MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — Graham Mertz got around to reflecting on the "struggle" while reviewing how his first season as Wisconsin's starting quarterback unfolded, and even unraveled at some junctures, to the point where he felt it was all slipping through his fingers. Sort of like a bowl trophy.

"I was a little bit younger last year and not as experienced as I'd like to be going into situations," said Mertz, who replaced the injured Jack Coan and started all seven games in 2020. "But now I have that knowledge. They always say there's beauty in the struggle. I truly believe there is for this team and me."

No one anticipated the depth or degree of the struggle.

Mertz was 18 when the season started and hardened beyond his years when it ended.

"You go back and look at the stats, you look at the record (4-3), it's sub-par, it's not good," he said bluntly. "That's not how I want to play ball and that's not how we play ball here. For me, I took that personally … And I'm working to make sure that never happens again."

Admitting that he doesn't pay much attention to his own personal statistics — focusing instead on the game's outcome, particularly the losses — Mertz added, "I just know they (stats) weren't what I wanted them to be. I know it's a team game but, being the quarterback, you have a big part in it.

"I felt there was a ton of stuff I could have cleaned up coming out of the season that I wish I would have during it. The only thing that can do is motivate you. And that's what it's doing for me."

Last season's struggles, the opener notwithstanding, were choppy and unchartered waters for Mertz, the 2018 Player of the Year in Kansas and a record-setting prep who led his high school team, Blue Valley North, to the Class 6A state championship as a junior and a runner-up finish as a senior.

"That was really my first dose of going through a season like that," said Mertz, who completed 9 of 10 passes in his two mop-up appearances as a UW freshman. "It was great to go through something like that and realize that's another side of it and a place where you never want to be again.

"That's what you work for … to not have a season like that.

"In the end, it's only going to make me a better player and a better person.

"Enjoy the struggle, I guess, is how I'd explain it.

"Everything in life is not going to go your way.

"But there's always beauty in it. And that's the struggle. To find it."

After Tuesday's first spring practice at Camp Randall, Mertz was excited and upbeat.

"Whenever you get the guys back together and you're playing ball, it's great," Mertz said. "I've used this past eight weeks to truly dive into the offense and the game as a whole with Coach (Paul) Chryst and I just want to apply that knowledge to spring ball.

''I'm pumped for it. Spring is where you grow. You mess up, you learn, and you grow. For me, and I hate to say it, but during the season, I had times where I was messing up. And I don't know that I had time to learn and grow from it."

• • • •

In the 2020 opener, Mertz was nearly flawless against Illinois in completing 20 of 21 passes (including his first 17 attempts) for 248 yards and five touchdowns (matching the school record) without any interceptions (273.0 pass efficiency rating). But he had no illusions about the numbers.

"You can never let stuff like that go to your head and think, 'I scored five touchdowns and I'm the best quarterback in the country.' Because that's just not true," he said emphatically and with a chuckle. "You would be the best if you did that every game, not one game.

"For me, it was just a combination of a bunch of different things that came all at once."

That opening game was pushed back to October 23; the result of the Big Ten canceling the season in August because of COVID concerns and later reinstating it in September. Not long after becoming the first UW freshman QB to start an opener in 42 years, Mertz tested positive for the virus.

"It got me pretty good, I was pretty sick, it knocked me out for a couple of days," he said. "And then, in trying to get back into the swing of things — and it's easy to say what you've got to do — but for me it was getting back to where I was (for Illinois), and I just frankly wasn't there.

"I felt completely healthy. I felt like I was there. But I wasn't playing like I was there."

And, admittedly, that frustrated Mertz. As it turned out, the Badgers had their next two games against Nebraska and Purdue canceled because of the virus. They didn't resume competition until November 14 at Michigan, 22 days after routing Illinois.

Mertz started against the Wolverines and threw for a couple of touchdowns in a 49-11 victory. But he wasn't sharp (12-of-22 for 127 yards), which was perfectly understandable considering the extended layoff and the fact that he was coming off COVID. On top of all of that, he injured his throwing shoulder.

The following Saturday, the Badgers lost 17-7 at Northwestern, and Mertz again struggled. He completed 23 of 41 passes (.561) and was intercepted three times, his first career picks. From there, some questions were raised about his throwing motion, his mechanics, and his confidence.

Mertz conceded, "I went through some stuff like that … that kind of threw me off a little bit."

By the end of the truncated season, Mertz stabilized his play and helped guide the Badgers to wins over Minnesota in a rescheduled Border Battle and over Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. He didn't throw a pick in either game.

But he did have a turnover in the bowl.

Mertz fumbled the championship trophy while dancing during a postgame celebration in the UW locker room. After the football-shaped crystal shattered on the floor, Paul Chryst got off the line of the postseason when he quipped, "We just wanted everybody to have a piece of the trophy."

Quick-thinking players placed a bottle of Duke's mayonnaise on the base of the trophy, which quick-thinking team videographer Jerry Mao then carefully secured with red gaffer's tape — an image that instantly went viral from Mertz's Instagram account and even spawned a charity-funding T-shirt.

It was not the last he heard of it. Especially after returning home to Overland Park, Kansas.

"Everywhere I went — to see a friend or just going to the gas station — someone would say, 'Hey, aren't you the guy that dropped that trophy?'" recounted Mertz, who would sigh and answer, "Yeah, that was definitely me. I was a meme in about five seconds. I got a lot of heat. But I deserved it."

In retrospect, Mertz exhibited much better footwork during the Wake Forest game — accounting for three touchdowns, two by running, his first career rushing scores — than he did afterward with his teammates. It's something that he has prioritized for attention during this offseason.

"It was good to go back and find the stuff that I needed to improve on," he said. "It all comes down to having sound footwork and smooth footwork. That's why the spring is great for me to apply that and just play fluid like I always have."

Reiterating spring ball can serve as the equivalent of a classroom ("I'm going to learn as much as I can and grow as much as I can and this is where I apply it"), Mertz also set a goal for himself: "I want to be playing the best football I ever have and I'm confident I'll be at that point after the 15 practices."

Chryst will once again be the point man of the offense as the play-caller. He will also tutor the quarterbacks, a role previously held by Jon Budmayr, who's now Colorado State's offensive coordinator.

"For me, it's not a big transition at all," Mertz said. "I loved working with Coach Bud and everything he did. He had been with Coach Chryst for awhile. And it was kind of the same message from him the entire time. So, nothing is completely new because we've always been doing it.

"There are a couple of different plays, some new verbiage and stuff like that, but nothing crazy."

As far as the Chryst-espoused bottom line, Mertz said, "We're never going to flinch and we're going to initiate. We're going to be willing to take shots, we're going to dictate how the game goes. We're going to be confident in the guys we've got and how we're calling the games."

Through the offseason, the UW quarterback room has remained intact with Mertz, a redshirt sophomore; Chase Wolf, a redshirt junior from Cincinnati, Ohio; Danny Vanden Boom, a fifth-year senior from Kimberly; and Daniel Wright, a redshirt freshman from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

"Those three guys," Mertz said, "are awesome to work with and feed off."

The receiving corps stayed together, too, with tight end Jake Ferguson and wide receivers Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor and Jack Dunn all recommitting to another year of eligibility with the Badgers. Mertz was not surprised when they informed people of their intentions to come back through tweets.

"I may or may not have known a little bit earlier than everybody else," said Mertz, laughing. "But I was pumped. We have a lot of young guys who are still learning and having guys like that around to teach and show them 'This is the standard; this is how we do it' will be big-time."

Between the bowl victory and the start of the second semester, Mertz trained in Kansas with personal strength and fitness coach Bryce Simmons and quarterback instructor Justin Hoover.

He took advantage of the same "home setup" that he had last March after spring practice was canceled and classes went online. To this end, coping and adjusting to unique circumstances out of his control, Mertz said, "The pandemic was another example of finding beauty in the struggle."

Mostly, he thought it was a time for introspection, if not interaction. Each player in his own way.

"It really just gave everyone a perspective on life and their situation here at Wisconsin," he said. "Everything is about 'team' and when you don't have the time together to just talk to each other about stuff outside of football, it's definitely hard to get as close as you want to with the guys.

"It's good to get back to some sense of normalcy here right now.

"And it's good to be able to spend time with the guys in a safe way."

Mertz was encouraged by the prospect of some fans being back in Camp Randall this season.

"It would be fantastic," he said. "It's just weird being in the Camp playing a game with no fans. That's part of it (the stadium environment). That's why you come to Wisconsin — to see the 'Jump Around' and to see everything the fans have got to offer. Getting back to normal is always good."

Shortly after Tuesday's practice, he signaled a new beginning when he said, "Like even today, I just went out there and had fun and made some plays. It was refreshing to feel that again."