Suffice to say, Danny O’Brien‘s short time at Wisconsin has not gone as planned.
After transferring from Maryland to UW in the offseason and winning the starting job, uneven performances led head coach Bret Bielema to yank O"Brien in favor of Joel Stave. After Stave suffered a season-ending injury, it was thought that O’Brien would again be back in the Badgers’ offensive saddle.
Apparently, at least for now, that won’t be the case.
Citing a source close to the program, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday afternoon that senior Curt Phillips will make his first collegiate start this weekend against Indiana. The paper writes that Phillips has gotten the majority of the snaps with the No. 1 offense during practice this week.
UW has yet to announce who will start Saturday in a game against the Hoosiers that, amazingly, will have a significant impact on the Big Ten Leaders division. If UW wins, they will claim the divisional title and a spot in the conference championship game with two regular season games remaining. If Indiana wins, the Hoosiers would control their own destiny in the Legends, needing a pair of wins -- at Penn State, at Purdue -- for an improbable early-December trip to Indianapolis.
Charged with the clinching task will be Phillips, who has suffered three significant knee injuries during his time in Madison. He did not play in 2010 and 2011 due to torn ACLs, and has yet to attempt a pass this season.
In fact, he’s only thrown 12 in his career, with all of those coming in 2009.
When an official announcement will be made by the Badgers regarding the quarterback situation is unclear, although the Journal Sentinel reported that the players were expected to be informed of Bielema’s decision Tuesday.
(Photo credit: UW athletics)