For as crazy and unpredictable as the weather has been in the state of Wisconsin, Badgers fans should let out a huge sigh of relief for the sunny and relatively nice conditions for the 2013 Spring game.
12,050 dedicated fans came out to see the Cardinal squad (defense) edge out the White team (offense) by the score of 61-47.
When looking past the completely obscure scoring system, the best story of the day was the quarterback battle between Curt Phillips and Joel Stave.
– Gary Andersen and his staff have an interesting decision ahead of them this fall when trying to appoint the starting quarterback. Stave was impressive in the spring game while completing 15-of-his-20 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. However, he has almost no mobility in the pocket, something incumbent starter Curt Phillips is very good at. Phillips had the first reps at quarterback, but couldn’t get the Badgers in the end-zone on any of his drives. The wild-card in the race will be transfer Tanner McEvoy who joins the team in the fall.
– The best defender on the day was freshman defensive back Sojourn Shelton who was all over the field. If Shelton can step in and be a force right away, it will be a huge boost for a secondary who lost three seniors in the off-season. Shelton is a young man who exudes confidence and has a bright future ahead of him.
– Melvin Gordon and Derek Watt had the only two touchdowns on the day. Gordon’s was a 11 yard run and Watt’s a five yard catch from Stave.
– Following the game, Andersen summed it up as a “productive day.” He jokingly informed the media that the offense and defense was very “vanilla or generic,” because the game was aired on the Big Ten Network. Andersen was very impressed with junior wide-out Kenzel Doe.
– Doe was the leading receiver with eight catches for 93 yards. Andersen said, “his love for football brings a smile to my face.”
With spring camp wrapped up, the Badgers will finish out the academic semester and head into the summer with personal goals and aspirations. After countless hours in the film and weight rooms, the Badgers will enter the fall and attempt to win the Big Ten conference for the fourth straight season.
Did you check out the Spring Game? Let me know what you thought by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.