The 2008 Wisconsin football season was one of disappointment and redemption. After starting off the season ranked No. 12 in the country, the Badgers fell into a downward spiral entering Big Ten Conference play, and at their lowest point of the season were 4-5.
However, a late-season spurt helped UW finish the season 7-5 and garner an invitation to the Champs Sports Bowl.
After another season with Rose Bowl expectations has gone for naught, it is interesting to look back at the team and try to find where things went wrong.
With that said, here are the grades per position for the 2008 Wisconsin football team.
Quarterback: D
Senior Allan Evridge began the season under center, but lost his job to junior Dustin Sherer after going 3-3 as a starter. Sherer performed better than Evridge but has yet to show any true sign of being able to lead Wisconsin in the future. Throwing for 1,257 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions is hardly noteworthy'¦ even at Wisconsin.
Running backs: B+
Junior P.J. Hill was able to make it through an entire season for the first time in his career, though he was shaken up at times and missed playing time. Redshirt freshman John Clay carried the load toward the end of the season, much like sophomore Zach Brown did the year before.
Hill rushed for 1,021 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Clay added 845 yards and nine scores. The running back corps did the best they could despite injuries to themselves and the offensive line and played well for the most part. Throw in fullbacks Chris Pressley and Bill Rentmeester, and this group is pushed from a B- to a B+.
Receivers: B+
Was more expected of senior tight end Travis Beckum this season? Yes, and injuries again took their toll on the talented receiver. However, in Beckum's absence, UW saw junior tight end Garrett Graham step up and lead the team in receptions (37) and touchdowns (5).
Sophomore wideout David Gilreath also made a name for himself, leading the team in yards (515) and average (17.2). Gilreath's big-play ability, coupled with the improvement of fellow sophomore Isaac Anderson and freshman Nick Toon, should give the Badgers a solid group for the future.
Offensive Line: C
With a senior-heavy line, the fact that UW gave up 26 sacks for a loss of 163 yards is tough to stomach. Right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel, left guard Andy Kemp and right guard Kraig Urbik were expected to anchor another solid line for UW but failed to do so.
Pressure always seemed to be a concern for Wisconsin, and part of Evridge's benching was definitely due to his panicky presence in the pocket. Although the running backs had a decent year, they did the best they could with blocking that at times was non-existent.
Defensive Line: C
Despite being run over for most of the year - games against Iowa and Cal Poly come to mind - the defensive line played better in certain games than others.
Actually, the only reason the defensive line garnered an average mark was the play of senior Mike Newkirk (56 tackles, four sacks) and junior defensive end O'Brien Schofield (37 tackles, five sacks). Schofield's stats may not show it, but his hustle and energy saved a floundering defense many times this season.
Senior defensive end Matt Shaughnessy has never become the dominant end that was expected after a solid start to his career, and fellow senior Jason Chapman (39 tackles) could only do so much as the run-stopping man in the middle.
Linebackers: B
Senior linebackers DeAndre Levy (65 tackles) and Jonathan Casillas (62 tackles) played well in their final season. However, it was junior middle linebacker Jaevery McFadden who stepped up and made the difference. No one, not even McFadden himself, could have expected that he would lead Wisconsin's defense with 79 tackles. Had Casillas not missed the first two games with a leg injury, perhaps he would have challenged McFadden for the team lead, but it was McFadden who stepped up and took control of the Badgers' defense.
Defensive backs: C+
The secondary can easily be split into two groups: senior cornerback Allen Langford and sophomore safety Jay Valai on one side and juniors Chris Maragos/Shane Carter and sophomore Niles Brinkley on the other. Langford became the shut-down cornerback that fans have asked for the last three seasons and made the name Jack Ikegwuonu an afterthought. Valai quickly proved that he deserved to start over junior Aubrey Pleasant and became the enforcer in the Badger secondary. Valai led the secondary with 52 tackles and three forced fumbles, while Langford chipped in 43 tackles and 12 pass break-ups.
Brinkley led the team with four interceptions, but his inability to avoid penalties - as seen against Michigan State - made him a liability. As far as Carter and Maragos, it is never good when a team has to switch between safeties. Two As: Langford and Valai, along with a bunch of Cs: the other two spots in the secondary, and the result wasn't close to enough.
Special Teams: C+
Freshman kicker Philip Welch played extremely well in his first season, making 18-of-22 field-goal attempts.
That is about as far as the positives on special teams go. Freshman punter Brad Nortman started strong, struggled in the middle and finished slightly better. Punting an average of 41.6 yards/punt, Nortman didn't wow anyone, especially with two blocked punts. However, he did land 18 of his 60 punts inside the 20-yard line. On kick return, Gilreath's chances were few and far between, and after being tripped-up against Iowa, Gilreath never had another solid opportunity. Punt return was even worse, as Gilreath returned only 17 of 67 punts by the opposition and became accustomed to the fair-catch signal by season's end.
Coaching: D
With such high expectations and supposedly one of the most talented senior classes at his disposal, head coach Bret Bielema and his staff should have been able to do more with a squad that, almost from the beginning, seemed destined to disappoint. Penalties were a problem all season long, as UW racked up 67 for a total of 591 yards. Every game saw offensive coordinator Paul Chryst call the end-around one too many times, defensive coordinator Dave Doeren pick a poor time to blitz and Bielema's special teams give another lackluster performance. If not for getting UW to a bowl game - even if it is the Champs Sports Bowl - the Wisconsin coaching staff could have easily received a failing grade this season.
