As Wisconsin's ship went down in the second half against LSU, with all the grace of vomit ejected from a toddler's mouth, many people wondered: Where the hell is Joel Stave?
But last year's starting quarterback remained rooted to the sideline, even as starting quarterback Tanner McEvoy failed to move the offense with his arm. That allowed LSU to stack the box, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Badgers coach Gary Andersen said yesterday Stave was actually suffering from a shoulder injury, which he didn't want to broadcast before the LSU game (and rightfully so).
But, it appears, however, the injury Stave is suffering from could be all mental.
From Jesse Temple of FOX Sports Wisconsin:
"Is he injured?" Andersen said. "No. Is he ready to play right now? No. I used the word injury, so maybe bad choice of words."
[...]
"I've thrown how many thousands of balls in my life?" Stave said. "I know when it hurts and when it doesn't. I don't know what it is. It just isn't right, I guess."
[...]
"I've just been good at throwing things since I've been young. It's not a lack of confidence. It's not a lack of preparation or anything like that. It's just a matter of getting back to feeling comfortable and feeling like the ball's coming out the way it should."
That's a bad situation for the Badgers, as it looks like they'll need contributions from Stave (or a quarterback capable of completing a pass), if they're going to reach their ceiling this year.
