The 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their third year under head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers compiled a 7–6 record (3–5 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 357 to 345. Against ranked opponents, the Badgers defeated No. 21 Fresno State and lost to No. 14 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State, and No. 22 Michigan State. They concluded the season with a 42–13 loss to unranked Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl. They were not ranked in the final AP and Coaches polls.
The team's statistical leaders included running back P. J. Hill (1,161 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns), quarterback Dustin Sherer (1,389 passing yards), wide receiver Garrett Graham (40 receptions for 540 yards), kicker Philip Welch (99 points scored), and Jaeve McFadden (84 total tackles).
The team played its home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries Akron
Marshall
Fresno State
Michigan
Ohio State
Penn State
Iowa
Illinois
Michigan State
Indiana
Minnesota
Cal Poly
Personnel Roster (as of August 12, 2008)Quarterback Allan Evridge - Senior Bryson Baxley - Freshman(C) Dustin Sherer - Junior James Stallons - Freshman Scott Tolzien - Sophomore
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 Chris Pressley - Senior Bill Rentmeester - Senior Dan Wiacek - Junior John Nelson - Sophomore
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 Travis Beckum - Senior Jake Byrne - Freshman Zach Davison - Freshman Garrett Graham - Junior Lance Kendricks - Sophomore Rob Korslin - Freshman Mickey Turner - Junior Ricky Wagner - Freshman 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 Brad Debauche - Freshman Brad Nortman - Freshman
Place Kicker Matt Fischer - Junior Philip Welch - Freshman
Coaching staff Name Position Bret Bielema Head coach Paul Chryst Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks coach Dave Doeren Defensive coordinator/Inside linebackers coach Del Alexander Wide receivers coach Bob Bostad Offensive line coach/Run game coordinator Kerry Cooks Defensive backs coach Randall McCray Outside linebackers coach/Recruiting coordinator Charlie Partridge Defensive line/Special teams coach Joe Rudolph Tight ends coach John Settle Running backs coach Terrance Jamison Student assistant
Regular starters
PositionPlayerQuarterbackDustin ShererRunning backP. J. HillFullbackChris PressleyWide receiverIsaac AndersonWide receiverDavid GilreathTight endGarrett GrahamLeft tackleGabe CarimiLeft guardAndy KempCenterJohn MoffittRight guardKraig UrbikRight tackleEric Vanden HeuvelKickerPhilip Welch
PositionPlayerDefensive endO'Brien SchofieldDefensive tackleJason ChapmanDefensive tackleMike NewkirkDefensive endMatt ShaughnessyOutside linebackerDeAndre LevyMiddle linebackerJaevery McFaddenOutside linebackerJonathan CasillasCornerbackAllen LangfordStrong safetyJay ValaiFree safetyShane CarterCornerbackNiles BrinkleyPunterBrad Nortman
Statistics
Offense Passing Name GP-GS Year Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Avg/GAllan Evridge 6-6 Sr (R) 132-71-5 53.8% 949 5 126.3Dustin Sherer 11-7 Jr (R) 191-104-5 54.5% 1389 6 158.2Scott Tolzien 3-0 So (R) 5-8-1 62.5% 107 0 35.7 Total 13-13 N/A 333-180-11 54.1% 2445 11 188.2 Opponents 13-13 N/A 404-212-12 52.5% 2545 15 195.8
Rushing Name Att Yards Avg Long TD P.J. Hill 226 1161 5.1 13 John Clay 155 844 5.7 46 9 Zach Brown 55 305 5.5 23 3 David Gilreath 25 285 11.4 90 (TD) 2 Bill Rentmeester 11 50 4.5 9 0 Isaac Anderson 3 21 7.0 19 0 Dustin Sherer 49 19 0.4 30 1 Bradie Ewing 4 14 3.5 8 1 Scott Tolzien 4 13 3.3 8 1 Chris Pressley 3 6 2.0 3 0 Allan Evridge 23 4 0.2 19 1 Total 567 2,745 4.8 90 31 Opponents 450 1,733 3.8 23
Receiving Name GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/GGarrett Graham 11 40 540 13.5 5 49.1David Gilreath 13 31 520 16.7 3 40.0Isaac Anderson 13 21 286 13.6 0 22.0Travis Beckum 6 23 264 11.4 0 44.0Nick Toon 12 17 257 15.1 1 21.4Kyle Jefferson 11 14 189 13.5 0 17.2Lance Kendricks 7 6 141 23.5 0 20.1P.J. Hill 13 7 72 10.3 0 5.5Maurice Moore 6 5 61 12.2 0 10.2Zach Brown 12 8 47 5.9 0 3.9Mickey Turner 13 4 46 11.5 0 3.5Elijah Theus 5 2 17 8.5 1 3.4
Team players selected in the 2009 NFL draft
Matt Shaughnessy Defensive end 3 71 Oakland Raiders DeAndre Levy Linebacker 3 76 Detroit Lions Kraig Urbik Guard 3 79 Pittsburgh Steelers Travis Beckum Tight end 3 100 New York Giants
References