2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison
during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema
and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium
in Madison, Wisconsin
.
was not expected to win the Big 10, but with a close loss to Illinois and a 38-7 blowout loss to Penn State, expectations were much lower. However, they finished with only one more loss to Big 10 champ Ohio State and managed to get an Outback Bowl bid, only to lose 21-17 to the Tennessee Volunteers, who lost the previous Outback Bowl 20-10 to the Nittany Lions.
by Florida State.
Overall, this was the worst Wisconsin team since the 2001 Badgers, who missed the postseason entirely after a 5-7 season. The failure of the team to live up to lofty expectations (Wisconsin was ranked 8th in the nation before a terrible loss to Michigan) fueled fan discontent, and Bret Bielema would need a much, much better 2009 season; he could not afford to coast on goodwill from his 2006
and 2007
teams.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema
Bret Bielema
-Personal life:Bielema announced on April 1, 2011 that he was engaged to his girlfriend, Jen. The wedding is scheduled for spring 2012.-External links:* *...
and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
.
Previous season
The 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers completed the season with a 9-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play...
was not expected to win the Big 10, but with a close loss to Illinois and a 38-7 blowout loss to Penn State, expectations were much lower. However, they finished with only one more loss to Big 10 champ Ohio State and managed to get an Outback Bowl bid, only to lose 21-17 to the Tennessee Volunteers, who lost the previous Outback Bowl 20-10 to the Nittany Lions.
Roster
| (as of 8/12/2008) | ||||||
Quarterback
Wide Receiver
Offensive Lineman
|
Fullback
Running Back
Tight End
|
Defensive Lineman
Linebacker
|
Defensive Back
Long Snapper
Punter
Place Kicker
|
|||
Schedule
Akron
Marshall
Fresno State
Michigan
Ohio State
Penn State
Iowa
Illinois
Michigan State
Indiana
Minnesota
Cal Poly
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 18 | |||||||||||
| Coaches | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 24 | ||||||||||
| Harris | Not released | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
Passing
| Name | GP-GS | Year | Att-Cmp-Int | Pct | Yds | TD | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Evridge Allan Evridge Allan Evridge Allan Evridge Allan Evridge (born June 24, 1985 was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team in 2004 and 2005 and the Wisconsin Badgers in 2007 and 2008.-2008 Wisconsin Badgers season:... |
6-6 | Sr (R) | 132-71-5 | 53.8% | 949 | 5 | 126.3 |
| Dustin Sherer | 11-7 | Jr (R) | 191-104-5 | 54.5% | 1389 | 6 | 158.2 |
| Scott Tolzien Scott Tolzien -San Diego Chargers:Tolzien was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 26, 2011. He was subsequently released by the team on September 3, 2011.-External links:*... |
3-0 | So (R) | 5-8-1 | 62.5% | 107 | 0 | 35.7 |
| Total | 13-13 | N/A | 333-180-11 | 54.1% | 2445 | 11 | 188.2 |
| Opponents | 13-13 | N/A | 404-212-12 | 52.5% | 2545 | 15 | 195.8 |
Rushing
| Name | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.J. Hill | 226 | 1161 | 5.1 | 13 | |
| John Clay John Clay (running back) John Clay is an American football running back. He currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, practice squad, of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin–Madison football team... |
155 | 844 | 5.7 | 46 | 9 |
| Zach Brown | 55 | 305 | 5.5 | 23 | 3 |
| David Gilreath | 25 | 285 | 11.4 | 90 (TD) | 2 |
| Bill Rentmeester Bill Rentmeester Bill Rentmeester is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2009... |
11 | 50 | 4.5 | 9 | 0 |
| Isaac Anderson | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 19 | 0 |
| Dustin Sherer | 49 | 19 | 0.4 | 30 | 1 |
| Bradie Ewing | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 8 | 1 |
| Scott Tolzien | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 8 | 1 |
| Chris Pressley Chris Pressley Chris Pressley is an American professional football player who is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals. He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing for five years for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers... |
3 | 6 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Allan Evridge | 23 | 4 | 0.2 | 19 | 1 |
| Total | 567 | 2,745 | 4.8 | 90 | 31 |
| Opponents | 450 | 1,733 | 3.8 | 23 |
Receiving
| Name | GP | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Graham Garrett Graham Graham was selected in the 4th round with the 118th overall pick by the Houston Texans.-External links:*... |
11 | 40 | 540 | 13.5 | 5 | 49.1 | |
| David Gilreath | 13 | 31 | 520 | 16.7 | 3 | 40.0 | |
| Isaac Anderson | 13 | 21 | 286 | 13.6 | 0 | 22.0 | |
| Travis Beckum Travis Beckum Travis Beckum is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.-Early years:Travis Beckum played football for Oak Creek High School. He... |
6 | 23 | 264 | 11.4 | 0 | 44.0 | |
| Nick Toon Nick Toon Nick Toon is an American football wide receiver for the Wisconsin Badgers. He is the son of former New York Jets and Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Al Toon.-College Stats:-External links:*... |
12 | 17 | 257 | 15.1 | 1 | 21.4 | |
| Kyle Jefferson | 11 | 14 | 189 | 13.5 | 0 | 17.2 | |
| Lance Kendricks Lance Kendricks Lance Kendricks is an American football tight end with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. Prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Kendricks was considered one of the top tight end prospects.... |
7 | 6 | 141 | 23.5 | 0 | 20.1 | |
| P.J. Hill | 13 | 7 | 72 | 10.3 | 0 | 5.5 | |
| Maurice Moore | 6 | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 0 | 10.2 | |
| Zach Brown | 12 | 8 | 47 | 5.9 | 0 | 3.9 | |
| Mickey Turner | 13 | 4 | 46 | 11.5 | 0 | 3.5 | |
| Elijah Theus | 5 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 1 | 3.4 |
Season Summary
Wisconsin once again got off to a fast start at 3-0. However, a horrible loss to Michigan and awful games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa derailed the Badgers and sent them plunging down to 3-4 overall. An upset over ranked Illinois at home evened Wisconsin's record at 4-4, but an awful loss to Michigan State followed and the Badgers fell to 1-5 in the Big Ten almost before they could blink. Wisconsin won the remainder of its conference slate against Indiana and Minnesota, but the Badgers followed that up with a decidedly below average effort and wild win over Cal Poly the next week. At the end of the season, Wisconsin was destroyed 42-13 in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl2008 Champs Sports Bowl
The 2008 Champs Sports Bowl was the 19th edition of the college football bowl game that was played on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game, which had a 4:30 PM US EST kickoff and was broadcast on ESPN, pitted the Wisconsin Badgers against the Florida State...
by Florida State.
Overall, this was the worst Wisconsin team since the 2001 Badgers, who missed the postseason entirely after a 5-7 season. The failure of the team to live up to lofty expectations (Wisconsin was ranked 8th in the nation before a terrible loss to Michigan) fueled fan discontent, and Bret Bielema would need a much, much better 2009 season; he could not afford to coast on goodwill from his 2006
2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers completed the season with a 12-1 record, including a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten Conference, good for a...
and 2007
2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers completed the season with a 9-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play...
teams.
Regular starters
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| Quarterback | Dustin Sherer |
| Running Back | P.J. Hill |
| Fullback | Chris Pressley Chris Pressley Chris Pressley is an American professional football player who is currently on the Cincinnati Bengals. He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft after playing for five years for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers... |
| Wide Receiver | Isaac Anderson |
| Wide Receiver | David Gilreath |
| Tight End | Garrett Graham Garrett Graham Graham was selected in the 4th round with the 118th overall pick by the Houston Texans.-External links:*... |
| Left Tackle | Gabe Carimi Gabe Carimi Gabe Carimi , nicknamed "The Bear Jew", is an American football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears.Carimi had 49 starts at left tackle in his four-year Wisconsin Badgers college career, which culminated at the 2011 Rose Bowl. He was awarded the 2010 Outland Trophy, as the nation's top... |
| Left Guard | Andy Kemp |
| Center | John Moffitt John Moffitt (American football) John Moffitt is an American football offensive guard for the Seattle Seahawks. He played football at the University of Wisconsin.- High school :... |
| Right Guard | Kraig Urbik Kraig Urbik Kraig Urbik is an American football offensive guard/tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
| Right Tackle | Eric Vanden Heuvel |
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| Defensive End | O'Brien Schofield O'Brien Schofield O'Brien Schofield is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. As a fifth-year redshirt senior for the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers he ranked second in the nation in tackles for a loss and second in the Big Ten Conference in quarterback sacks... |
| Defensive Tackle | Jason Chapman |
| Defensive Tackle | Mike Newkirk Mike Newkirk -St. Louis Rams:On April 27, 2009, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams. Newkirk was waived by the Rams on May 14, 2009.-Edmonton Eskimos:... |
| Defensive End | Matt Shaughnessy Matt Shaughnessy Matt Shaughnessy is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.... |
| Outside Linebacker | DeAndre Levy DeAndre Levy DeAndre Levy is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.... |
| Middle Linebacker | Jaevery McFadden |
| Outside Linebacker | Jonathan Casillas Jonathan Casillas Jonathan Casillas is a NFL linebacker for the New Orleans Saints. He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, but was later signed as a free agent... |
| Cornerback | Allen Langford |
| Strong Safety | Jay Valai |
| Free Safety | Shane Carter |
| Cornerback | Niles Brinkley |
Team players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft
| Player | Position | Round | Overall Selection | NFL Team |
| Matt Shaughnessy Matt Shaughnessy Matt Shaughnessy is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.... |
Defensive End | 3 | 71 | Oakland Raiders 2009 Oakland Raiders season The 2009 Oakland Raiders season is the 50th season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL. On September 6, 2009, The Raiders traded a 2011 draft pick to the New England Patriots for 5x Pro Bowl Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour. With their loss to Dallas on November... |
| DeAndre Levy DeAndre Levy DeAndre Levy is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.... |
Linebacker | 3 | 76 | Detroit Lions 2009 Detroit Lions season The 2009 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 80th season overall in the National Football League. The Lions spent the whole season at the bottom of their division and finished at 2–14. The 2009 season was the first season with the Lions for new head coach Jim Schwartz, and most of his new... |
| Kraig Urbik Kraig Urbik Kraig Urbik is an American football offensive guard/tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Guard | 3 | 79 | Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 77th season in the National Football League . They were coming off a season in which they compiled a 12–4 regular season record and capped the season by winning the franchise's record sixth Super Bowl... |
| Travis Beckum Travis Beckum Travis Beckum is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.-Early years:Travis Beckum played football for Oak Creek High School. He... |
Tight End | 3 | 100 | New York Giants 2009 New York Giants season The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the... |