Putting A Positive Spin On 4-4 start

There's no doubt many fans are disappointed with the Badgers' 4-4 start this season, with Coach Barry Alvarez' five-year bowl appearance streak in jeopardy.

But one thing fans can't possibly be upset with is the level of excitement Wisconsin has provided this season. This year has provided some of the most thrilling Badger games in recent memory, including the 42-35 loss at Illinois Oct. 2.

For the second straight week, the Badgers looked down and out early in the first half, but surged back in an improbable comeback. This time, they came up short, but the momentum shift was impressive nonetheless. Wisconsin recovered from a 22-7 deficit, taking the lead in the second half before finally succumbing to Illinois' high-powered offense.

While it can be argued Wisconsin has lost some games it should have won this season, nobody can debate the fact that almost every game has been exciting to watch. The team has provided some positive signs for the future in every loss with the exception of the Indiana debacle.

And playing in tough games like Oregon, Fresno State and Illinois will pay huge dividends in the future. Particularly with so many key injuries, the Badgers are using a lot of young players in important roles. While they might be a little in over their heads now, the experience will give them a leg up in future seasons.

Some of the most optimistic fans will take a look at game film and come to the conclusion that this team is several plays away from being 5-3 or 6-2. They're right. But the Badgers would prefer not to hear those statements. In their eyes, that's a loser attitude. Teams that lose every year in the Big Ten can often point to several big plays that, had they been eliminated, would have made a difference in their season.

Championship teams make those plays instead of playing a game of, "what if," and the veteran Badgers are well aware of that difference. The discrepancy between winning and losing in college football, particularly within the Big Ten Conference, often comes down to a single snap of the football.

But we know this - the Badgers aren't that far removed from being a very good football team. And in the next four games, they want to take that next step.

Quarterback Jim Sorgi, who took an individual leap forward in relief of an injured Brooks Bollinger, said he knows the Badgers will recover quickly from the loss.

"I don't think it's hard. I think with a young football team, it's going to build character in the end," Sorgi said. "I think you're going to see some good things from this team, and we're going to surprise some people. We're going to surprise people through the rest of this year, and in the years to come."

Sorgi can say that with confidence because of the way this team has already battled back from previous adversity. There have been several instances throughout the year where it would have been easy for the entire locker room to cop out.

"This team could have packed it in after the Indiana game," Sorgi said. "We could have packed it in after the Fresno State game and we didn't. I think it shows the character of this team. There's no pointing fingers. We played well enough to win (against Illinois). They played better. But I think the forte of this football team is we have bounced back. We have won games after heartbreaking losses. I don't see anything different happening this week."

SORGI COMES THROUGH

It was a relief for the Wisconsin coaching staff to see Sorgi come off the bench to nearly lead the Badgers to the greatest comeback in the Alvarez era. Earlier in the season, Sorgi received regular playing time in a rotation with Bollinger.

But after throwing two interceptions against Western Kentucky, the coaching staff decided against using Sorgi and went into the Indiana game planning to use Bollinger for every snap. The decision no doubt had a negative effect on Sorgi's psyche.

"I've been a little out of sync, I'd say for a couple of weeks now," Sorgi said. "I don't know if I lost a little bit of confidence in myself or what it was, but I feel good about how I got things going and I feel like I got my confidence back."

The performance against Illinois was reminiscent of Sorgi's debut last season, replacing an injured Bollinger to lead the Badgers to a 17-10 victory over Michigan State. Over his first two seasons, Sorgi has played much better under emergency situations than action he knew was coming ahead of time.

"I don't know why, but I've always been better when I've come in that kind of a situation, (when) I didn't know I was going to go in," Sorgi said. "I just kind of feel comfortable with that."

EVANS BREAKS RECORD

Forced into action, Sorgi immediately established a connection with Lee Evans, who established the single season receiving record with four games remaining, finishing with nine catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Evans said he knew Sorgi would come through for the offense as he's done several times before.

"That's what Sorgi does," Evans said. "He's done that plenty of times, come in when Brooks has gone down and play a terrific game. He made plays all over the place."

Evans broke the record previously held by Lee Doremus (920 yards in 1993), and he figures to put the mark out of reach for quite some time.

In a season where almost everyone has been inconsistent in their productivity, Evans' spectacular performances have been a constant.

"Lee has been a consistent playmaker for two years," said Offensive Coordinator Brian White. "Every game, he's a guy that makes big plays and elevates our offense and this football team. We need him to continue playing at that level."

When told he had broken the receiving record, Evans didn't even generate a smile. He was more concerned about the reasons behind the loss.

"I didn't even know I broke it," Evans said. "It's good individually, but individuals don't win in this game. It's all about the team. If you don't win as a team then it really doesn't matter."

NO ANSWERS FOR KEY QUESTION

The one thing at the forefront of Evans' mind was the No. 1 concern of everyone inside the Badger locker room.

What makes this team so inconsistent?

Earlier in the week, many of the Badgers argued the team wasn't really inconsistent, that it had just one bad game (Indiana) and played fairly well in the rest of the games. But after the Illinois game, it became impossible to argue the Badgers aren't an inconsistent team. They don't know what to expect game-to-game, half-to-half, or even series-to-series.

"If I knew the answer to that question, then things would be different," Evans said. "But that's just the way it works sometimes. We just have to concentrate all the time, every play, every down for every opponent. Never let up. We had a lot of momentum coming off the last win and we were hoping to carry that into this game. We got off to a slow start and picked it up at the end, but it was a little too late."

Center Al Johnson was frustrated that even with all the momentum the offense had built in its memorable second-half comeback, it was completely shut down with a chance to go ahead, and later tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

"Right now I'm putting (the loss) on the offense," Johnson said. "We had the ball twice. We just didn't score. We just have to make more plays and find a way to get it in the endzone so we keep the pressure off the defense."

It's noble for offensive leaders like Johnson to take responsibility for the loss. But any defense surrendering 42 points, regardless of the circumstances, has to accept blame as well. And it did just that.

"Nobody went out there and made plays," said Wendell Bryant. "We couldn't get off the field on 3rd-and-long. That was it...we can't think one win is the end of the world and that's the greatest thing that's ever happened to us. We have to keep chugging along."

FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE

In the immediate aftermath of yet another devastating loss, the Badgers had already resigned themselves to putting the hurt aside and realizing there are no easy answers.

"I don't think we've gone through anything as wild as what happened today," White said. "Talk about a momentum shift, both ways. I think it's hard to explain. If we could explain it, we'd solve it. The positives are, we have a group of guys that are very resilient and they're going to keep hanging in there and good things are going to happen."

There are no moral victories for a team as accomplished as Wisconsin, but the team can go one of two ways. It can focus on the positives and build on them for the future, or mope about the loss. There's no doubt Wisconsin will choose the former.

"Emotionally, it takes a lot out of you, and a lot of effort to come back," Johnson said. "So I think the big thing now is we have to figure out what happened late in that first quarter and in the second quarter, why we didn't score."

But Johnson said he continues to be impressed with the attitude a young team takes when it gets down.

"I think it's just the focus of the team," Johnson said. "Nobody really loses focus. Everybody stays into the game. Nobody gets down on themselves. You see a lot of teams get down like that, they just can't get back. They don't find the will."

KICKING QUESTIONS CONTINUE

Eight games into the season, and Wisconsin's kicking situation continues to be a weekly game of musical chairs. Against Illinois, Mike Allen returned to handle kickoffs, while Mark Neuser handled field goal duties. And after Kirk Munden shanked several punts, he was replaced by true freshman R.J. Morse, who hit two bombs, including a 68-yard rocket to the Illinois seven-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

He might have earned himself the permanent punting gig, at least this week.

"I thought R.J. did a heck of a job," Alvarez said. "I'm not ready to make that decision right now. I'm tired of (20-30 yard punts) in a game like this. The thing you have to watch with R.J. is, he might out-kick his coverage He's got a strong leg. He's going to be a great punter some day. We may have to use him full time. I don't know, but he sure deserves it."