Mason:

After the football team’s loss to Ohio State Saturday night, much blame was put on the shoulders of senior quarterback Allan Evridge. In the team’s two losses on the season, Evridge has not impressed. He’s missed a number of passes to open receivers and seems to lack that overall poise a quarterback must have.

Head coach Bret Bielema said Monday that Evridge will be the team’s starter against Penn State this weekend but also alluded that junior quarterback Dustin Sherer will be breathing down Evridge’s neck.

For Evridge, this Saturday should be his last chance to prove himself.

While I am of the belief that Sherer should have probably started the season under center, it would be silly to throw him into the fire against the No. 6 Nittany Lions — a nationally televised game against a top-ranked opponent isn’t the ideal time to throw in a new starter.

Teams want the players on the field that give them the best chance to win. And as hard as it may be to believe, Evridge gives UW a slightly better chance Saturday than Sherer does this weekend. But that’s solely based on experience.

Should Evridge struggle again, however, it will be time to change things up. If the Badgers lose, it’s clear they can’t win with Evridge at the helm. Why not get a different captain to steer this ship around?

Get Sherer the experience now so he’ll be ready for next season. UW can’t afford to have what happened to Evridge happen to him too.

Zetlin:

Close, Mason, you’re very close.

At this point, I think we’ve seen enough of Evridge. He’s had his chance, underperformed, and now it’s time to move on, as all hopes of a Rose Bowl berth are gone.

Throwing a replacement in against No. 6 Penn State may seem cruel, but how else is he supposed to gain the experience needed down the road?

It was obvious that Evridge lacked poise because he lacked experience. When the Badgers lost to Illinois and Penn State last season, Evridge should have replaced Donovan so he’d be that much better this season. Interestingly enough, Wisconsin went on to play both Michigan and Ohio State after that, two teams Evridge lost to this season.

You’re right, Evridge’s end is near, but you’re wrong about who his replacement should be. Should Dustin Sherer take over, that would mean next season would be the fourth year in a row the Badgers would start a senior quarterback.

That said, throw the freshman from Tennessee, Curt Phillips, under the gun Saturday and build for the future. He’s more mobile than the rest, which would ultimately give UW the change of pace it needs on offense.

Is he ready to win now? No, but when the Capital One Bowl is a long shot, it’s time to think about the future. You can’t have a successful program with continuous one-and-done quarterbacks. At some point, you need to accept the growing pains of a youngster and let an offense grow around him. Imagine an offense with John Clay and a veteran quarterback in two years.

It’s time for Bret Bielema to waive the white flag. Vote now: Phillips for quarterback.