2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team

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.

2008 Wisconsin Badgers football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
2008 record7–6 (3–5 Big Ten)
Head coachBret Bielema (3rd season)
Offensive coordinatorPaul Chryst
Offensive schemePro Style
Defensive coordinatorDave Doeren
Base defense4-3
Home stadiumCamp Randall Stadium (80,321, Field Turf)
2008 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 8 Penn State $+  7 –1     11 –2  
No. 9 Ohio State %+  7 –1     10 –3  
No. 24 Michigan State  6 –2     9 –4  
Northwestern  5 –3     9 –4  
No. 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 conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The 2007 Wisconsin Badgers football team was not expected to win the Big 10, but with a close loss to Michigan 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.

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 3011:00 a.m.[1]Akron*No. 13
BTN[1]W 38–1780,910[2]
September 611:00 a.m.[1]Marshall*No. 11
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
BTN[1]W 51–1480,396[2]
September 139:30 p.m.[3]at No. 21 Fresno State*No. 10
ESPN2[3]W 13–1042,387[2]
September 272:30 p.m.at MichiganNo. 9
ABC/ESPNL 25–27109,833[2]
October 47:00 p.m.[4]No. 12 Ohio StateNo. 18
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ABC[4]L 17–2081,608[2]
October 117:00 p.m.[4]No. 6 Penn State
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ESPN[4]L 7–4881,524[2]
October 1811:00 a.m.at Iowa
BTNL 16–3870,585[2]
October 2511:00 a.m.[5]Illinois
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ESPN2[5]W 27–1781,241[2]
November 111:00 a.m.at No. 22 Michigan State
ESPNL 24–2575,121[2]
November 811:00 a.m.at Indiana
BTNW 55–2030,618[2]
November 152:30 p.m.Minnesota
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI (Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe)
ABCW 35–3281,228[2]
November 222:30 p.m.Cal Poly*
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
BTNW 36–35 OT80,709[2]
December 273:30 p.m.vs. Florida State*
ESPNL 13–4252,692[2]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[6]

Game summaries

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

Marshall
1 2 3 4 Total
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 Total
Badgers 7 3 3 0 13
Bulldogs 0 0 10 0 10

Michigan
See also: 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
1 2 3 4 Total
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 Total
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 Total
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 Total
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 Total
Fighting Illini 0 10 7 0 17
Badgers 3 7 7 10 27

Michigan State
See also: 2008 Michigan State Spartans football team
1 234Total
Badgers 7 377 24
• Spartans 0 6712 25
  • Date: November 1
  • Location: Spartan Stadium
    East Lansing, MI
  • Game start: 11:02 a.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:34
  • Game attendance: 75,121
  • Game weather: 48F, Wind: NE 10 MPH, Mostly Sunny
  • Referee: Bill LeMonniner
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Pam Ward (Play-by-play) & Ray Bentley (Color)

Indiana
See also: 2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
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
1 234Total
Golden Gophers 0 2138 32
• Badgers 7 01018 35

[7]

Cal Poly
1 2 3 4OT Total
Mustangs 7 13 3 66 35
Badgers 0 14 7 87 36

Rankings
See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking Movement
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Final
AP 13 11 10 8 9 18
Coaches 12 11 10 8 8 17 24
Harris Not released 16
BCS Not released

Roster
(as of August 12, 2008)[8]
Quarterback
Wide Receiver
  • Isaac Anderson - Sophomore
  • Nate Emanuel - Sophomore
  • David Gilreath - Sophomore
  • Xavier Harris - Junior
  • Kyle Jefferson - Sophomore
  • Daven Jones - Sophomore
  • Richard Kirtley - Junior
  • Eric Kossoris - Freshman
  • Maurice Moore - Sophomore
  • Cody Rose - Freshman
  • Elijah (T.J.) Theus - Junior
  • Nick Toon - Freshman
  • T.J. Williams - Freshman
Offensive Lineman
  • Jordan Bergmann - Freshman
  • Jake Bscherer - Junior
  • Robert Burge - Freshman
  • Gabe Carimi - Sophomore
  • Chris Cromwell - Freshman
  • Jake Current - Freshman
  • Andy Kemp - Senior
  • John Moffitt - Sophomore
  • Bill Nagy - Sophomore
  • Josh Oglesby - Freshman
  • Joe Schafer - Freshman
  • Kraig Urbik - Senior
  • Eric Vandenheuvel - Senior
  • Kevin Zeitler - Freshman
  

Fullback

Running Back
  • Zach Brown - Sophomore
  • John Clay - Freshman
  • Bradie Ewing - Freshman
  • P.J. Hill - Junior
  • Tyler Holland - Junior
  • Dex Jones - Freshman
  • Mike Preisler - Freshman
  • Erik Smith - Freshman
Tight End
  
Defensive Lineman
  • Eriks Briedis - Freshman
  • Patrick Butrym - Freshman
  • Dan Cascone - Junior
  • Jason Chapman - Senior
  • Kirk DeCremer - Sophomore
  • Ricky Garner - Sophomore
  • Jasper Grimes - Freshman
  • Jordan Hein - Junior
  • Brandon Hoey - Sophomore
  • Kenny Jones - Sophomore
  • Brendan Kelly - Freshman
  • Peter Konz - Freshman
  • Anthony Mains - Freshman
  • Dan Moore - Junior
  • Mike Newkirk - Senior
  • Louis Nzegwu - Freshman
  • O'Brien Schofield - Junior
  • Matt Shaughnessy - Senior
  • Jeff Stehle - Junior
  • J. J. Watt - Freshman
  • Tyler Westphal - Freshman
Linebacker
  • Jonathan Casillas - Senior
  • Ryan Flasch - Senior
  • Elijah Hodge - Junior
  • Leonhard Hubbard - Freshman
  • DeAndre Levy - Senior
  • Jaevery McFadden - Junior
  • Tony Megna - Freshman
  • Joshua Neal - Senior
  • Erik Prather - Junior
  • Tyrell Rosemeyer - Freshman
  • Kevin Rouse - Freshman
  • Blake Sorensen - Sophomore
  • Culver St. Jean - Sophomore
  • Mike Taylor - Freshman
  
Defensive Back
  • Niles Brinkley - Sophomore
  • Shane Carter - Junior
  • Kevin Claxton - Freshman
  • Marcus Cromartie - Freshman
  • Antonio Fenelus - Freshman
  • Mario Goins - Freshman
  • Adam Hampton - Freshman
  • William Hartmann - Junior
  • Aaron Henry - Sophomore
  • Shelton Johnson - Freshman
  • Allen Langford - Senior
  • Andrew Lukasko - Freshman
  • Chris Maragos - Junior
  • Otis Merrill - Freshman
  • Prince Moody - Junior
  • Josh Nettles - Junior
  • Chukwuma Offor - Freshman
  • Aubrey Pleasant - Junior
  • Devin Smith - Freshman

Jay Valai-Soph

Long Snapper
  • Zach Opsal - Sophomore
  • Dave Peck - Senior
  • Kyle Wojta - Freshman
  • Drew Woodward - Junior
Punter
Place Kicker
  • Matt Fischer - Junior
  • Philip Welch - Freshman

Statistics

Offense

Passing
NameGP-GSYearAtt-Cmp-IntPctYdsTDAvg/G
Allan Evridge6-6Sr (R)132-71-553.8%9495126.3
Dustin Sherer11-7Jr (R)191-104-554.5%13896158.2
Scott Tolzien3-0So (R)5-8-162.5%107035.7
Total13-13N/A333-180-1154.1%244511188.2
Opponents13-13N/A404-212-1252.5%254515195.8

Rushing
NameAttYardsAvgLongTD
P.J. Hill22611615.113
John Clay1558445.7469
Zach Brown553055.5233
David Gilreath2528511.490 (TD)2
Bill Rentmeester11504.590
Isaac Anderson3217.0190
Dustin Sherer49190.4301
Bradie Ewing4143.581
Scott Tolzien4133.381
Chris Pressley362.030
Allan Evridge2340.2191
Total5672,7454.89031
Opponents4501,7333.8 23

Receiving
NameGPNo.YdsAvgTDLongAvg/G
Garrett Graham114054013.55 49.1
David Gilreath133152016.73 40.0
Isaac Anderson132128613.60 22.0
Travis Beckum62326411.40 44.0
Nick Toon121725715.11 21.4
Kyle Jefferson111418913.50 17.2
Lance Kendricks7614123.50 20.1
P.J. Hill1377210.30 5.5
Maurice Moore656112.20 10.2
Zach Brown128475.90 3.9
Mickey Turner1344611.50 3.5
Elijah Theus52178.51 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

Team players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft
See also: 2009 NFL Draft
PlayerPositionRoundOverall SelectionNFL Team
Matt ShaughnessyDefensive End371Oakland Raiders
DeAndre LevyLinebacker376Detroit Lions
Kraig UrbikGuard379Pittsburgh Steelers
Travis BeckumTight End3100New York Giants

[9]

References
  1. "Badgers open the season on BTN". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. July 2, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  2. "Game-by-Game Statistics". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on 2011-09-09. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  3. "More night ball for Badgers". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  4. "Big Ten Announces Five Prime-Time Football Games to Appear on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 During 2008 Season". Big Ten Conference. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  5. "Welcome home:Badgers, Illini kickoff set". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  6. 2008 Schedule Archived February 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Two Safeties Highlight Badgers' Comeback Over Rival Gophers". ESPN. November 15, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  8. "Football Roster". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  9. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2009.htm
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