Football
Amidst a slew of controversy and criticism regarding the handling of the quarterback position, head coach Gary Andersen remained steadfast in his belief of the two-quarterback system.
He announced in his weekly press conference Monday that junior quarterbacks Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy will continue to share snaps for the Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 4-2 overall) in their upcoming conference matchup against Maryland this Saturday.
“We’ll continue to progress forward. And the good thing is Joel and Tanner understand,” Andersen said. “I think they get it. They’re competitors. Would they like to take every snap? Yes, but they also understand where they sit and they’re working to get better just like we’re trying to help them get better as coaches and put the offense around them to give them the best chance to be successful.”
Speaking to Maryland’s success this season, Andersen acknowledged that Maryland’s offensive game plan typically features formations which are meant to trick and deceive opponents, so the Badgers’ defense will have to expect the unexpected on Saturday.
“I’m not going to sit back and say it’s an offense that’s designed to just trick you,” Andersen said. “It’s not, but they do a lot of things. There’s a lot of formations. There’s a lot of different parts to it.”
As the Badgers have reached the halfway point of the season, Andersen was asked to reflect on any concerns that he still has about his team. He identified the teams’ passing offense, turnover margin, ability to capitalize inside the red zone and big play prevention on defense all as facets of the game where he would like to see improvement.
On the injury front, Andersen expressed optimism that redshirt senior nose tackle Warren Herring, redshirt junior fullback Derek Watt, senior linebacker Derek Landisch, and redshirt senior linebacker Marcus Trotter will all be healthy and ready to play this week.
Volleyball
After a sweep of conference rival Minnesota in a series that visited both campuses over a single week, head coach Kelly Sheffield told the media that he was impressed with the way the team (7-1 Big Ten, 16-2 overall) beat the same opponent twice in one week.
We’re just getting back from an interesting week playing the same opponent twice,” Sheffield said. “You know, being able to sweep a really good team in six games, I think we were certainly happy to see that.”
Sheffield then moved forward to discuss the Badgers’ home match against Iowa Wednesday night. Although they finished with a subpar record last season, Sheffield admits the 2014 Hawkeyes are much improved.
“They’ve got to be feeling really good about themselves. They look really good on film. Certainly a lot better than what we’ve seen a year ago.”
With such a star-studded roster, some see the task of finding minutes for everyone on a team with so much depth as a challenge. Sheffield brushed off this notion however.
“I don’t know if I’m trying to find anybody time,” Sheffield said. “I think everybody’s time is in practice. We start everything in practice. And the people that are getting it done on a consistent basis in practice, they’re going to find a way in the lineup.”
As a result of sustaining a dominant level of play over the last few seasons, attendance at UW volleyball matches has risen remarkably. In fact, the Badgers held their third sellout match of the season over the weekend, prompting the potential opening of the upper deck in the field house for the upcoming contest.
In regards to the remarkable amount of fanfare surrounding this team, Sheffield said, “It’s great. It’s cool. It’s starting to become a hard ticket. What I was real excited about this past weekend not only selling out but the student support there.”
After hosting the Hawkeyes on Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Badgers will welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the UW field house this Friday at 4 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
Coming off of a trumping of Minnesota, head coach Paula Wilkins expressed delight in the way in which her team (7-2-1 Big Ten, 13-2-1 overall) performed over the weekend. Wilkins felt her team played well, especially considering that the game was on the road.
“I thought our team responded really well to the things we asked them to do in the second half against a very good Minnesota team in a very tough place to play,” Wilkins stated.
She praised sophomore midfielder Rose Lavelle as well as senior forward Cara Walls for playing instrumental roles in the victory. Redshirt senior midfielder Kodee Williams has scored 11 goals on just 13 shots this season. According to Wilkins, the coaching staff has tried to urge her to take more shots on goal when she has the ball in her control.
Transitioning to the upcoming game with Rutgers, Wilkins suggested that the Scarlet Knights play a stingy of brand of defense and the Badgers will have to remain persistent in their pursuit to score. Furthermore, she believes that the additions of Rutgers and Maryland will make the Big Ten a stronger conference and is looking forward to coaching against both programs for years to come.
When asked about the impact that the seniors have had this season, Wilkins told the media that while the contributions they have made on the field have been phenomenal, the impressions they have left off of the field are greater. “They have changed the program,” she said.
The Badgers will host Rutgers on Friday at 7 p.m., and then the team will play Maryland on senior day at 1 p.m.
