Time for Badgers wideouts to grow up

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Quarterback play tops Paul Chryst's priorities list this spring, but the Wisconsin offensive coordinator will also keep close tabs on the wide receivers.
The Badgers' struggles at quarterback last fall are well documented, but neither Allan Evridge nor Dustin Sherer got much help from their wideouts. Dropped passes began surfacing in the spring…
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Sherer brings edge to Badgers’ huddle

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

	AP Photo/Rob Carr
	Wisconsin’s Dustin Sherer throws a pass against Cal Poly Mustangs in the Badgers 36-35 overtime win on Nov. 22.

Dustin Sherer doesn’t understand why his camouflage hat and Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt drew so much attention after he was named Wisconsin’s starting quarterback midway through the season.

Badgers head coach Bret Bielema brought up Sherer’s headgear after making the switch, saying it showed the quarterback had a bit of an edge and an attitude, which the offense needed after three consecutive losses to begin Big Ten play.

“I don’t know why they make a big deal out of that, but it’s just me,” said Sherer, a native of Cicero, Ind. “Maybe that’s why I get along with guys so well on this team is because I’m myself.”

But being himself hasn’t always been easy for Sherer at Wisconsin. He had only three pass attempts, one that resulted in an interception, during his first three seasons as a Badger. The only snap he took last year came at the end of a 33-3 rout against Indiana.

The wait nearly prompted Sherer to transfer.

“I was real close,” Sherer said. “[Offensive coordinator Paul] Chryst kind of sniffed it out. He’s kind of the reason I stayed, and I’m glad I did now. Obviously, I’ve gotten my opportunity and he kind of let me run with it.”

After starter Allan Evridge struggled in losses to Ohio State and Penn State, Bielema made the change and started Sherer against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. It was Sherer’s first start since his senior year of high school and the results weren’t pretty as he threw two interceptions in a 38-16 loss.

Sherer doesn’t sugarcoat his performance — “I couldn’t have gotten any worse,” he said — but he also recognized that beating himself up wasn’t helping matters. He did the same thing during the preseason and lost the quarterback competition to Evridge.

“I got beat out, and it was my fault,” he said. “I was too hard on myself and pressed myself harder than I needed to instead of going out and being me and playing my football. Lately, I’ve tried not to do that and I’ve played well.

“Going into the Iowa game, obviously I hadn’t played in a long time. I really wasn’t myself. I just can’t do that. I have to go out and do my thing and have fun doing what I do and maybe have a little edge about myself.”

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Big Ten year-end quarterback rankings

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Big Ten bowl season is nearly here, but with a few days to go, it’s time to begin the year-end position rankings. These won’t be quite as in-depth as the preseason rankings, but I’ll try to get to each position before the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5.

The rankings begin with arguably the Big Ten’s weakest position, quarterback. While signal callers from the Big 12 and SEC dominated the national spotlight, the Big Ten struggled under center, and several veteran quarterbacks backslid. There were some bright spots, especially at Penn State, but I can’t remember a season where the Big Ten was so poor at the game’s most critical position.

In case you forgot, here were my preseason rankings (what was I thinking?!?!). Note: I did not include first-year starters in this rundown.

	AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
	Daryll Clark led Penn State to an 11-1 record.

1. Kellen Lewis, Indiana
2. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State
3. Curtis Painter, Purdue
4. Juice Williams, Illinois
5. C.J. Bacher, Northwestern
6. Brian Hoyer, Michigan State
7. Adam Weber, Minnesota

And now for the year-end top 10.

1. Daryll Clark, Penn State — Clark exceeded expectations in his first season as the starter, mastering Penn State’s Spread HD system and helping the Nittany Lions to an 11-1 record and a Rose Bowl berth. He ranked second in the league in pass efficiency and threw 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 285 pass attempts.

2. Adam Weber, Minnesota – His numbers weren’t spectacular, but the Gophers sophomore did an excellent job of leading the offense and limiting mistakes. Minnesota’s offensive line had major problems, and without a viable run game, Weber once again shouldered much of the load. He showed tremendous toughness by returning to the field just six days after knee surgery and led Big Ten starters in completion percentage (62.8).

3. Juice Williams, Illinois – This was your Big Ten offensive MVP through the first half of the season. Williams set total offense records at the Edward Jones Dome, Michigan Stadium and Memorial Stadium. He led the Big Ten in passing and ranked third in quarterback rating. If not for a poor finish — nine interceptions in the final five games — Williams would have been higher on the list.

4. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State – There were undoubtedly some growing pains, but under the circumstances, Pryor exceeded expectations and fueled optimism for Ohio State’s future. Stepping into the starting job just four weeks into his college career, Pryor went 8-1 at the helm and helped the Buckeyes to a Big Ten co-championship. He still holds the ball too long at times and must become more consistent as a passer, but those things will come.

5. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa – Stanzi’s emergence down the stretch was the primary reason why Iowa finished so strong and reached a New Year’s Day bowl. Think about it. Shonn Greene was terrific all season, and so was the defense. But the quarterback position looked shaky until Stanzi emerged in October. He avoided an interception in four of Iowa’s final six games and threw 13 touchdown strikes.

6. Brian Hoyer, Michigan State — Hoyer overcame his struggles in close games and helped Michigan State to a 9-3 record and a third-place finish in the Big Ten. He came up huge against Michigan and led the game-winning drive against Wisconsin. Still, his unsightly stats can’t be totally overlooked. I just can’t get too excited about a guy who completed 50.8 percent of his passes and had only one more touchdown (9) than interception (8).

7. C.J. Bacher, Northwestern – Bacher deserves credit for playing some of his best football in Northwestern’s final two games, but the senior couldn’t eliminate the bad habits that dogged him throughout a career that featured plenty of passing yards. He threw as many interceptions (14) as touchdown passes for the second consecutive season and lacked the huge passing performances he had in 2007.

8. Curtis Painter, Purdue – It wasn’t the end Painter had envisioned to a record-setting career at Purdue. He finished second in the league in passing but really missed Dustin Keller and Dorien Bryant. Painter struggled to get the Boilermakers into the end zone and battled some injury problems late in the season. His incredible career numbers should not go unnoticed, but he never seemed to get over the hump against the Big Ten’s elite.

9. Dustin Sherer, Wisconsin – Sherer might have been higher on the list had he played a full season. The junior seemed to give Wisconsin a lift after replacing Allan Evridge as the starter on Oct. 18 at Iowa. Sherer went 4-2 as the starter and helped Wisconsin to wins in its final three games. His numbers weren’t stellar, but he avoided the critical mistakes that crippled Wisconsin earlier in the year.

10. Ben Chappell and Kellen Lewis, Indiana – These two shared duties this season, so they’ll share a spot as well. Chappell led Indiana to its only Big Ten win and showed some good leadership at times. Lewis had a rough season, throwing more interceptions (8) than touchdown passes (6) and sustaining an ankle injury. Though Indiana’s defense deserves most of the blame for a 3-9 season, the quarterback play wasn’t good.

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Reviewing my preseason Top 25 (things to watch)

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It’s always fun at this time of year to look back at preseason thoughts and predictions. In August, I outlined 25 items I wanted to see during the Big Ten season. Several of them came true, others didn’t and some materialized in different ways.

Here’s a look back at the list to see what worked out and what didn’t. 

	AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
	Terrelle Pryor earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

1. Terrelle Pryor lead an offensive drive — He might be a Tim Tebow-like weapon near the goal line, but I’m more interested in how the Ohio State freshman quarterback handles a real offensive series. Pryor’s athleticism is undeniable, but it will be important to monitor his passing accuracy and the way he leads older teammates.

The verdict: We had plenty of opportunities to see Pryor lead drives after he was named Ohio State’s starter in Week 4. Despite a few growing pains, Pryor held his own and displayed remarkable athleticism in winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He also came up big in the clutch to lead Ohio State’s game-winning touchdown drive Oct. 4 at Wisconsin. 

2. Michigan’s quarterbacks — Rich Rodriguez has ushered in a new era in Ann Arbor and will turn to unproven players like Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan and possibly Justin Feagin to lead his spread offense. There will undoubtedly be growing pains, but if one of those three takes control, the Wolverines will surge.

The verdict: Oh, there were growing pains. Big ones. Threet and Sheridan struggled to fit into Rodriguez’s system, and Michigan finished the season ranked 109th nationally in total offense. Feagin likely will move to slot receiver in 2009, and incoming freshmen Shavodrick Beaver and Tate Forcier will compete for the starting quarterback spot. 

3. Jump Around at night — Camp Randall Stadium is intimidating enough during daylight hours, but the electricity will reach new levels this fall with back-to-back night games against Ohio State and Penn State. The Badgers haven’t lost at home under coach Bret Bielema, and they should have a tremendous home-field edge this fall.

The verdict: It was pretty cool to see Ohio State players jump in lockstep with the Wisconsin students on Oct. 4, but Camp Randall certainly lost its edge this fall. Wisconsin saw its home win streak fade against Ohio State and then suffered its worst home defeat since 1989 the next week against Penn State. Plus, the Badgers band was suspended from performing Oct. 4 after allegations of hazing surfaced. 

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Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Both of these teams will have an eye toward the future when they clash Dec. 27 at Citrus Bowl Stadium.

Wisconsin’s BCS bowl dreams have long since vanished, but it recovered from a miserable four-week stretch to close the regular season with three consecutive wins. The Badgers seemed to establish an identity on offense after junior quarterback Dustin Sherer replaced Allan Evridge, and they finally started to utilize the Big Ten’s deepest rushing attack. 

Quarterback Christian Ponder is Florida State’s future, but like the team this season, the sophomore had mixed results. The same can be said for Wisconsin’s veteran defense, which will need to contain Ponder and running back Antone Smith. 

Defense and special teams are Florida State’s strengths, and Wisconsin must wear down the Seminoles with running backs P.J. Hill and John Clay, who were used effectively in the final four games. Sherer won’t have many opportunities to attack the nation’s eighth-ranked pass defense, but Florida State struggled to stop the run against Georgia Tech and Florida and could be vulnerable against the ground game. 

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Team-by-team turning points from the season

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

With all this extra time to reflect on the Big Ten regular season, it seems only natural to try and spot exactly where things went right or wrong for each team. These turning points resonate with players and coaches, either serving as moments of pride or incentive to get things corrected the following season.

For two teams, there are multiple turning points.

Here’s the rundown.

ILLINOIS

Final record: 5-7 (3-5 Big Ten)

Turning point: Oct. 11 vs. Minnesota (27-20 loss)

The skinny: The inconsistent Illini finally appeared to have found their footing behind junior quarterback Juice Williams, who set the single-game total offense record (431 yards) at Michigan Stadium the previous week. Williams set another stadium record against the Gophers (503 yards of offense), but critical turnovers (3) and special-teams miscues (two kickoffs out of bounds) that plagued Illinois down the stretch surfaced in a home loss.

INDIANA

Final record: 3-9 (1-7)

Turning point: Sept. 20 vs. Ball State (42-20 loss)

The skinny: The Hoosiers felt pretty good about themselves after beating up on two inferior opponents (Western Kentucky and Murray State). But they were ill-prepared for the surging Cardinals, who exposed a defense that wound up struggling all season. After an All-Big Ten season in 2007, quarterback Kellen Lewis threw two interceptions in the loss and never really got back on track the rest of the way.

IOWA

Final record: 8-4 (5-3)

Turning point: Nov. 8 vs. Penn State (24-23 win)

The skinny: Until that cold night in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes were a good team that couldn’t close out games, dropping four contests by a combined 12 points. They were coming off a mistake-ridden loss at Illinois and started slow on offense. But star running back Shonn Greene (117 rush yards, 2 TDs), a blossoming Ricky Stanzi and one of the Big Ten’s top defenses surged after halftime, and Iowa rallied for a milestone win against No. 3 Penn State.

MICHIGAN

Final record: 3-9 (2-6)

Turning point: Oct. 11 vs. Toledo (13-10 loss)

The skinny: The Wolverines hadn’t played well to this point, but they still had an excellent chance to improve to 3-3 and set up a potential postseason run down the stretch. But Rich Rodriguez’s offense stalled, as it did for much of the season, as Michigan committed three turnovers that turned into 10 Toledo points. In a season of historic lows, Michigan lost to a Mid-American Conference team for the first time in 25 tries.

MICHIGAN STATE

Final record: 9-3 (6-2)

Turning point: Oct. 25 at Michigan (35-21 win)

The skinny: Michigan State showed newfound mental toughness this fall and changed its reputation as a team prone to fast starts and incredible collapses. Coming off an embarrassing home loss to Ohio State, the Spartans faced a team that had owned them at the Big House. Despite a blown call that gave Michigan a touchdown, Michigan State didn’t flinch, rallying behind running back Javon Ringer (194 rush yards, 2 TDs) and quarterback Brian Hoyer (282 pass yards, 3 TDs). Michigan State ended a six-game losing streak to Michigan.

MINNESOTA

Final record: 7-5 (3-5)

Turning point I: Oct. 11 at Illinois (27-20 win)

The skinny: The Gophers’ formula of opportunistic defense and disciplined offense spurred them to a 7-1 start. They showcased those traits at Illinois, sacking Juice Williams five times and forcing a fumble that turned into the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg was a beast, and quarterback Adam Weber showed incredible toughness by playing only six days after knee surgery.

Turning point II: Nov. 1 vs. Northwestern (24-17 loss)

The skinny: Minnesota followed its plan early, recording an interception for a touchdown to jump ahead of the Wildcats. But the problems that crippled the Gophers down the stretch — no run game, poor offensive line play, turnovers — surfaced in the second half, and a deflating loss in the final minute kicked off a four-game slide to close the regular season.

NORTHWESTERN

Final record: 9-3 (5-3)

Turning point: Nov. 1 at Minnesota (24-17 win)

The skinny: In the past, Northwestern didn’t have enough depth to survive a rash of injuries to key players. After losing quarterback C.J. Bacher, running back Tyrell Sutton and middle linebacker Malcolm Arrington, the Wildcats appeared doomed for another middling season. But a team that lacked superstars but possessed plenty of resiliency upset then-No. 17 Minnesota, riding backup quarterback Mike Kafka (Big Ten quarterback record 217 rush yards) and a stout defense to a crucial win. Northwesern won three of its final four games.

OHIO STATE

Final record: 10-2 (7-1)

Turning point: Oct. 18 at Michigan State (45-7 win)

The skinny: The Buckeyes embarrassed themselves at USC and continued to struggle on offense behind a young quarterback (Terrelle Pryor) and an underperforming line. Many pegged Ohio State for a loss in East Lansing, but the Buckeyes came up with arguably their best performance of the season. Pryor and Chris “Beanie” Wells sizzled, and a defense that played well following the USC debacle had two fumble returns for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ohio State re-established itself as a Big Ten bully.

PENN STATE

Final record: 11-1 (7-1)

Turning point: Oct. 11 at Wisconsin (48-7 win)

The skinny: Any doubts about Penn State as a legitimate national title contender were put to rest in Madison, as the Nittany Lions handed Wisconsin its worst home loss since 1989. Quarterback Daryll Clark and wideout/return man Derrick Williams led the Spread HD offense that highlighted Penn State’s league title run, while Aaron Maybin and the defense shut down the Badgers. Though Penn State later stumbled against Iowa, most of its games played out like this one.

PURDUE

Final record: 4-8 (2-6)

Turning point: Sept. 13 vs. Oregon (32-26 loss OT)

The skinny: Purdue should have won this game, and things could have been very different had the Boilers finished off the Ducks. A plucky Purdue defense gave up yards but limited points, as it did for much of the season, but quarterback Curtis Painter and the offense couldn’t execute consistently enough when it counted. Purdue’s inability to convert scoring chances into touchdowns became a theme for much of the fall.

WISCONSIN

Final record: 7-5 (3-5)

Turning point I: Sept. 27 at Michigan (27-25 loss)

The skinny: A BCS bowl was still very much in the picture for Wisconsin, which took a 3-0 record and a No. 9 national ranking into Michigan Stadium. The Badgers built a 19-0 halftime lead behind punishing defense and a balanced, disciplined offense. But they totally lost their edge on defense after the break, and quarterback mistakes that appeared throughout a four-game losing streak surfaced as Michigan mounted the greatest comeback in Big House history.

Turning point II: Oct. 25 vs. Illinois (27-17 win)

The skinny: The team seemed to gain confidence after making a quarterback switch from Allan Evridge to Dustin Sherer. After a rocky start at Iowa, Sherer led Wisconsin to wins in four of its final five games, beginning with this contest against the Illini. He accounted for three touchdowns (two pass, one rush) as Wisconsin ended its four-game slide. The Badgers easily could have finished with a five-game win streak if not for a late stumble in East Lansing.

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Wisconsin Football: A Roller Coaster Season For The Badgers

Well, the regular season is finally over for Bret Bielema and his Wisconsin Badgers, and what an exciting roller coaster ride it was. Let’s quickly look at how the Badgers got to be where they ended up being.

The ride began on a very high note.

Wisconsin won its first three games in two different Badger fashions. They easily beat Akron and Marshall at home, pounding the ball down the opposition’s throat via the run. Then they hung at Fresno State to go 3-0 and started to get people talking.

There seemed to be malfunctions of some sort on the ride in the following weeks.

Wisconsin opened Big Ten play with four straight losses. The people were no longer talking, and Badger fans were drinking (just more than usual).

It began with a complete meltdown in Ann Arbor, and carried over against the Buckeyes at home. The Badgers were then handed their worst loss at home in quite awhile by Penn State. Iowa used a steady dose of Shonn Greene to beat Wisconsin in Iowa City.

0-4 in the conference and 3-4 overall now had fans wondering if a ”bowl season” was even possible for these Badgers.

Wisconsin finally won its first Big Ten game against Illinois at home and the conference goose egg was no more.

The Badgers were then unable to hold off a late surge by Michigan State in East Lansing and lost 25-24 to “Sparty.”

Then out of nowhere, the ride started to become exciting again, as the Badgers won their last three games.

Indiana was the unlucky victim of the Badgers’ pay back from the horrible performance against MSU, as they got crushed by Bucky 55-20. Wisconsin reeled off over 600 yards of total offense on the Hoosiers.

The next week, and last conference game was huge (understatement) for Wisconsin. Not only did they retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe yet again, but by using a fourth quarter comeback against the Gophers, Wisconsin became bowl eligible.

Granted, a 3-5 conference record and being 6-5 overall usually isn’t something to celebrate, but after the previous 10 weeks of Badgers football, just ‘going bowling’ is reason to be happy.

The Badgers closed out their season with a 36-35 overtime win over Cal Poly, thanks to the Mustangs kicker missing three PAT’s (including his costly error in OT).

Everybody can now catch their breaths for a moment, as the ride will not continue until December is some obscure bowl I’m sure.

Badgers’ key offensive stats through 12 games this year:

PASSING

Allan Evridge - 71-132 for 949 yards, 5 TD and 5 INT

Dustin Sherer - 95-175 for 1257 yards, 5 TD and 5 INT

RUSHING

P.J. Hill – 211 carries for 1049 yards and 13 TD; (5 yards/carry)

John Clay – 144 carries for 852 yards and 9 TD; (5.9 yards/carry)

 

RECEIVING

Garrett Graham - 37 catches for 458 yards and 5 TD

David Gilreath - 30 catches for 515 yards and 3 TD; two rushing touchdowns

 

Wisconsin averaged 28 points per game, and usually when you can score four touchdowns a game, your record is better than 7-5. The Badgers gained over 200 yards rushing per game and allowed 133 per game.

The offense scored points on 85 percent of its red-zone appearances, with 60 percent of them going for six.

Philip Welsh was 18-for-22 on field goals and missed just one of his 35 PATs. Freshman Brad Nortman had 60 punts and only averaged around 41 yards a kick; the weakest part of Wisconsin’s game, outside the defense.

Niles Brinkley led the defense with four interceptions, but that Badger ”D” definitely had its share of problems throughout the entire season.

Wisconsin, with the 7-5 record, will now wait and see which bowl calls its number. 

But wait, doesn’t a roller coaster ride usually end with someone throwing up?  

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Year of the (backup) quarterback in the Big Ten

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Three weeks ago, Justin Siller was practicing as a running back at Purdue, having made the move from quarterback in an effort to spark a sputtering offense.

	Harry How/Getty Images
	Mike Kafka set a Big Ten quarterback record with 217 rushing yards.

Mike Kafka hadn’t switched positions at Northwestern, although some thought he’d be better served as a running back or a wide receiver. Two weeks ago, Kafka went through another round of workouts as Northwestern’s backup quarterback, his on-field work limited to 14 pass attempts in the last two seasons.

Then Saturday arrived, and the scripts changed for both players.

Siller accounted for four touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) and threw no interceptions in leading Purdue to a 48-42 win against Michigan, which snapped the Boilermakers’ five-game losing streak. Kafka set a Big Ten quarterback record with 217 rushing yards and also fired two touchdown passes as Northwestern upset then-No. 17 Minnesota at the Metrodome.

Two reserve quarterbacks, a backup (Kafka) and a third-stringer (Siller), shared Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 10. Given the quarterback landscape this season in the Big Ten, it comes as no surprise.

If this is the year of the quarterback in the Big 12, it’s the year of the backup quarterback in the Big Ten. Backups have played prominent roles for seven of the 11 teams, either because of injury or performance.

“A change at Wisconsin, a change at Iowa, in our own case, in Northwestern’s case, changes because of injuries,” Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. “Same in [Indiana's] case. So circumstantially, there’s a greater opportunity for guys to step up. And fortunately for all of us, we’ve had some guys that, when the season began, were relegated to a backup role that have come through.”

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Jenkins tries to corner perfection

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

By all accounts, Malcolm Jenkins could have spent August in an NFL training camp. 

Five teams drafted cornerbacks in the first round of April’s draft — Buffalo, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Dallas, San Diego — and Jenkins would have been a great fit with any of them. He had recorded four interceptions and seven pass deflections in back-to-back seasons, earned consecutive first-team All-Big Ten selections and several All-America mentions. 

An NFL prototype at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, Jenkins was regarded as one of the best, if not the best cornerback in last year’s class. But he opted to return to Ohio State for his senior season, saying he still had more to accomplish as a college player.

Jenkins reported for Buckeyes preseason camp Aug. 3, just as he had the previous three years. He tried to focus on the coming season and the unfinished goals ahead of him — a national title, the Thorpe Award — but he couldn’t completely block out his own hype.

“The hardest thing in sports, period, and kind of in life, is to handle praise,” Jenkins said. “It’s kind of easy to handle people doubting you and saying you can’t do things because if you have a strong-enough attitude, you’ll just use that as fuel.

“But whenever you have people telling you that you’re at the top and you’re the best, it’s hard not to believe it. It’s hard to motivate yourself. Your attitude is, ‘Well, if I’m at the top, how much better can I get?’”

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Big Ten internal affairs: Week 9

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It’s time to look inside five Big Ten teams.

Penn State — Despite Navorro Bowman’s emergence, there has been some concern about linebacker play this year, and the picture only got cloudier last Saturday. After Michigan’s run game started strong, the Nittany Lions called for reinforcements and put redshirt freshman Michael Mauti and sophomore Bani Gbadyu in the game. The two young players stepped up, combining for 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Both Mauti and Gbadyu could once again see increased playing time in place of Tyrell Sales and possibly Josh Hull against No. 9 Ohio State (ABC, 8 p.m. ET). Mauti’s speed on the edge should help against Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Wisconsin — A week after saying the 2009 season had no impact on his starting quarterback decision, Badgers head coach Bret Bielema certainly appears to be looking toward the future at that position. Junior quarterback Dustin Sherer will make his second consecutive start Saturday against Illinois, and sophomore Scott Tolzien will take more snaps this week in practice with the second-team offense. Fifth-year senior Allan Evridge, who started Wisconsin’s first six games, has effectively been moved to third string. Sherer and Tolzien will compete for the starting job next season with Curt Phillips and James Stallons.

Illinois – Freshman offensive tackle Corey Lewis could see increased playing time against Wisconsin after performing well in his debut against Indiana. Lewis can play either tackle spot and spelled left tackle Xavier Fulton for several series last week. Sophomore Ryan Palmer will remain sidelined for some time with a foot stress fracture, and Lewis likely will be needed against the Badgers. Lewis also can play on the defensive line. “I wanted to get Corey in there,” head coach Ron Zook said. “We kind of joked about that when we told him we were going to play him because he’s 18 now and old enough. He’s excited about it and I noticed a little different intensity out of him.”

Purdue – Head coach Joe Tiller admitted this week that Purdue’s offense has become too basic and needs to diversify after four straight losses. In previous years, the Boilermakers entered every game with two “deceptives” in the offensive plan. This season, the outside-the-box, high-risk, high-reward plays have not been included. That will change Saturday against Minnesota (ESPN Classic, noon ET). “From this point forward I want to see, when the game plan is presented later in the week, two deceptives,” Tiller said. “Now, I’m not guaranteeing you they’re going to get called, but we’re going to have ‘em as a possibility anyway, which we haven’t had.” Purdue ranks ninth in the league in scoring offense (22.3 ppg).

Michigan – Despite a third consecutive loss, the Wolverines might have found their featured running back last Saturday at Penn State. Junior Brandon Minor had 117 rush yards and two touchdowns against the Big Ten’s No. 2 rush defense (103.9 ypg). Minor’s emergence allows head coach Rich Rodriguez to take pressure off of true freshman Sam McGuffie and, to a lesser extent, true freshman Michael Shaw. McGuffie has carried the load for much of the season but needs more time to grow into a top role. Minor’s ability to run inside and grind out yards will benefit Michigan down the stretch. The junior claimed the top spot on this week’s depth chart.

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