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Yes, you are awake. No, the circumstances surrounding the Wisconsin Badgers' quarterback situation have not changed since Tuesday night.
B5Q's Luke Mueller has your succinct recap, and so much more:
What started as a day with an unexpected announcement ended with many lingering questions and confusion. Around 11 a.m. CT, Wisconsin's athletic communications department released a statement explaining that both Joel Stave and T.J. Watt would miss time due to "injuries". It explained that Watt would miss an extended period of time due to surgery. The release also stated that Stave, over the last few weeks, has been dealing with "issues with his throwing shoulder".
"We have come to a decision, after talking with Joel, that the best thing for him right now is to shut it down and give him some rest," read a statement from head coach Gary Andersen.
The decision to "shut down" Stave meant that redshirt sophomore Bart Houston would then move into the backup quarterback role. The story starts to get more interesting with the comments made by Andersen after practice Wednesday.
Andersen, in a previously unscheduled appearance in front of media, started the interview by saying that he needed to explain some information provided in the press release from earlier in the day. The second-year coach clarified that he should not have used the words "shut it down" and "injury" when referencing Stave's situation.
Luke's story is well worth your time, as he spent the majority of Tuesday evening down at Camp Randall and then later that night writing up that story. We also have this more basic primer on the situation. Finally, below you can check out the audio straight from Gary Andersen and Joel Stave.
Here's the remaining list of stories on the topic, so that you can be sure you have the full picture:
- Gary Andersen discusses Joel Stave missing time [B5Q]
- QB controversy: Stave not hurt after all, has 'yips' [Fox Sports Wisconsin]
- Stave surprise: Andersen says QB has shoulder injury, out indefinitely [Fox Sports Wisconsin]
- Joel Stave update: shoulder sound but struggles in practice lead to timeout [JS Online]
- Badgers football: Backup quarterback Joel Stave out indefinitely but not injured [Madison.com]
Enough of that -- what do we all think of this? I think this is just a bad miscommunication between everyone involved, but also one that can be fixed very easily. I consider it similar to the Melvin Gordon situation from Saturday; yeah, Andersen probably didn't handle it as well as he could've, but these things happen. Wisconsin just got roasted by LSU after having a promising lead. Of course reason's gonna be thrown out the window in favor of emotion and passion. For those of us watching this all from afar while stuffing ourselves with whiskey and cheetos, it's a bit easier to form opinions.
Other stuff
One of my favorite in-season features from the Wisconsin blogosphere is Dave Heller's Badgers run/pass breakdown, now over at Fox Sports Wisconsin.
Also from Heller: A complete rundown of how every AP voter voted this week. Some of these guys, man. I say ban the polls altogether.
BadgerBlitz returns with its Big Ten power rankings.
Cool videos you should watch
This tailgate in Houston is awesome and makes me miss college :(
If you like the Big Ten and you like "Game of Thrones," you will probably like the video below. If you like just one of those things, you will also probably like the video below.