Wondering if Danny O'Brien will be Wisconsin's starting quarterback when the Badgers take the field against UTEP on Saturday the answer is: Maybe.
While offensive coordinator Matt Canada intimated O'Brien would remain the team's starting quarterback, he wouldn't commit to it.
“I don’t think [having players look over their shoulder] is anything I’ve ever been a part of, and I don’t think that is anything Coach [Bret Bielema] has been a part of, having a quick trigger and have guys worry,” Canada told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “If that was the case, it would have happened (against Oregon State). That’s not how I want a guy to play.”
O'Brien was benched at halftime of Wisconsin's 16-14 win over Utah State on Saturday night after leading the Badgers to only three points and turning over the ball twice in the first 30 minutes. In his last 90 minutes as Wisconsin's starting quarterback, O'Brien has thrown for 235 yards and one touchdown while turning the ball over three times. Wisconsin has scored only 10 points in that span.
Freshman Joel Stave came on in relief of O'Brien against Utah State, and he didn't blow anybody away with his performance. Stave completed only two of his six passes for 15 yards, though Canada said he didn't ask Stave "to do too much."
UPDATE: Danny O'Brien is still Wisconsin's starting quarterback, but according to the depth chart Wisconsin released Monday, so is Joel Stave. According to Bret Bielema he'll make the decision which quarterback will start as the week "goes along."
