2003 Statistics

Quarterback
Eighteen of the 22 Badgers who were in the starting lineup for the Music City Bowl are back, but QB Jim Sorgi isn't one of them. His absence leaves a void of inexperience at the position. Senior Matt Schabert is the most experienced returnee with a start, 83 pass attempts and a game-winning TD in the upset of Ohio State on his resume. But the job will go to John Stocco, who overtook Schabert as Sorgi's backup late last season. The 6-2 Stocco jumped ahead of Schabert after last season's loss to Iowa, when Schabert struggled to lead the offense in place of the injured Sorgi. Stocco came in and showed more poise, despite his youth. Wisconsin's bread and butter will be the running game, but if Stocco struggles to lead a respectable air attack, don't expect coach Barry Alvarez to wait until November to make a move. Keep an eye on true freshman Sean Lewis, who graduated early so he could compete in spring drills. Lewis is a 6-7 deep bomber who was mobile enough to run for 915 yards and 15 TDs last year at Richards (Ill.) High.

Running Back
Led by Heisman candidate Anthony Davis, Wisconsin returns the best group of ball-carriers in the Big Ten. A 1,000-yard rusher in '01 and '02, Davis had a shot at Ron Dayne's school and national rushing records before missing five games thanks to a bad ankle. The 5-8 game-breaker's durability is a question mark, and there's a dropoff when Davis is out. The Badgers were upset against UNLV when Davis injured the ankle, then again against Northwestern when he aggravated it. But the season is not over if he goes down again. His absence last fall gave the Wisconsin an opportunity to at least develop junior Dwayne Smith and sophomore Booker Stanley. The two split time and combined for 1,380 yards. Each of the three had multiple 100-yard games, making Wisconsin the Big Ten's Denver Broncos. (Smith will miss five spring practices due to a second-degree sexual assault charge. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26). At fullback, mauler John Bernstein returns. The junior, who got just 37 touches last year, will again be well used to plow openings for Davis and Co.

Wide Receiver
You don't replace a guy like Lee Evans, who heads to the NFL as the school's No. 2 career receiving yardage leader. Stocco still has plenty of targets to throw to, though, with multi-talented Brandon Williams topping the list. The junior is deadly in the open field and he'll be the Badgers' weapon of choice in the passing game (even defensively, as a DB). Jonathan Orr, a 6-3 junior, will have to play more like he did a freshman. With Evans gone and Williams drawing the top opposing corner, expect Orr to return to '02 form. Darrin Charles, a sure-handed 6-6 senior, has been a steady backup the last two years and is a solid No. 3 receiver.

Tight End
Senior Tony Paciotti has far more career starts (19) than catches (one), which should be indicative of his role in the offense. Juniors Jason Pociask and Owen Daniels, both 6-3, aren't as intimidating, but they'll get their reps. Daniels proved to be a nice addition to the passing game last fall with 15 grabs and two TDs.

Offensive Line
This unit will be improved with five starters back and some new faces in the mix. Left guard Dan Buenning is the anchor. A second-team All-Big Ten pick, the senior has started 37 of Wisconsin's last 39 games. He'll line up next to junior center Donovan Riola, who showed up on the all-conference honorable mention list. Morgan Davis started at left tackle, but practiced on the right side this spring. Sophomore Joe Thomas, used as a tight end and defensive lineman, will get a spot at right tackle, with deposed starter Mike Lorenz providing depth. Versatile junior Jake Wood will likely unseat two-year starter Jonathan Clinkscale at right guard. Some changes up front were in order for a group that allowed 37 sacks, rivaling only Big Ten doormat Indiana in conference ineptitude.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Wisconsin tried to open up its passing game in '03, but never seemed to find an identity on offense. Injuries to Sorgi and Davis didn't help. With Sorgi and Evans gone, the Badgers will go back to their vintage punishing running game. But if Stocco flounders, teams will simply crowd the box. Even with everyone back, the Wisconsin line isn't good enough to sustain the ground game in that event. So the pressure is on young Stocco to keep opposing Ds honest and show the same poise as a starter that he exuded as a backup late last fall. Balance may be hard to find, and that will be disastrous.

Defensive Line
The Badgers have one of the best sets of run-plugging DTs in the nation in All-Big Ten senior Anttaj Hawthorne (20 tackles for losses) and third-year starter Jason Jefferson. The ends are solid, with senior Jonathan Welsh returning at right end. The left is the only question mark up front. Oft-injured returning starter Darius Jones will miss spring ball with a knee injury. If he's not ready to go by this fall, he'll be replaced by soph Joe Monty, the brother of Badgers career tackles leader Pete Monty. There's plenty of depth here, with redshirt freshman Jamal Cooper, winner of the scout team hero award last fall, among the backups. With or without Jones, this group will give opposing offensive line coaches insomnia. Something has to be changed so 2003's stat of allowing 3.9 yards-per run won't again be repeated. Wisconsin will put more pressure on opposing QBs, which will make life easier for an already experienced secondary. Over-pursuit could be a problem, especially with such quick LBs (see below).

Linebacker
This is the big question mark on defense, for it is a whole new crew. New coordinator Bret Bielema uses his LBs a bit differently than predecessor Kevin Cosgrove, with a strong-side backer lining up opposite the tight end and weak-side as well as middle backers who scream to the ball carrier. Mark Zalewski, an athletic soph, will play strong-side, with quick juniors Elliott Goode and Lamarr Watkins at middle and weak-side, respectively. Dontez Sanders was moved from safety to give the unit an athletic backup. Notice a trend? With a D-line good enough to contain opposing offensive lines, a quick LB trio will make running the ball against Wisconsin tough. Big AND quick opposing linemen will negate them, if not careful.

Defensive Back
No question marks here, these guys are good. Two-time All-American free safety Jim Leonhard, the Big Ten picks leader the past two seasons, returns as a senior. Senior Robert Brooks got the start at strong safety in the Music City Bowl loss to Auburn and did enough to keep the spot heading into this fall. The Badgers also have two seniors at the cornerback slots with fourth-year starter Scott Starks back at field (wide side) to surpass 2003's total of 18 passes broken up, and Brett Bell back at boundary (short side). Starks will again be the No. 1 cover guy, and Bell will run down whoever challenges his side. With a formidable front-seven shutting down the run, this group will be tested. Barring injury, it won't fail.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Wisconsin was eighth in the conference in points allowed, having let such vaunted offenses as Akron's run wild. That's a big IF with a new coordinator and an untested group of linebackers. But look for the entire unit to be a unit of strong cohesion, led by the seniority of the backfield. Eight returning starters should seal the deal on improvements in all categories, but more importantly, consistency that has been lacking.