PETROCK Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Bollinger credited with Badger resurgence LOS ANGELES -- Brooks Bollinger got his first collegiate start in front of 93,524 fans at Ohio State. Wisconsin fell behind 17-0 before the freshman quarterback led the Badgers to two second-quarter scores. Senior offensive tackle and team captain Chris McIntosh was amazed by what happened next. "He came into the huddle and said, "OK, we're taking it to the house,"' McIntosh recalled. "He just became a leader. It kind of blew my mind, but after that, we didn't miss a beat." Bollinger led Wisconsin to eight straight scores in all as the Badgers embarrassed the Buckeyes 42-17. The freshman generated 245 total yards rushing and passing. It was the first of seven straight wins by Wisconsin, which went on to win the Big Ten title. "Teams have to respect Brooks, because he can beat them with his running or his passing," Ron Dayne said. "He's one of the most multitalented quarterbacks I've seen." Dayne says Bollinger was the reason the Badgers rebounded from a 2-2 start. His offensive numbers aren't impressive, but the impact Bollinger makes on opponents' defensive plans is enormous. "Brooks enables us to have a completely different look, if we choose to," coach Barry Alvarez said. "We're a grind-it-out run team usually, but when we want to, we can do several different things because of Brooks' talents." Bollinger was redshirted last season, and he spent Wisconsin's Rose Bowl win over UCLA picking up the phone for quarterback Mike Samuel and "trying to stay out of the way." He'll be at center stage on Saturday, when the fourth-ranked Badgers face No. 22 Stanford. "This year, I'm trying to focus on the game and not so much on the people in the stands and planes flying overhead, that stuff," he said with a grin. An intelligent, self-effacing 20-year-old from Grand Forks, N.D., Bollinger has taken in stride the accolades he is receiving, including the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. He passed for 1,028 yards and rushed for 445 and five touchdowns. He laughs when asked if he expected so much so soon. "I'm kind of spoiled," he said. "I've been here two years, and I've been to two Rose Bowls. I remember standing on the sideline last year and thinking, 'This is going to be on the Classic Sports Network someday."' Before Bollinger's emergence, Wisconsin was a one-dimensional offensive team struggling to distract teams from stopping Dayne. Senior quarterback Scott Kavanagh was Samuel's backup for three seasons, but he was a tentative passer and not a running threat. Bollinger and Kavanagh fought a close battle for the starting job during the preseason, and the freshman played briefly in Wisconsin's first three games. When the Badgers fell behind Michigan on Sept. 25, Alvarez inserted Bollinger to give the team a jump-start. It worked, as Bollinger directed a 10-play, 80-yard drive near the end of Wisconsin's 21-16 loss. Dayne, who also became a starter early in his own freshman year, said Bollinger's emergence was the reason Dayne rushed for 981 yards in Wisconsin's last five games, a string of performances that locked up the Heisman Trophy. Wisconsin averaged 37.7 points in Bollinger's seven starts. Bollinger doesn't seem to worry much about the pressure of being the starting quarterback on the nation's fourth-ranked team. He plans to enjoy the entire Rose Bowl week. He even got the chance to appear on "The Tonight Show" on Tuesday when he was picked out of the Badgers' group to participate in a skit. When he got back to the hotel, he called his parents -- Rob, a former offensive coordinator at North Dakota, and Lisa -- and told them to tape the show that evening. "I guess that was my 10 seconds of fame," he said. If Bollinger continues to play at his current level, that's not likely. http://espn.go.com/ncf/bowls99/s/1999/1230/260763.html Maybe we do have a chance with Brooks. We can at least give the guy a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 To bad the Jets are not playing Ohio State on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernJet Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 sis coom bah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETROCK Posted September 26, 2005 Author Share Posted September 26, 2005 To bad the Jets are not playing Ohio State on Sunday. Yeah right. College is diffrent that the NFL, but maybe he can win games for the Jets. That's all I'm saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jetstone Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 What an awesome find, Petrock. Great article. great post. Great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Yeah right. College is diffrent that the NFL, but maybe he can win games for the Jets. That's all I'm saying. I hope you are right. I will be rooting like hell for him, but I am skeptical based on what I've seen of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudcat21 Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Bet the ranch on the Ravens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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