TheWolverine.com - Wisconsin offense remains unsettled at quarterback

August 25, 2009

Michael Spath
TheWolverine.com Senior Writer

After enjoying relatively strong quarterback play for the better part of a decade, Wisconsin is poised to begin the 2009 season with serious questions at the position. With a myriad of concerns, the Badgers don't have high expectations for the fall ?

"They have a pretty favorable schedule but I don't see this team contending for a Big Ten title or finishing any higher than middle of the pack," BadgerBlitz.com publisher Jon McNamara said. "I could see them going 7-6 or 8-5 with a bowl win, but if you watched this team last year, it really struggled offensively because of a lack of a passing game and that's a top concern in camp right now."

Fifth-year senior Dustin Sherer started seven of 11 games last fall, completing 54.1 percent of his attempts for 1,246 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He began and ended spring practice atop the depth chart but has since fallen to third in the race to start the season behind redshirt freshman Curt Phillips and redshirt junior Scott Tolzien.

"No one has really been that impressive in camp," McNamara said. "Dustin came into camp the favorite but he's really struggled and I think the coaches just accepted that, at best, he's a below-average quarterback that makes way too many mistakes.

"Curt Phillips is a young guy that will probably have a rough start to his career but the coaches like his upside and are willing to allow him to make mistakes as part of a learning curve. Scott Tolzien has average physical skills but knows the playbook real well and can limit his mistakes, if that's what they want."

Ranked the No. 4 player in Tennessee and the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com, Phillips (6-3, 228 pounds) could be an offensive asset, in time.

"He's very athletic and can make a lot of plays with his feet," McNamara said. "He has average arm strength but is pretty accurate with his throws. He'll be at his best on a broken play when he gets outside the tackle box and can decide to run or make a pass while scrambling."

Sherer's descent is not the only surprise offensively to emerge out of Madison; junior tailback Zach Brown has leapfrogged redshirt sophomore John Clay on the depth chart and is expected to start Wisconsin's opener against Northern Illinois.

A productive performer for the Badgers in his first two seasons, the 5-10, 210-pound Brown has rushed for 873 yards and eight touchdowns on 174 career carries (5.0-yard average) in a largely reserve role. Michigan fans remember Brown well after he totaled 108 yards and two scores in a 2007 victory over the Wolverines.

Clay, 6-1, 248, is inarguably more talented than Brown physically and is the rightful heir to P.J. Hill but has to improve his work ethic if he's to earn the bulk of the carries this fall.

"The big talk of last Saturday's scrimmage was Brett Bielema telling the guys that Zach Brown was his starter," McNamara said. "He meant it but I think he also said that to light a fire in Clay. I do expect that at some point John Clay will emerge the No. 1 back but Brown can be a very good second option over the long haul."

Like it has been the past two seasons, tight end will again be a strength of the Badgers. Senior Garrett Graham returns following a 40-reception, five-touchdown effort in 2008 while the coaches are also high on redshirt junior Lance Kendricks and senior Mickey Turner.

"If Graham stays healthy, he's one of the better tight ends in the country," McNamara said. "He's probably this team's No. 1 receiving threat right now but Kendricks is right behind him. He's similar to Travis Beckum in that he's very athletic and he'll line up in the slot or as an H-back to create a situation in which he can find some open space. They like Mickey Turner a lot too and will use a lot of three-tight end sets, I would think."

There is talent at receiver, however. The coaches are very high on redshirt sophomore Nick Toon, who has great size at 6-3, 212 pounds, and freshman Kraig Appleton (6-3, 202) while junior David Gilreath (5-11, 170) will lend a veteran presence.

Typically, Wisconsin boasts one of the Big Ten's most-imposing and dominant offensive lines but injuries have decimated the Badgers up front. Redshirt junior center John Moffitt tore a pectoral muscle and hasn't practiced in fall camp, redshirt junior right guard Bill Nagy broke his wrest and injured his leg in a scooter accident while redshirt junior left tackle Gabe Carimi strained his MCL and has also been held out of practices. The three returning starters were expected to anchor the line this fall.

With the three out, even more spotlight has been focused on redshirt sophomore right tackle Josh Oglesby but that's not a good thing. The 6-7, 330-pound former five-star recruit has found it overwhelming trying to live up to his prep accolades.

"The worst thing that happened to Oglesby was getting that fifth star because nowadays they expect you, even as an offensive lineman, to come in and start right away and dominate right away," McNamara said. "He's been very inconsistent so far in his career and doesn't really do anything that blows you away. In the spring, he was working with the second unit a lot but he'll be a starter and he has to step up with all those other guys hurting right now."

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