Wisconsin's 2016 football season is in the books, capping off a surprising 11-3 campaign with their win over No. 14 Western Michigan in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Now BadgerBlitz.com takes a look back at the season that was, breaking down the bright spots and low points, with an eye on the future of the position as well.
High Point: QBs nearly perfect in Cotton Bowl
The Badgers saved their best for last under center, when Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrook combined to complete 13 of 14 passes with one touchdown pass from Hornibrook to help the Badgers beat Western Michigan, 24-16, in the Cotton Bowl. The lone incompletion? A dropped pass by tight end Troy Fumagalli that would have been a sure touchdown, if only he could have held on to the ball after it hit him in the hands.
Low Point: No-Fly Zone in the Big House
Alex Hornibrook made his debut as Wisconsin's starting quarterback and played well against Michigan State, but his second game against Michigan at the Big House did not go as well. Hornibrook completed just 9 of 25 passes and threw three interceptions in the game, and we found out after the fact that he wasn't quite 100 percent in the game after suffering an early shoulder injury.
Memorable Moments
-- Wisconsin's offense needed a spark in their non-conference game against Georgia State, and they got one from Hornibrook after Chryst decided to replace Houston. Hornibrook completed 8 of 12 passes for 122 yards and threw one touchdown pass (and one interception) to help the Badgers eke out a 23-17 win.
-- The Badgers made an unusual move in deciding to play both Hornibrook and Houston, starting with their road trip to Iowa. It was unconventional - and not perfect - but Chryst and his signal callers found a way to make the system work. Houston and Hornibrook combined to throw just two interceptions in their last eight games of the season.
2017 Snapshot
What to watch in spring camp
With Bart Houston gone, Alex Hornibrook looks like the likely starter under center for the Badgers in 2017 - the question is how heated of a competition will he have to go through to hold on to the starting spot. Hornibrook started the majority of Wisconsin's games when he was healthy, so you could see Chryst make a decision to go with him early on - just like in 2015 when he named Joel Stave his starter at the beginning of spring camp. But with Kare' Lyles coming off of a redshirt season and four-star recruit Jack Coan set to practice with the team in the spring, the Badgers have some talented players on the roster who could make Hornibrook work for the job.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
