It wasn’t that long ago that Alex Erickson was leaning toward playing basketball at UW-Stevens Point. But Erickson gained admission to UW late and didn’t join the football team until the 2011 season was over because he was recovering from a broken wrist.
Last week, though, when quarterback Joel Stave left the game due to injury, Erickson was the epitome of a veteran wide receiver.
Erickson made big play after big play Saturday afternoon in the Badgers’ 24-13 win against the Fighting Illini. But arguably Erickson’s biggest play Saturday didn’t involve him making a catch. Rather, immediately after Illinois cut the Wisconsin lead to four points midway through the third quarter, Erickson scampered 56 yards on a handoff from quarterback Bart Houston on the Badgers’ first play from scrimmage. The very next play, he received yet another handoff, dashing for 8 more yards.
Erickson finished the game with a team-high 81 rushing yards on a mere four carries. Couple that with crucial third down and red-zone receptions in the fourth quarter and Erickson emerged as Mr. Dependable for a Wisconsin team that desperately needed a leader to step up.
Houston looked to Erickson constantly and frequently found openings in the defense much like how a basketball player finds creases in a zone, serving as the offense’s fulcrum. His 10 catches, a season high, translated to 96 receiving yards.
The senior receiver will likely be the focus of the Badger offense again next week against Rutgers with questions pertaining to the status of both Joel Stave and No. 2 wide receiver Robert Wheelwright looming.
