BY ANDY BAGGOT
MADISON, Wis. — It's a rare occurrence when the Wisconsin football team opens a season with a freshman starter at quarterback.
Going back to 1951, it's happened only two times, the most recent taking place in 1978.
This is a relevant conversation given that redshirt freshman Graham Mertz is in line to start Friday night when the Badgers open the season hosting Illinois in a Big Ten Conference game at Camp Randall Stadium.
Mertz appeared in two games in 2019, completing a combined 9 of 10 passes for 73 yards in non-league outings versus Central Michigan and Kent State.
Mertz opened preseason camp No. 2 on the depth chart, but was elevated on Oct. 3 when senior starter Jack Coan suffered a foot injury during practice that required surgery and sidelined him indefinitely.
It's been 42 years since the Badgers last began a season with a freshman under center.
John Josten, playing for Dave McClain in 1978, converted only 1 of 5 passes, but the completion covered 80 yards for a touchdown to David Charles. Wisconsin prevailed 7-6.
Prior to that it was Charles Green, playing for John Jardine in 1975, who was 4-for-7 for 109 yards and a TD during a 48-7 triumph over South Dakota.
Here are five more things to know:
A Picture Worth 1,000 Yards
Remarkably, this is the fourth time in the Paul Chryst coaching era at Wisconsin that his club will open the season without a returning 1,000-yard rusher. The roster he inherited in 2015 didn't have one because Melvin Gordon had turned pro as an underclassman; Dare Ogunbowale wound up pacing the Badgers with 819 rushing yards as a senior that season. Corey Clement topped 1,000 yards in '16, but then left as a senior, so the marquee was blank heading into 2017. Along came Jonathan Taylor to surpass 1,000 yards in '17, '18 and '19 before he turned pro as an underclassman. Now the canvas is empty again. This is remarkable because Wisconsin is 52-16 (.765) under Chryst. This is impressive because the Badgers had but five cases like this from 1994 to 2014.
History Lesson, Part I
The Badgers played their first-ever game on live television in 1951, dropping a 14-10 decision to eighth-ranked and eventual Big Ten and national champion Illinois. It turned out to be the only loss of the season for Wisconsin, which finished 7-1-1 overall featuring the famed "Hard Rocks" defensive unit. The commercial sponsor for the TV event was Westinghouse. The reported payout was an estimated $70,000, which was split between the schools after the NCAA took a 20 percent share. The contest was moved back from 2:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the all-New York World Series game between the Yankees and Giants.
History Lesson, Part II
Illinois was the first Big Ten team to come to Camp Randall Stadium and serve as the season-opening opponent for the Badgers. That was in 1907. The Illini prevailed 15-4.
History Lesson, Part III
The last time the Badgers played their season opener in October was in 1941. They suffered a 28-7 loss to Marquette, one of just four setbacks in the 36-game in-state rivalry that ended in 1960.
Good To Be Home
Wisconsin has won seven straight home games over the Illini dating back to 2004. It's the longest current streak of its kind for the Badgers, who also have a seven-game home victory streak over Purdue going back to 2005.
