he has a fairly limited range in which he can regularly make field goals. In 2013, French missed four of his six attempts from 40 yards or greater.

Even from a reasonable range, French is still no guarantee, something that Andersen will already know since his former team, Utah State, battled the Badgers in a close game just a year ago.

A 36-yard miss by French in the third quarter gave Utah State a chance to win the game in the waning seconds before its own kicker missed a field goal to gift the Badgers a much-needed 16-14 win.

While you might expect some of these misses as a result of nerves from a young kicker, things don’t seem to have changed this season.

After showing signs of consistency in the early stages, and leading many to believe that French had finally turned the corner in his Badger career, the final open scrimmage of fall camp Aug. 19 happened.

Playing in front of a few thousand fans who made the trek to Camp Randall, French made one of three attempts, hitting a 30-yarder, while missing two kicks from more than 40 yards.

Unfortunately, unlike the quarterback situation, Andersen’s hands are tied when it comes to his kicker. Behind French sits just one other, sophomore Jack Russell, who has yet to make a field goal in a regular season game – missing both of his attempts in 2012.

While Wisconsin’s schedule doesn’t boast a bevy of teams that will be within three points of the lead very often this season, in the few situations where that does occur, do they have a kicker that can clinch a game or steal it as the clock expires?

My point in addressing this kicking situation is not to destroy the spirits of Badger fans everywhere (dream big!), but instead to ground their expectations in reality. After all, a team is only as strong as its weakest link, right?

So when Wisconsin heads to Ohio State Sept. 28 for a night game with the No. 2 team in the country or Iowa Nov. 2 in a battle for the Heartland Trophy, only time will tell if French is the man for the job.

If last year is any indication, Badger fans everywhere may not have any nails left to bite when the season finally comes to a close.

Nick is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Think French has what it takes to win a close game for the Badgers this fall? Let him know on twitter @np_daniels or shoot him an email at [email protected].