It became a matter of risk versus reward when it came to scheduling the 2002 Badger Football schedule. Barry Alvarez and company took a risk in adding Fresno State as a thirteenth game on the schedule that could have resulted in fatigue and injury, but instead gave the Badgers a strong win that rolled into four more, and a firm underpinning in the national rankings. The reward for taking the risk has shown itself in the impending national broadcast of the Badgers’ football game against Penn State a week from Sunday. But before Alvarez and the Badgers look ahead, they are taking a well-deserved break.
“The most important thing right now,” said Alvarez, “is to give them a little more time off.”
Alvarez and staff decided to excuse their team from practice Monday and Tuesday, and the team will reconvene Wednesday and Thursday and take in an early practice at 6:45 Friday morning.
“They’re free after their classes on Friday,” said Alvarez. “This way I felt a lot of them could go home. We’ll give them Saturday off and Sunday. I’d like them to check in to have dinner on Sunday evening. . . I think they can come back re-energized.”
And that re-energization coupled with some relaxation and recuperation is just what this Badger teams needs. After going strong for five straight weeks, the Badger offense could really use some time to recover from several nagging injuries to many of its key players.
Anthony Davis, who tweaked an ankle against Arizona this past weekend, has additional time to mend because of the bye week, as will fellow sophomore Darren Charles. Charles has struggled with the effects of a sprained ankle suffered in fall camp and has aggravated the injury several times throughout the season.
“[The bye week] hits at the perfect time,” stated Alvarez.
The bye week also gives Badger super-star wideout Lee Evans another week to recuperate and rehabilitate from the ACL injury he received in the culmination of the spring season. However, things still appear to be in the air in terms of a concrete return date for last season’s Big Ten receiving leader. Evans had said he was looking at the Penn State game as his target to return to play. Evans has been participating in stalk-blocking drills, as well as in general receiving routines without pads.
“I’m waiting for answers,” stated Alvarez about Evans. “We can all speculate what we want, and we can write what we think, but he still has to have approval, and when he does, he will play.”
In the meantime, the Badger team looks to take things slowly this week and mend their injuries. The three days of practice this week give the Badgers some extra time to concentrate for their Big Ten opener, which was recently rescheduled to a 2:30 p.m. start and national syndication.
“We will have some extra days to prepare for Penn State,” said tailback Anthony Davis. “We have to prepare for them. We are going to install our game plan and get back to work. We will get a little bit of rest in and try and get everyone healed up; then it is off to the conference.”
