|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Offense shines at Badgers' spring game
Updated: Sunday April 22, 2001 2:13 PM
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Michael Bennett will be playing for the Minnesota Vikings next season instead of the Wisconsin Badgers, and redshirt freshman Broderick Williams could miss the entire year with a knee injury. So, all eyes at the Badgers' annual spring football game Saturday were on the redshirt freshmen running backs, and they didn't disappoint, putting up impressive numbers rushing behind a rebuilt offensive line. Tyrone Griffin ran for 100 yards and a touchdown. Jerone Pettus gained 88 yards and two TDs, and Anthony Davis ran for 69 yards and two scores on just six carries. Coach Barry Alvarez declined to name a starter just yet, however. "I was impressed with all three," Alvarez said. "All three had long runs. All three found the holes. All three were patient. They accelerated and they made plays. But I wouldn't single out any one." Bennett, who ran for 1,681 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first year as a starter last season, left school a year early and the Vikings selected him with the 27th overall pick Saturday. A front-runner to replace Bennett, Williams tore a knee ligament during spring camp and is expected to miss much, if not all, of the upcoming season. "I never panicked about [the position]," Alvarez said. "Those guys are talented. They know they still need to get better. Yet I feel very good going into two-a-days at that position." Griffin finished with 94 yards in 10 attempts, including a 44-yard dash, and one TD for the Cardinal. He ran for 6 more yards on five carries for the White team. "I think I showed enough to be No. 1 but that's up to the coaches," said Griffin, who is nicknamed "The Train" for his punishing running style. "The speed of the game was different from the practices. You could feel the intensity pick up." Pettus showed good speed en route to a 88-yard performance and two TDs for the Cardinal. "I was real excited and a lot of adrenalin was flowing," Pettus said. "After that first hit, you just get into the game and do what you do. We all had breakout games and it was a good experience for everybody." Davis, who started for the Cardinal, had a long gain of 40 yards. "We still have things to work on but we'll be ready by opening day," Davis said of the Badgers' season-opener Aug. 25 against Virginia. "We're trying to make big jumps and we're trying to improve as individuals and as a unit." Pettus said he hoped the team's fans were relieved. "I hope the fans' minds are changed about the position," he said. "We put on a good show and hopefully they're not worried now." What relieved Alvarez the most about the game -- won by the Cardinal, 55-24, after the White team was spotted a 24-point advantage -- was that nobody was seriously hurt. "I was pleased with the game. Overall I was pleased with the spring," Alvarez said. "I wanted to see a well-played game. I wanted to see guys compete and I wanted to see guys make plays. With a tough wind, I really thought we did what I was hoping to see." The same could not be said for the kicking game. Alvarez lost punter Kevin Stemke and placekicker Vitaly Pisetsky, who are graduating and will play in the NFL next year. Punter Kirk Munden of Eau Claire North High School and kickers Mark Neuser, a walk-on from Milwaukee Marquette, and Adam Espinoza, a scholarship kicker from Arcadia (Calif.) High School, struggled to find any consistency. "I thought [the kicking game] was erratic at best," Alvarez said. "We obviously have a long ways to go in that. We have some kickers coming in that will compete with these guys." Cardinal quarterbacks Brooks Bollinger and Jim Sorgi were near flawless, combining for 17 completions in 22 attempts for 306 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. Wide receiver Lee Evans also caught six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
