Wisconsin at a glance

2001 schedule Aug. 25 vs. Virginia Sept. 1 at Oregon Sept. 8 vs. Fresno State Sept. 15 vs. W. Kentucky Sept. 22 at Penn State Oct. 6 vs. Indiana Oct. 13 at Ohio State Oct. 20 at Illinois Oct. 27 vs. Michigan St. Nov. 3 vs. Iowa Nov. 17 vs. Michigan Nov. 24 at Minnesota 2000 results (9-4, 4-4 in Big Ten) Western Michigan W 19-7 Oregon W 27-23 Cincinnati W 28-25 Northwestern L 47-44 Michigan L 13-10 Ohio State L 23-7 Michigan State W 17-10 Purdue L 30-24 Iowa W 13-7 Minnesota W 41-20 Indiana W 43-22 Hawaii W 34-18 UCLA W 21-20

Overall, eight players were lost in the trenches, including three offensive linemen, a pair of tight ends and three defensive linemen. That's an awful lot of talent to lose. With the offense, defense and special teams needing to be restructured, it goes without saying that Barry Alvarez and his staff have their work cut out for them.

OFFENSE
In the '90s, RBs such as Brent Moss, Terrell Fletcher, Carl McCullough, Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne and speedster Michael Bennett have been the focal point of the Badgers offense. While Darrell Bevell was an excellent field general for the Badgers and Mike Samuel also did a very capable job, the QBs for the most part haven't been called on to be the major headliner.

This season, however, the key to the Badgers success will depend upon the play of their QBs, Brooks Bollinger and Jim Sorgi. While Bollinger will rely on his mobility and running skills to move the offense, Sorgi provides a much different look with his drop-back passing skills. This will make for some sleepless nights for opposing defensive coordinators.

With no proven tailback, the Badgers may forget about a conservative approach and try to attack through the air, especially with Sorgi under center. Nick Davis will be a valuable performer at WR and as a kick returner. In junior Lee Evans, the Badgers have a top-echelon WR with All-American ability. Last year he averaged 19 yards per catch. Sophomore Byron Brown appears primed for an excellent season as the Badgers third wideout.

While the Badgers offensive line will be a work-in-progress as the season moves along, there's plenty of talent. The best of the group figures to be pivot man Al Johnson, a 6-4, 290-pound junior who also made his mark as a shot-putter at the prep level. Ben Johnson, a physically talented 6-7, 322-pound junior, will operate at LT, with junior Jason Jowers on the right side. A pair of redshirt freshmen, Kalvin Barrett and Dan Buenning, enter fall practice as the starting OGs.

Instead of a true workhorse to key the ground game, the Badgers overland attack will feature three redshirt freshmen, all of whom will be carrying the ball for the first time in a game situation this season: 6-0, 230-pounder Tyron Griffin; 5-9, 175 pounder Jerone Pettus; and 5-8, 185-pounder Anthony Davis. Griffin figures to pound away between the tackles, Pettus is viewed as an all-purpose type and Davis possesses legit home-run hitting speed. And don't forget versatile senior FB Chad Kuhns.

The Badgers plan to spread things out on offense, with the hope that a few more gaping holes may open for the young RBs. This was evident in the spring game. Pettus rushed for 119 yards, Griffin totaled 100 yards and Davis carried the ball six times for 69 yards.

DEFENSE
With super blue-chip cover man Jamar Fletcher and five other starters from last year no longer in Madison, the Badgers defense will have to benefit from All-American performances on a week-to-week basis from their two major headliners, DT Wendell Bryant and CB Mike Echols. Last year, Bryant totaled eight stops behind the line of scrimmage; this year, that number should be about 17. Echols will have the opportunity to establish himself as one of the elite cover men in the nation. It will be interesting to see if he remains at boundary corner or moves to a field CB spot once the season gets under way. Currently, the field CB spot remains a major question mark. Joey Boese enters fall practice No. 1 on the depth chart, with B.J. Tucker (who reportedly lacked consistency in the spring) opening behind Boese. If Tucker improves to the point where he earns the job, Boese would shift back to his customary FS spot, working alongside sophomore Michael Broussard.

Along with Bryant, the other key performer up front figures to be sophomore DE Darius Jones. The 6-3, 277-pounder will be expected to generate steady heat on opposing QBs. Even though he's 6-4 and just 240 pounds, Ben Herbert has been switched from DE to NG, where the hope is that his quickness creates some problems along the interior. As for Bryant, with a dominating year he would figure to rank as one of the elite senior defensive prospects in the country when projected to the next level. MLB Nick Greisen will be looking to once again pace the Badgers in tackles, but overall the linebacking situation is far from a strength.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Besides the need to replace Fletcher at a CB spot, the other huge concern has to do with the kicking game. In close games, malfunctions or missed opportunities in this area can result in potential victories going the other way. The placekicking situation remains a question mark heading into the fall. Mark Neuser, a sophomore walk-on, and redshirt freshman Adam Espinoza are vying for the job. Kirk Munden, a sophomore walk-on, is expected to handle the punting duties.

Overview: With so many key players moving on, I view the Badgers as the major wild card in the Big Ten. Instead of one feature back, Griffin, Pettus and Davis all figure to contribute heavily to the rushing attack. The Badgers have a history, under Barry Alvarez, of developing quality offensive linemen, so this unit figures to perform at a higher level than some may expect. Even so, we'll have to see if there are any growing pains early in the campaign.

With Evans a top, big-play wideout and Davis coming off an impressive spring at WR, we'll have to wait and see whether the change in philosophy on offense really materializes. Will they open things up and spread the field or revert to a more conservative approach if the game remains close in the second half? While Bollinger is the running option, Sorgi has proven to be a very effective drop-back passer who can beat a defense with his arm. The defense revolves around Bryant and Echols, while Jones has to generate outside pressure from his DE spot in order to mask some of the problems that could develop at Fletcher's old CB spot.