2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team

2008 Wisconsin Badgers football
Champs Sports Bowl, L 42–13 vs. Florida State
Conference	Big Ten Conference
2008 record	7–6 (3–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bret Bielema (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Paul Chryst
Offensive scheme	Pro Style
Defensive coordinator	Dave Doeren
Base defense	4-3
Home stadium	Camp Randall Stadium (80,321, Field Turf)
Seasons

2008 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#8/8 Penn State †§		0*	–	1					0*	–	2
#9/11 Ohio State ‡§		7	–	1					10	–	3
#24/24 Michigan State		6	–	2					9	–	4
Northwestern		5	–	3					9	–	4
#20/20 Iowa		5	–	3					9	–	4
Wisconsin		3	–	5					7	–	6
Minnesota		3	–	5					7	–	6
Illinois		3	–	5					5	–	7
Purdue		2	–	6					4	–	8
Michigan		2	–	6					3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7					3	–	9
† – BCS representative as champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative § – Conference co-champions *All wins for Penn State (11-2, 7-1) vacated due to scandal. Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Previous season

The 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team was not expected to win the Big 10, but with a close loss to Illinois and a 38-7 blowout loss to Penn State, expectations were much lower. However, they finished with only one more loss to Big 10 champ Ohio State and managed to get an Outback Bowl bid, only to lose 21-17 to the Tennessee Volunteers, who lost the previous Outback Bowl 20-10 to the Nittany Lions.

Roster

(as of August 12, 2008)
Quarterback Allan Evridge - Redshirt Senior Curt Phillips - Freshman Dustin Sherer - Redshirt Junior James Stallons - Redshirt Freshman Scott Tolzien - Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver Isaac Anderson - Redshirt Sophomore Nate Emanuel - Redshirt Sophomore David Gilreath - Sophomore Xavier Harris - Junior Kyle Jefferson - Sophomore Daven Jones - Sophomore Richard Kirtley - Redshirt Junior Eric Kossoris - Redshirt Freshman Maurice Moore - Redshirt Sophomore Cody Rose - Redshirt Freshman Elijah (T.J.) Theus - Redshirt Junior Nick Toon - Redshirt Freshman T.J. Williams - Freshman Offensive Lineman Jordan Bergmann - Freshman Jake Bscherer - Junior Robert Burge - Freshman Gabe Carimi - Redshirt Sophomore Chris Cromwell - Freshman Jake Current - Freshman Andy Kemp - Senior John Moffitt - Redshirt Sophomore Bill Nagy - Redshirt Sophomore Josh Oglesby - Redshirt Freshman Joe Schafer - Freshman Kraig Urbik - Redshirt Senior Eric Vandenheuvel - Senior Kevin Zeitler - Freshman		Fullback Chris Pressley - Redshirt Senior Bill Rentmeester - Redshirt Senior Sam Spitz - Freshman Running Back Zach Brown - Sophomore John Clay - Redshirt Freshman Bradie Ewing - Freshman P.J. Hill - Redshirt Junior Tyler Holland - Junior Dex Jones - Freshman Mike Preisler - Redshirt Freshman Erik Smith - Freshman Tight End Travis Beckum - Senior Jake Byrne - Freshman Zach Davison - Freshman Garrett Graham - Redshirt Junior Lance Kendricks - Redshirt Sophomore Rob Korslin - Redshirt Freshman Mickey Turner - Junior Ricky Wagner - Freshman		Defensive Lineman Eriks Briedis - Freshman Patrick Butrym - Redshirt Freshman Dan Cascone - Redshirt Junior Jason Chapman - Redshirt Senior Kirk DeCremer - Redshirt Sophomore Ricky Garner - Redshirt Sophomore Jasper Grimes - Redshirt Freshman Jordan Hein - Redshirt Junior Brandon Hoey - Redshirt Sophomore Kenny Jones - Redshirt Sophomore Brendan Kelly - Freshman Peter Konz - Freshman Anthony Mains - Freshman Dan Moore - Junior Mike Newkirk - Redshirt Senior Louis Nzegwu - Redshirt Freshman O'Brien Schofield - Redshirt Junior Matt Shaughnessy - Senior Jeff Stehle - Redshirt Junior J.J. Watt - Freshman Tyler Westphal - Freshman Linebacker Jonathan Casillas - Senior Ryan Flasch - Redshirt Senior Elijah Hodge - Redshirt Junior Leonhard Hubbard - Freshman DeAndre Levy - Senior Jaevery McFadden - Redshirt Junior Tony Megna - Redshirt Freshman Joshua Neal - Redshirt Senior Erik Prather - Redshirt Junior Tyrell Rosemeyer - Freshman Kevin Rouse - Redshirt Freshman Blake Sorensen - Sophomore Culmer St. Jean - Redshirt Sophomore Mike Taylor - Freshman		Defensive Back Niles Brinkley - Redshirt Sophomore Shane Carter - Redshirt Junior Kevin Claxton - Freshman Marcus Cromartie - Freshman Antonio Fenelus - Freshman Mario Goins - Redshirt Freshman Adam Hampton - Redshirt Freshman William Hartmann - Redshirt Junior Aaron Henry - Sophomore Shelton Johnson - Freshman Allen Langford - Redshirt Senior Andrew Lukasko - Redshirt Freshman Chris Maragos - Redshirt Junior Otis Merrill - Redshirt Freshman Prince Moody - Redshirt Junior Josh Nettles - Junior Chukwuma Offor - Redshirt Freshman Aubrey Pleasant - Redshirt Junior Devin Smith - Freshman Long Snapper Zach Opsal - Redshirt Sophomore Dave Peck - Redshirt Senior Kyle Wojta - Redshirt Freshman Drew Woodward - Redshirt Junior Punter Brad Debauche - Redshirt Freshman Brad Nortman - Freshman Place Kicker Matt Fischer - Redshirt Junior Philip Welch - Redshirt Freshman

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30*	11:00 a.m.	Akron	#12	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	BTN	W 38–17	80,910
September 6*	11:00 AM	Marshall	#11	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	BTN	W 51–14	80,396
September 13*	9:30 PM	at #21 Fresno State	#10	Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA	ESPN2	W 13–10	42,387
September 27	2:30 PM	at Michigan	#8	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	L 25–27	109,833
October 4	7:00 PM	#12 Ohio State	#17	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ABC	L 17–20	81,608
October 11	7:00 p.m.	#6 Penn State	#24	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN	L 7–48	81,524
October 18	11:00 AM	at Iowa		Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Battle for the Heartland Trophy)	BTN	L 16–38	70,585
October 25†	11:00 AM	Illinois		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN2	W 27–17	81,241
November 1	11:00 AM	at #21 Michigan State		Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	ESPN	L 24–25	75,121
November 8	11:00 AM	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	W 55–20	30,618
November 15	2:30 PM	Minnesota		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe)	ABC	W 35–32	81,228
November 22*	2:30 PM	Cal Poly		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	BTN	W 36–35 OT	80,709
December 27*	3:30 PM	vs. Florida State		Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL (Champs Sports Bowl)	ESPN	L 13–42	52,692
*Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches Poll. All times are in Central Time Zone.

Game notes

Akron

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	0	10	0	7	17
Badgers	14	3	14	7	38

Marshall

	1	2	3	4	OT
Thundering Herd	7	7	0	0	14
Badgers	0	17	21	13	51

Fresno State

See also: 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Badgers	7	3	3	0	13
Bulldogs	0	0	10	0	10

Michigan

See also: 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Badgers	6	13	0	6	25
Wolverines	0	0	7	20	27

Ohio State

See also: 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Buckeyes	7	0	3	10	20
Badgers	0	10	0	7	17

Penn State

See also: 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Nittany Lions	3	21	17	7	48
Badgers	0	7	0	0	7

Iowa

See also: 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Badgers	0	3	6	7	16
Hawkeyes	7	7	14	10	38

Illinois

See also: 2008 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Fighting Illini	0	10	7	0	17
Badgers	3	7	7	10	27

Michigan State

See also: 2008 Michigan State Spartans football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Badgers	7	3	7	7	24
Spartans	0	6	7	12	25

Indiana

See also: 2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team

	1	2	3	4	OT
Badgers	14	10	17	14	55
Hoosiers	13	7	0	0	20

Minnesota

See also: 2008 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Paul Bunyan's Axe

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Minnesota 0 21 3 8 32 • Wisconsin 7 0 10 18 35 Date: November 15 Location: Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin Scoring summary 1 12:38 WIS Garrett Graham 2 yard pass from Dustin Sherer (Philip Welch kick) Wisconsin 7-0 2 13:30 MINN Brandon Green 4 yard pass from Adam Weber (Joel Monroe kick) Tie 7-7 2 11:14 MINN Brodrick Smith 43 yard pass from Adam Weber (Joel Monroe kick) Minnesota 14-7 2 8:17 MINN Adam Weber 6 yard run (Joel Monroe kick) Minnesota 21-7 3 10:14 WIS Philip Welch 47 yard field goal Minnesota 21-10 3 4:17 WIS P.J. Hill 1 yard run (Philip Welch kick) Minnesota 21-17 3 1:37 MINN Joel Monroe 30 yard field goal Minnesota 24-17 4 13:25 WIS P.J. Hill 1 yard run (Philip Welch kick) Tie 24-24 4 13:16 WIS Safety, ball fumbled out of end zone Wisconsin 26-24 4 10:47 WIS Safety, Adam Weber tackled by Mike Newkirk in end zone Wisconsin 28-24 4 6:59 WIS John Clay 5 yard run (Philip Welch kick) Wisconsin 35-24 4 4:15 MINN Shady Salamon 13 yard pass from Adam Weber (Shady Salamon run) Wisconsin 35-32

Cal Poly

	1	2	3	4	OT
Mustangs	7	13	3	6	35
Badgers	0	14	7	8	36

Rankings

See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking Movement

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
AP	13	11	10	8	9	18
Coaches	12	11	10	8	8	17	24
Harris	Not released					16
BCS	Not released

Statistics

Offense

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Year	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Avg/G
Allan Evridge	6-6	Sr (R)	132-71-5	53.8%	949	5	126.3
Dustin Sherer	11-7	Jr (R)	191-104-5	54.5%	1389	6	158.2
Scott Tolzien	3-0	So (R)	5-8-1	62.5%	107	0	35.7
Total	13-13	N/A	333-180-11	54.1%	2445	11	188.2
Opponents	13-13	N/A	404-212-12	52.5%	2545	15	195.8

Rushing

Name	Att	Yards	Avg	Long	TD
P.J. Hill	226	1161	5.1		13
John Clay	155	844	5.7	46	9
Zach Brown	55	305	5.5	23	3
David Gilreath	25	285	11.4	90 (TD)	2
Bill Rentmeester	11	50	4.5	9	0
Isaac Anderson	3	21	7.0	19	0
Dustin Sherer	49	19	0.4	30	1
Bradie Ewing	4	14	3.5	8	1
Scott Tolzien	4	13	3.3	8	1
Chris Pressley	3	6	2.0	3	0
Allan Evridge	23	4	0.2	19	1
Total	567	2,745	4.8	90	31
Opponents	450	1,733	3.8		23

Receiving

Name	GP	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Garrett Graham	11	40	540	13.5	5		49.1
David Gilreath	13	31	520	16.7	3		40.0
Isaac Anderson	13	21	286	13.6	0		22.0
Travis Beckum	6	23	264	11.4	0		44.0
Nick Toon	12	17	257	15.1	1		21.4
Kyle Jefferson	11	14	189	13.5	0		17.2
Lance Kendricks	7	6	141	23.5	0		20.1
P.J. Hill	13	7	72	10.3	0		5.5
Maurice Moore	6	5	61	12.2	0		10.2
Zach Brown	12	8	47	5.9	0		3.9
Mickey Turner	13	4	46	11.5	0		3.5
Elijah Theus	5	2	17	8.5	1		3.4

Season Summary

Wisconsin once again got off to a fast start at 3-0. However, a horrible loss to Michigan and awful games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa derailed the Badgers and sent them plunging down to 3-4 overall. An upset over ranked Illinois at home evened Wisconsin's record at 4-4, but an awful loss to Michigan State followed and the Badgers fell to 1-5 in the Big Ten almost before they could blink. Wisconsin won the remainder of its conference slate against Indiana and Minnesota, but the Badgers followed that up with a decidedly below average effort and wild win over Cal Poly the next week. At the end of the season, Wisconsin was destroyed 42-13 in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl by Florida State.

Overall, this was the worst Wisconsin team since the 2001 Badgers, who missed the postseason entirely after a 5-7 season. The failure of the team to live up to lofty expectations (Wisconsin was ranked 8th in the nation before a terrible loss to Michigan) fueled fan discontent, and Bret Bielema would need a much, much better 2009 season; he could not afford to coast on goodwill from his 2006 and 2007 teams.

Regular starters

Position Player Quarterback Dustin Sherer Running Back P.J. Hill Fullback Chris Pressley Wide Receiver Isaac Anderson Wide Receiver David Gilreath Tight End Garrett Graham Left Tackle Gabe Carimi Left Guard Andy Kemp Center John Moffitt Right Guard Kraig Urbik Right Tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel Kicker Philip Welch

Position Player Defensive End O'Brien Schofield Defensive Tackle Jason Chapman Defensive Tackle Mike Newkirk Defensive End Matt Shaughnessy Outside Linebacker DeAndre Levy Middle Linebacker Jaevery McFadden Outside Linebacker Jonathan Casillas Cornerback Allen Langford Strong Safety Jay Valai Free Safety Shane Carter Cornerback Niles Brinkley Punter Brad Nortman

Team players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft

See also: 2009 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Overall Selection	NFL Team
Matt Shaughnessy	Defensive End	3	71	Oakland Raiders
DeAndre Levy	Linebacker	3	76	Detroit Lions
Kraig Urbik	Guard	3	79	Pittsburgh Steelers
Travis Beckum	Tight End	3	100	New York Giants