By Joshua Mason
Daily Bruin Contributor
When one looks at the shattered goals of this year’s
Wisconsin football program, there seems only one adequate
explanation for the demise: it had to be the shoes.
With a No. 4 preseason ranking, and a squad that looked to have
national championship implications after winning the last two Rose
Bowls, such an explanation seems only rational. Not only was it an
infamous shoe scandal at the season’s onset that initially
threw the Badgers (8-4, 4-4 Big 10) into rough waters, it was that
very event that seemed to throw a shadow of uncertainty over the
rest of the season.
The controversy stemmed from charges that a Wisconsin booster
and shoe store owner gave unadvertised discounts to Wisconsin
athletes, a large number of them football players. Of the 26
Badgers who were involved with the scandal and eventually
suspended, many were key players, including All-American cornerback
Jamar Fletcher, defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, running back
Michael Bennett, and receivers Chris Chambers and Nick Davis.
Another 21 players weren’t suspended but had to perform 24
hours of community service as punishment.
“It was a black cloud that never left,” Wisconsin
head coach Barry Alvarez told the Los Angeles Daily News. “It
affected some individuals more than others. The guys invest an
awful lot in preparing for the season, then get the rug pulled out
and have to sit for three games.”
The scandal received similar attention to the infamous 1999
disabled parking placard incident that still shadows the careers of
a select number of UCLA players. Like the Bruins’ situation,
the allegations in Wisconsin were made prior to the start of the
season, and suspensions ranging from one to three games were
distributed in a stir that crippled team consistency and
morale.
Though they struggled to pull together, the Badgers were able to
fight through their first three non-conference challenges without a
loss. Among the initial victories was a 27-23 finish against
Oregon, a team that went on to take a share of the Pac-10 title.
The other two wins came against Western Michigan and
Cincinnati.
It wasn’t until conference play began that
Wisconsin’s shortcomings began to reveal themselves. An
emotionally crushing 47-44 defeat to Northwestern was the catalyst
for an eventual three-game losing streak.
“We had to deal with a lot of adversity in the first half
of the season, much like UCLA did,” said Wisconsin assistant
coach Tim Davis. “It was very disappointing to fall so early,
and the suspensions and injuries we sustained were no
help.”
At the forefront of such struggles was a deficiency the Badgers
have traditionally been unaccustomed to ““ playing with a bad
line. Not only were spots juggled because of suspensions in the
opening games, but the juggling created inconsistency and led to
injuries for several players. The result was an offensive line that
changed every week and struggled to provide adequate pass
protection.
“The sad thing is we never had a chance to coach the team
that we finished camp with,” Alvarez continued. “We
never had the continuity for the first four games.”
In fact, the Badgers seemed to lack continuity all season. By
the end of the season, only four players had started all 12
Wisconsin games. To make matters worse, senior quarterback Brooks
Bollinger was sidelined during the season because of injuries,
leading to the emergence of freshman signal-caller Jim Sorgi in the
win over Michigan State. The fact that Wisconsin escaped with only
four losses is a powerful testament to the program’s overall
strength.
A bright spot for the Badgers came from speedster Michael
Bennett, whose 1,598 rushing yards on the season alleviated Badger
worries that Ron Dayne’s departure to the NFL would diminish
the Wisconsin ground attack. Bennett’s numbers are even more
impressive when it is taken into consideration that he ran behind a
depleted line and served a suspension at the beginning of the
season.
Despite the strong defensive work coming from defensive tackle
Wendell Bryant (six sacks on the season) and cornerbacks Fletcher
(six interceptions) and Mike Echols (five interceptions), the
Badgers were only able to split their conference games, falling not
only to the Wildcats, but losing close games to Michigan, Ohio
State and Purdue as well. The split placed them fifth in Big 10
standings.
A 17-10 Michigan State victory put the Badgers back on track and
in the running for a bowl berth. Wisconsin finished the season very
strong, capturing wins against Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, and
Hawaii.
“The guys responded really well after losing those first
three games,” Davis said. “Not only did they not give
up on the season, they did a complete turnaround and managed to
qualify us for a Sun Bowl berth.”
Much like the Bruins, a victory in El Paso is exactly what the
Badgers seek to redeem an otherwise disappointing season.