Or start, even?
When Joel Stave was diagnosed with a broken clavicle in late October, it was thought that the season for Wisconsin’s starting quarterback was over. The initial eight-week timeline for a return, though, pushed a New Year’s Day date in the Rose Bowl against Stanford into the realm of possibility.
As the Badgers continue practicing leading up to the Granddaddy of Them All -- sans their regular-season head coach, of course -- Stave took part in team drills Saturday under the direction of athletic director/interim head coach/potential Bret Bielema permanent successor* Barry Alvarez. Afterwards, Stave sounded decidedly optimistic that not only would he be available for the Rose Bowl, but that the onus for putting him back into the starting lineup/onto the field would fall squarely into the laps of what’s a fluid coaching-staff situation.
“I’m hoping to be healthy and then if I get a chance to play I’d be more than happy to take that,” Stave said according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I’m just going to keep practicing and preparing like I would play, like I always have been.
“If the coaches feel comfortable putting me in there and letting me throw it around a little bit, I’ll be happy to do that.”
North Carolina State transfer Danny O’Brien started the 2012 season under center for the Badgers, but was benched in favor of the redshirt freshman Stave after three games. The Badgers went 4-2 in Stave’s six starts, with the two losses coming by a combined six points -- three points to Nebraska in Lincoln and three points to Michigan State in overtime. The latter game was the one in which Stave was injured.
Instead of going back to O’Brien following Stave’s injury, senior Curt Phillips -- he of the multiple ACL tears and zero previous collegiate starts -- got the starting nod. The Badgers were 2-2 with Phillips as the starter, with both of the losses coming in overtime and one of the wins by 39 points in the Big Ten championship game that sent the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl.
(*yes, that’s a storyline that could very well develop)