Wisconsin Football: 5 Questions Following the Bye Week
By Jim Oxley
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Joel Stave looks to throw against Iowa. Jim Oxley photo
Which Joel Stave will show up the remainder of the year?
When Joel Stave is good, he’s really good. But when he’s bad, it’s really bad.
That was evident in the Maryland game alone, when Stave completed just three of eight attempts in the first half for 20 yards and an interception, but was 12-of-16 for 168 yards and a touchdown in the second half.
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On the season, Stave’s 61 percent completion percentage and 2,162 yards look pretty great, but the 10 touchdowns versus eight interceptions look less exciting. To make things worse, Stave’s interceptions have directly impacted the outcome of games. Iowa scored all 10 of its points off Stave turnovers in a 10-6 victory.
Stave has a chance to be statistically one of the best quarterbacks in UW history over the course of his career. He needs just one more victory to tie the all-time UW record of 30 wins in a career, held by Brooks Bollinger. Two wins gives him sole possession of the record.
He has the third best winning percentage in UW history, and is third on the career passing list with 7,110 career yards. He needs an average of 192 yards per game over Wisconsin’s final two regular season games and the bowl game to become the all-time leading passer in UW history in terms of career yardage.
Despite all those numbers, which show off the good, his bad has been pretty bad. He has 34 career interceptions against his 47 career touchdowns, and that number will always be put in the forefront.
Next: Game Time Announced for Wisconsin-Northwestern
Stave has three games left in his Wisconsin career, and the Badgers players and fans alike hope good Joel Stave shows up for those remaining contests.