Wisconsin head football coach in elite company

MADISON, Wis. -As the third youngest head coach in NCAA Bowl Subdivision football, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has placed himself in some elite company after leading the Badgers to 21 wins in his first two seasons.

Only two other men in Big Ten history - Michigan's Fielding Yost and Ohio State's Jim Tressel - have guided their teams to as many as 21 wins in their first two seasons as Big Ten head coaches.

The last time Marshall University faced a Big Ten opponent the Thundering Herd lost at No. 9 Ohio State 24-21 in 2004. Wisconsin and Marshall have never met on the gridiron until this season.

Quarterback: Allan Evridge and Dustin Sherer are two options UW is looking at after losing Tyler Donovan (2,607 yards, 17 touchdowns) to graduation. Evridge, who transferred from Kansas State after breaking the school's freshman record for yards passing in one season with 1,365 yards, connected on 5-of-12 passes for 66 yards as a Badger last season.

Running back: UW is deep at running back with the return of P.J. Hill, who became only the third player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. Also coming off productive seasons are sophomore Zach Brown (568) and junior Lance Smith (429). Sharing the load at fullback once again are seniors Chris Pressley and Bill Rentmeester.

Wide receivers: As experienced as the Badgers are at running back, that's how inexperienced they are at wide-out. Minus Kyle Jefferson's 26 catches for 412 yards as a true freshman, very little returns in terms of productivity for UW.

Tight end: Keep an eye out on the tight end position for both teams. While Cody Slate hauls in passes for Marshall, senior Travis Beckum (75 catches for 982 yards and six TDs) will be doing more of the same for the Badgers after finishing runner-up for the John Mackey Award. He was also a Walter Camp first-team All-American.

Offensive line: UW is blessed by the return of four returning starters, including three (Kraig Urbik, Eric VandenHeuvel and Andy Kemp) who have made at least 20 consecutive starts. Gabe Carmi also brings experience to the table.

Defensive line: The heart of the defense consists of seniors Matt Shaughnessy, Mike Newkirk and Jason Chapman. Sophomore Kirk DeCremer is no slouch either after leading the team with 5.5 sacks.

Linebackers: It doesn't get any easier for UW opponents as the Badgers bring back Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy as three-year starters and Elijah Hodge as a two-year starter.

Secondary: A variety of reasons have taken a toll on the secondary's status. Ben Strickland graduated, first-team All-Big Ten selection Jack Ikegwuono left for the NFL after his junior season and senior Allen Langford and sophomore Aaron Henry both missed spring football while recovering from knee injuries.

There is a beacon of light, however, as Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant both return. Carter led the Big Ten with seven interceptions, while he and Pleasant both started all 13 games.

Special teams: UW is practically starting from scratch after losing a standout at placekicker with Taylor Melhaff and at punter with Ken DeBauche. Junior Matt Fischer climbs into the starting role at placekicker, while redshirt freshmen Brad DeBauche (Ken's younger brother) and Aaron Ehlers battle it out in the punting department.

As a kick and punt returner, David Gilreath is electrifying. His 14.0 yards per punt return placed him atop the Big Ten and 14th nationally.

2008 outlook: UW has not skipped a beat since Bielema took over for Barry Alvarez. The 1992 graduate from the University of Iowa was named the 2006 Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year and was a semifinalist for the 2007 George Munger Award - given by the Maxwell Club to the national coach of the year.

The Badgers should experience the same kind of success again this season and make a strong run for a possible third straight New Year's Day bowl game appearance.

Next will be the Tigers from the University of Memphis.