Prior to Saturday’s game, the Badger football team released the names of its new team captains. Seniors Jim Sorgi, Lee Evans and Jeff Mack and junior Jim Leonhard were selected by way of a team vote. Each player was asked just to vote for one captain, and these four players separated themselves from the pack.
“I can’t say enough about the guys that I play with,” a gracious Jeff Mack said. “They voted for me. I have so much admiration for them, but it’s not just one guy. Our leadership roles on the team don’t change. If I’m down, someone’s going to help me up. If someone else is down, I’ll be the first guy to help them. Nothing has changed, but it’s just a great honor.”
Mack was the defensive MVP of last season’s Alamo Bowl after coming back from a stinger injury that held him out for most of the conference season. He has more career tackles than any current Badger player.
Sorgi has been a backup for his entire UW career but is slotted as the team’s starting quarterback for 2003. He has compiled a career record of 0-5 as a spot starter but has been integral in many comeback victories in which former starter Brooks Bollinger had been injured.
Lee Evans looks to return to the playing field after sitting out the 2002 season with a knee injury. The 2001 All-American didn’t participate in Saturday’s spring game but made an appearance at the opening coin-flip with his fellow captains.
Leonhard led the nation in interceptions last season with 11. That interception mark is also a Big Ten record. He achieved All-American honors last season as a walk-on sophomore. Leonhard was also a special guest of Gov. Jim Doyle at the 2003 state of the state address.
“If I was to guess the guys that were picked, I’d have picked those four guys,” head coach Barry Alvarez said, clearly happy with his team’s decision.
Schabert No. 2: After Saturday’s game, Alvarez was quick to cite junior Matt Schabert as the team’s back-up quarterback heading into the 2003 season. Despite his not-so-strong arm, Alvarez sees the quarterback as a very intelligent player.
“He’s very bright, and he understands our offense,” Alvarez said. “He’s comfortable with the offense, and I think he knows his limitations. He knows where to go with it, and he knows what he can do.”
Schabert was six-of-nine for 62 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinal and went four-of-nine for 49 yards while with the White. He was the only one of four quarterbacks who played in the game not to throw an interception.
Schabert also has some game experience to his resume; he came off the bench in 2001 for an injured Jim Sorgi against Michigan State. He completed 10 of 18 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Depth at RB: With the 1993 Rose Bowl team in town for this season’s spring game, comparisons of the 2003 Badger running backs were made to the winning combo of Terrell Fletcher and Brent Moss.
For star running back Anthony Davis, the comparisons had somehow eluded him. The junior says the Badgers have a lot of playmakers in the backfield and the makings of potent offense.
“We go very deep. We’ve got a lot of players who can play,” Davis said. “As a group, we’ve improved a lot. We’re not where we need to be yet, but we’re working to get there.”
With an experienced and accomplished bruising backup in Dwayne Smith behind him, Davis knows the squad has the makings of something special. Throw in return specialist Jerome Pettus, the best receiver of the bunch, and a backfield running three deep, and Badger fans have something to dream about before the season launches in August.
