At the beginning of the 2002 season, the Wisconsin football team had many holes and just as many question marks at linebacker. Eight games into a difficult year, injuries have caused some of those holes to stick around, but the question marks are quickly turning into exclamation points.

Middle linebacker Jeff Mack, who has been the defense’s rock all season long, missed the Ohio State game with a stinger, the second straight game he has sat.

While it seemed the absence of Mack, the team’s leader in tackles, would be a major setback, the UW linebacking corps responded admirably. Even without Mack, UW held Maurice Clarett, one of the nation’s top backs, to only 133 yards on 30 carries and more importantly, kept the freshman touchdown machine out of the end zone.

Junior middle linebacker Kyle McCorrison filled in for Mack most of the game and recorded nine tackles, often hitting with Mack’s trademark abandon. Alex Lewis, who has played mostly at outside linebacker this season, also played some snaps in middle, and Alvarez feels the middle may be a more natural position for the JUCO transfer. Playing on the inside would allow Lewis to use his excellent speed, athleticism and hitting ability to the fullest while focusing less on pass coverage and more on run support.

“Because of where Jeff [Mack] is right now and not knowing where Jeff is right now, it’s important that [Lewis] go there, and secondly, I think it is a better position for him,” head coach Barry Alvarez said.

“He has never had to do any [pass coverage] before. There would be less adjusting and more just reacting to what he sees at that position. And I quite frankly ? and so does [defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove] ? feel as though it would be a better position for him.”

With Lewis shifted to the middle, Broderick Williams, who had been splitting time with Lewis, played the majority of the snaps outside against Ohio State. Williams played the most complete game of his career against the Buckeyes, providing substantial run support against Clarett. The junior racked up 10 tackles, including one for a loss, and sacked Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel once. Williams’ effort impressed Alvarez.

“Broderick played well in that game,” Alvarez said. “He was fired up and played aggressive. I thought he made a big step. That’s a good football team that he played, and you’ve got to come off a 300-plus lineman to make a play against what everyone considers to be one of the best backs in the country. I just thought Broderick really grew up in that game.”

Williams, who was recruited as a running back but switched to linebacker during the spring, has made the transition from breaking tackles to making tackles look easy. The 6-foot, 224-pound Williams may not have astounding size for a linebacker, but his tailback speed aids him in coverage and his experience as a running back helps him to see holes develop and snuff out run plays. Alvarez feels Williams has made the position change smoothly enough, especially considering the difference in responsibilities.

“So many things happen in there. If you’ve never played in there, you get blocked from every angle,” Alvarez said. “When you’re lined up at linebacker, there are bullets flying around, people blocking you from every which way. You’ve got to react to the run. They play-fake, and you’re expected to be back in coverage.

“There is just so much action going on that you have to understand the game, and if you’ve never played there it can be overwhelming. I just think the more he plays it, the more reps he gets, the more comfortable he gets. He has a lot of ability, and his speed certainly helps him in there.”

Williams isn’t the only former running back who’s made the switch to linebacker. True freshman LaMarr Watkins, who was recruited as a tailback out of Mt. Laurel, N.J., has seen time at outside linebacker and made five tackles in UW’s win over Northern Illinois. Watkins, like Williams, had a breakout game against Ohio State, flying all over the field and racking up nine tackles.

Watkins, like Williams, takes advantage of his speed, and Alvarez is pleased with both Watkins’ progress and potential.

“He’s been playing pretty well. I probably could have played him a little bit more. But I really like the way he played; LaMarr mixed it up,” Alvarez said.

“If you talk about a true freshman walking in and not being starry eyed and turn it loose. The one thing I did have to tell him, when he’s coming downhill on [Clarett], you don’t want to tackle him high. You want to go down and take his legs out from under him. He did a good job in drops. I really like what I saw. He really has a bright future.”