Coach:
Barry Alvarez
70-44-4, 10 years |
1999 Record: 10-2
Sep 04 |
Murray State |
Won 49-10 |
Sep 11 |
Ball State |
Won 50-10 |
Sep 18 |
@Cincinnati |
Lost 12-17 |
Sep 25 |
Michigan |
Lost 16-21
|
Oct 02 |
@Ohio State |
Won 42-17 |
Oct 09 |
@Minnesota |
Won 20-17 |
Oct 16 |
Indiana |
Won 59-0 |
Oct 23 |
Michigan State |
Won 40-10 |
Oct 30 |
@Northwestern |
Won 35-19 |
Nov 06 |
@Purdue |
Won 28-21 |
Nov 13 |
Iowa |
Won 41-3 |
ROSE BOWL
|
Jan 01 |
Stanford |
Won 17-9 |
|
|
1999
Final Rankings
|
AP-4, BCS-7,
Coaches-4
|
2000 Outlook
|
The Badgers have been a historic Rose
Bowl Champion for two years straight now and have the
5th best record in the nation over those seasons with
the likes of FSU and Tennessee. Coach Alvarez will be
back on the sideline after spending most of the 1999
season in the press box with a knee that required replacement
surgery. The keys to 2000 will come in four forms. Finding
a replacement running back for Heisman Trophy Winner
Ron Dayne, replacing two offensive tackles and a solid
strong safety, and how well QB Brooks Bollinger handles
the pressure of running the show with no power running
game in the fold to start the season. It's a typical
Big Ten schedule with a visit from 1999 spoilers Cincinnati
and a 12th game Thanksgiving visit to Hawaii. But the
Badgers will be back in a New Year's Day Bowl.
Projected Record: 9-4
Wisconsin
2000 Schedule
|
WISCONSIN
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB - 3 |
DL - 4 |
RB - 2.5 |
LB - 2 |
WR - 3.5 |
DB - 4.5 |
OL - 3 |
|
|
|
|
WISCONSIN BADGERS
2000 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
|
|
|
2000
OFFENSE
|
Strengths: Sometimes the
best place to start an offense is in the middle and that is
exactly where the Badgers will flex their muscles as three interior
lineman are back. Playboy Preseason All-American Casey Rabach,
voted a captain for the 2000 season, leads the way at center
with Bill Ferrario and Dave Costa joining him on both sides
at guard. All three are seniors and will go along way in determining
Wisconsin's success. At quarterback is sophmore Brooks Bollinger,
the North Dakota Gatorade High School Player of The Year in
1997, who finished 8-0 as a starter last season helping him
to earn 1999 Big Ten Freshman of The Year honors. Bollinger
can also scramble as he finished second on the team in rushing.
Possibly the best player on offense will be split end Chris
Chambers as he has been the Badger's leading receiver the last
two seasons as a sophmore and junior. Chambers has started 26
straight games since walking on. The nations best kicker has
been granted a fifth year by the NCAA. Vitaly Pisetsky was one
of three finalists in 1999 for the Lou Groza Award as the nations
leading kicker. |
Weaknesses: How can you
talk about Wisconsin football without mentioning the name Ron
Dayne. The 1999 Heisman Trophy Winner is now gone after leading
the conference in rushing 3 out of the last 4 years. Not all
is lost with Mike Bennett stepping in to handle the running
chores. Bennett offers a different look from the pound it out
style of play Wisconsin is used to and you may see more play
calling to the outside as he is an All-American sprinter winning
the Big Ten Indoor Track MVP. But beyond that the Badgers are
hurting for a backup. The biggest concern for coaches in 2000
will be finding two new tackles where the depth is limited.
Some better pass blocking skills on the outside will need to
be developed quickly. The biggest backup problem will be at
QB. After the spring no one player has emerged between Jim Sorgi
and Scott Wille and talk has spread of an incoming freshman
earning that spot. Depth at wide receiver will also be key as
there are only three dependable players in Chambers, Davis,
and Evans. |
OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART
|
QB |
Brooks
Bollinger |
6-2 |
207 |
So. |
|
Jim
Sorgi |
6-5 |
183 |
Fr. |
RB |
Michael
Bennett |
5-10 |
205 |
Jr. |
|
Broderick
Williams |
6-0 |
202 |
Fr. |
FB |
Chad
Kuhns |
6-1 |
232 |
Jr. |
|
Carlos
Daniels |
6-1 |
245 |
Jr. |
WR |
Nick
Davis |
5-10 |
180 |
Jr. |
|
Lee
Evans |
5-11 |
182 |
So. |
WR |
Chris
Chambers |
6-1 |
206 |
Sr. |
|
Conroy
Whyte |
5-7 |
159 |
Jr. |
T |
Ben
Johnson |
6-7 |
319 |
So. |
|
Morgan
Davis |
6-5 |
300 |
Fr. |
G |
Bill
Ferrario |
6-3 |
302 |
Sr. |
|
Jason
Jowers |
6-6 |
300 |
So. |
C |
Casey
Rabach |
6-5 |
286 |
Sr. |
|
Al
Johnson |
6-4 |
281 |
So. |
G |
Dave
Costa |
6-5 |
300 |
Sr. |
|
Jeremy
Dox |
6-3 |
282 |
Jr. |
T |
Brian
Lamont |
6-8 |
333 |
Jr. |
|
Josh
Jakubowski |
6-6 |
331 |
Sr. |
TE |
Dague
Retzlaff |
6-8 |
273 |
Sr. |
|
John
Sigmund |
6-6 |
273 |
Sr. |
K |
Vitaly
Pisetsky |
5-10 |
228 |
Sr. |
|
Mark
Neuser |
5-9 |
157 |
Fr. |
Returning
starters in bold. |
Key
Losses: Ahmad Merritt-WR, Chris McIntosh-OT, Scott Kavanagh-QB,
Ron Dayne-RB
|
|
2000
DEFENSE
|
Strengths: It will be
hard to find a better set of starters at defensive back. First
year coach Todd Bradford has three gems with the return of Jamar
Fletcher, Jason Doering, and Mike Echols as they led Wisconsin
to a #5 in the country defensive pass efficiency rating last
year. As a junior Fletcher is already being mentioned to be
headed to the NFL after picking off opponents 14 times in 22
games. The All-American will be joined by another team captain
for the second year in a row, Jason Doering, who finished with
111 stops in '99. The DL could be the most productive unit,
rotating in seven players at four positions. Tackle Wendell
Bryant will make a run for All-American honors and rush linebacker
John Favret, all 230 pounds of him, is back after being a starter
on two Rose Bowl teams and starting in 35 games in his career.
You have to love this guy as coaches say he will play until
he throws up. Punter Kevin Stemke returns to give Wisconsin
the best special teams kicking tandem in America. |
Weaknesses: The Badgers
lost two veteran linebackers in 1999 team leading tackler Chris
Ghidorzi and partner Donnel Thompson. Nick Greisen and Bryson
Thompson will start but look for young freshman Darius Jones
and Jeff Mack to push for playing time. Dan Lisowski has been
moved back outside after a brief move to the inside. Probably
the biggest talk in Madison has been the move of little Joey
Boese from starting corner back to strong safety to fill in
for departed senior Bobby Myers. The strong safety spot is key
for being able to come up and support the run defense and at
5-11, 170 pounds, Boese will have a tough task to handle. |
DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART
|
DT |
Ross
Kolodziej |
6-3 |
279 |
Sr. |
|
George
Pratt |
6-5 |
306 |
Jr. |
NT |
Eric
Mahlik |
6-3 |
265 |
Sr. |
|
Jake
Sprague |
6-4 |
278 |
Jr. |
DT |
Wendell
Bryant |
6-4 |
298 |
Jr. |
|
Chuck
Smith |
6-6 |
267 |
Jr. |
RLB |
John
Favret |
6-4 |
230 |
Sr. |
|
Ben
Herbert |
6-4 |
234 |
Jr. |
OLB |
Roger
Knight |
6-2 |
221 |
Sr. |
|
Dan
Lisowski |
6-1 |
218 |
Jr. |
LB |
Nick
Greisen |
6-2 |
239 |
Jr. |
|
Darius
Jones |
6-3 |
250 |
Fr. |
LB |
Bryson
Thompson |
6-1 |
218 |
Jr. |
|
Jeff
Mack |
6-0 |
230 |
Fr. |
CB |
Jamar
Fletcher |
5-10 |
170 |
Jr. |
|
Byron
Brown |
6-0 |
183 |
Fr. |
CB |
Mike
Echols |
5-10 |
169 |
Jr. |
|
B.J.
Tucker |
5-11 |
165 |
So. |
SS |
Joey
Boese |
5-11 |
169 |
Jr. |
|
Devery
Hughes |
5-11 |
175 |
So. |
FS |
Jason
Doering |
6-0 |
200 |
Sr. |
|
Carlease
Clark |
5-11 |
181 |
Jr. |
P |
Kevin
Stemke |
6-2 |
187 |
Sr. |
|
Vitaly
Pisetsky |
5-10 |
228 |
Sr. |
Returning
starters in bold. |
Key
Losses: Chris Ghidorzi-LB, Donnel Thompson-LB, Bobby
Myers-DB
|
|
|