Bowling Green State University Athletics
Wisconsin Starting QB Undecided
September 05, 2006 | Football
Aug. 31, 2006
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - Nine pass attempts in two years doesn't translate into much experience.
However, if Tyler Donovan gets the nod as Wisconsin's starting quarterback Saturday against Bowling Green, he's a seasoned veteran compared to redshirt freshman Freddie Barnes, the Falcons' starting quarterback. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Cleveland Browns Stadium and the game will be televised on WNWO in Toledo.
UW's starting quarterback for the last 25 games, John Stocco, a fifth-year senior, is recovering from knee surgery he underwent less than three weeks ago and his status for Saturday is in question. Stocco, 6-foot-2, 204 pounds, is 19-6 as a starter, including a 56-42 win over BG last season and a 24-10 victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.
"Stocco is a fifth-year kid and a very experienced player ... He makes a lot of plays for them," said BG head coach Gregg Brandon. "If he plays, they're pretty good ... If he doesn't play, they're still pretty good."
In 2005, Stocco set Wisconsin season records in passing yards (2,920), passing touchdowns (21) and completions (197).
Donovan, a 6-1, 193 pound, redshirt junior, has played in eight games over the last two seasons after earning first-team All-Wisconsin honors as a high school senior.
Brandon said BG's defensive plan is to prepare for Stocco, but that the Badgers' package would probably not change that much with Donovan as a starter.
He did say, "I don't think they will be able to do as much," with Donovan in the game.
Bret Bielema, the first-year head coach of the Badgers, said earlier this week that Stocco will be the starter if he has a solid effort in practice. At age 36, Bielema is one of the youngest head coaches in college football.
"What John does between now and Saturday will determine who starts the game," Bielema said Monday. "John Stocco is our starting quarterback in this program and nothing will take him out of that role unless there's an injury that prevents him from doing that when game time arrives.
"The one thing John Stocco has been able to do is consistently win," Bielema added. "He puts his best foot forward."
Gone from last year's Badgers' team which scored 35 points in the second quarter to erase BG's 13-0 lead, are playmakers Brian Calhoun, who rushed for 258 yards and five scores against BG, and Brandon Williams, who had an 85-yard kickoff return against the Falcons which helped change the momentum of the game. "They pushed us around, particularly our defense, last year," Brandon said.
The coaching change from Barry Alvarez to Bielema, who served as Alvarez's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, won't be too noticeable, Brandon said.
"I don't see Bret doing anything different, honestly," he said.
Two of UW's projected starters -- Chris Pressley and wideout Marcus Randle El -- are out with injuries.
However, Brandon knows that Wisconsin has plenty of talented depth.
"That's an established Big Ten program. Their backups are going to be pretty good," Brandon said.
The injuries give other players a chance to step up, Bielema said.
"There's no difference between the quarterback, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, wide receiver. It's the next man in and our team has responded in that way," Bielema said.
"We have a lot of young guys who are really talented," said Joe Thomas, UW's starting left tackle who has NFL potential. "They might not have the experience some of our guys had last year. But everybody has to start somewhere and I see a lot of talent in those guys."
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
