Unfinished business: Stave returns to scene of first Big Ten start
October 06, 2015 | Football, Mike Lucas
Quarterback looks to finish what he started in his last trip to Lincoln
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. -- What comes to mind first was the uniforms; special-edition, TECHFIT adidas uniforms that were specifically designed for Wisconsin and Nebraska around the theme of "The Quick and the Red" for what was billed as their "Unrivaled Game" on Sept. 29, 2012, in Lincoln.
The white UW jersey featured a huge red block W on the chest, and the player's number above the heart. The shoulders were red, and so were the helmets, with a block W on the side.
The design was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Wisconsin team that staged a wild and memorable fourth-quarter comeback against Southern Cal in the 1963 Rose Bowl. The rally fell painfully short of victory and, back then, the block W was on the front of the helmets, not the side.
Not that UW quarterback Joel Stave was consulted on the fashion statement. "We had those throwback uniforms which added a little flair to it, I guess," he said without offering a convincing endorsement. "I didn't mind them one way or another. It wasn't really my thing."
Stave had a few other things to think about on a gorgeous 73-degree September night in the heartland - like his first Big Ten start. Especially since it was taking place in one of the historic venues in college football, Memorial Stadium, and in front of one of the Big Ten's most rabid fan bases.
The listed attendance was 85,962. That was about 85,000 more than showed up for the 2010 WIAA Division 2 playoff matchup between Whitnall and Franklin on the latter's home turf. That was the last time that Stave - who quarterbacked the Whitnall Falcons - started a road game prior to Nebraska.
There weren't many college recruiters on hand, though Franklin quarterback Lance Baretz was getting some traffic. At that time, Stave was not destined to be on a Wikipedia list of famous Whitnall alums - he's on it now - with such grads as Jeana Tomasino, a former Playmate of the Month and an original cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County; and Lisa Brescia, a Broadway actress.
But that all changed because a couple of UW assistants, Paul Chryst and Bob Bostad, liked what they saw out of Stave and offered him a chance to show what he could do as an invited walk-on. Chryst and Bostad, though, weren't around for Stave's first season of eligibility with the Badgers. By then, Chryst was running his own show at Pitt and Bostad was embarking on a career as an NFL assistant.
The irony is that Stave, who redshirted as a freshman, saw his first college action in 2012 against Utah State, whose coach, Gary Andersen, would later take over the Wisconsin program.
Stave had a small role in a 16-14 come-from-behind win over the Aggies. He replaced starter Danny O'Brien in the second half and attempted just six passes. "But it was fun to get out and play for the first time," he said. "That's the ultimate goal when you come here - you want to play in games."
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| "It was very loud on third down and even second-and-long," Stave said. "When you're in the shotgun, it was tough to hear. It was a great atmosphere and a cool game to play in." |
The following week, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema, in consultation with his offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, decided to start Stave ahead of O'Brien against UTEP at Camp Randall Stadium. Stave completed 71 percent of his passes (12 of 17) for 210 yards in a 37-26 win. His quarterback rating (182.0) was the fifth-best mark by a UW quarterback in a starting debut.
That was the backdrop to his first league start at Nebraska. It also marked the first time that the Badgers had been in Lincoln since 1973. Stave remembered dealing with some "nervous anxiety" during warm-ups "knowing that it was my first Big Ten game and it was going to be a great atmosphere," which was the reaction that you would expect from someone who had just six quarters of playing time.
"I remember it being really loud there," Stave said Monday. "They've got a really good crowd, a great fan base. It was very loud on third down and even second-and-long. When you're in the shotgun, it was tough to hear. It was a great atmosphere and a cool game to play in."
Despite his lack of experience, Stave felt confident operating behind an offensive line that had four future NFL starters: tackles Rick Wagner (Baltimore) and Rob Havenstein (St. Louis), center Travis Frederick (Dallas) and guard Ryan Groy (Chicago). The other guard (Kyle Costigan) became an All-American.
It didn't take long for Stave to settle into a rhythm, either.
On UW's second play, he connected on a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. "That was a good way to get the game rolling," Stave said. "It was just a post. Fake a run. Fake a Jet Sweep. And then turn around and throw it as far as you can. It helped everyone to get the nerves out when you hit a big play like that and, all of a sudden, you're deep in their territory."
Montee Ball punctuated the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run, making it 7-0. Minutes later, the UW offense was back on the field after Chris Borland recovered a Rex Burkhead fumble on the Nebraska 23. Seven plays and another Ball touchdown later, the Badgers led 14-0 - silencing the crowd.
After a Cornhuskers field goal, Wisconsin went up 20-3 (the extra point was missed) on a 29-yard scoring strike from Stave to Abbrederis. "It was Jared on a streak," Stave said. "He beat his guy off the line and I put it out in front of him and let him make a play on it."
Nebraska answered with a 93-yard touchdown march in the second quarter and the half ended with the Badgers failing to expand their 20-10 lead by missing a makeable 41-yard field goal. Stave was 9-of-14 for 161 yards, Ball had 17 carries for 59 yards and Abbrederis had five catches for 107 yards.
The Huskers started out shaky in the second half, too. Ameer Abdullah fumbled a punt after getting tackled by the aforementioned Baretz, a UW walk-on. Abdullah recovered his own fumble. But three plays later, David Gilbert knocked the ball free from quarterback Taylor Martinez.
Borland fell on it and the Badgers took over at the Nebraska 13. On third-and-1 from the 4, Stave executed a quarterback sneak and picked up 2 yards. Ball then scored his third touchdown. How stunning was this? At 10:29 of the third quarter, it was Wisconsin 27 and Nebraska 10.
"Then the wheels kind of fell off," Stave said.
Martinez directed four straight scoring drives and the Huskers took a 30-27 lead. "He's an unbelievable athlete, the way he can run, the way he can get in and out of his cuts and make people miss in space," Stave said of Martinez, who threw for 181 yards and ran for 107. "He's tough to bring down."
The Badgers still had one last gasp starting from their own 10-yard-line with 2:55 remaining. That's when Bielema and Canada replaced Stave with O'Brien. Bielema explained afterward that it had been predetermined before the game that O'Brien would handle any two-minute situations.
On Wisconsin's previous series, Stave had been sacked by Nebraska safety Daimion Stafford. "That wasn't the worst hit," Stave said. "A couple of plays before that, I got whacked pretty good; I think it was big No. 55 (Baker Steinkuhler) who got a pretty a good shot on me. That's part of the game."
O'Brien drove the Badgers to midfield where a miscommunication on a handoff between O'Brien and Ball resulted in a lost fumble on fourth down. Nebraska escaped with the win. But Wisconsin would get its payback in the Big Ten championship game by the tune of 70-31.
The 2012 regular season ended for Stave in late October when he sustained a broken collarbone against Michigan State. He did get back for one token series against Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Now he gets to go back to Lincoln to finish what he started as a redshirt freshman.
