Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Wisconsin has passing fancy

It was early in the fourth quarter Saturday, and Wisconsin, the nation's 14th-ranked team, was standing back on the baseline, trading offensive volleys with lightly regarded Akron of the Mid-American Conference.

Then the Badgers rediscovered Lee Evans, their All-American receiver.

Game, set and match, Wisconsin.

The Badgers led just 34-31 when Jim Sorgi found Evans for a 99-yard touchdown pass and run that unzipped the Zips. The two continued playing catch as Wisconsin tacked on an insurance touchdown en route to a 48-31 victory.

"The game was close until they starting throwing to (Evans)," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "Then it was over.

"They've got a great wide receiver in Evans. He's one of those 4.2 (in the 40-yard dash) guys who is going to be a first-round draft pick next year."

Evans, who sat out last season after having two surgeries on a knee he tore up in the Badgers' 2002 spring game, caught 9 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns against Akron. He is the only Division I receiver with a 200-yard game this season.

The previous week against West Virginia, in his first game back, Evans caught seven passes for 70 yards and made the game's key play, when he went up over tight coverage from Mountaineers cornerback Lance Frazier for a 20-yard touchdown catch that tied the game at 17. Wisconsin went on to win 24-17.

Evans, who caught 75 passes in 2001 for a Big Ten-record 1,545 yards and nine touchdowns, needs five catches against the Rebels to surpass Al Toon's school record of 131.

Given Evans' exploits in his first two games, he most likely will get them against UNLV. But that doesn't mean the Rebels have to make it easy.

It's not very often when UNLV will adjust its defensive game plan for a specific player, but that will be the case this week, as Robinson said the Rebels plan to double-cover Evans.

"I think you have to be careful with that kind of speed," Robinson said. "You can't let a guy like that get deep on you. But sometimes if you're too far off, he catches it in front of you, like you see on Sunday (in the NFL) all the time.

"I think at least part of the time you've got to double-cover him. You've got to get help for the corners. There aren't may corners who can take a receiver like that on and just say 'Hey, we'll play you (man-to-man).' "

At least not at UNLV this year, Robinson said.

"We had Kevin Thomas here, who we probably would have turned him loose on at least half the time," said Robinson of the former UNLV All-American corner now with the Buffalo Bills. "But you need to deceive them a little bit and at times put two guys out there."

That's why Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said it is important that Sorgi continue to spread the ball around in passing situations.

"There are going to be games when Lee's numbers won't be up and someone else's will," he said. "That's just the way it is going to be."

Still, Evans is the man the Rebels must take away first. In 2001, when Sorgi backed up Brooks Bollinger at quarterback, Sorgi and Evans connected 10 times for completions of 30 or more yards.

UNLV cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters, who is expected to line up against Evans much of the time, said he was looking forward to the challenge.

"He's pretty nice," said Dodd-Masters, one of the most talkative and colorful Rebels. "But I'm a little cocky. He's gonna come in and say 'I'm Lee Evans' but I'm gonna come in and say 'I'm Dodd-Masters.' But that's part of the game. We're just out there having fun."

That's not to say that Dodd-Masters doesn't respect Evans. But he said in that Evans plays for a marquee team in a marquee conference, headlines tend to come a little easier.

"Oh, he's up there," Dodd-Masters said. "But he's one of the top names at a big school, so every little thing he does is going to be magnified."

As for that double coverage, Dodd-Masters said if help is on the way, he hasn't heard too much about it.

"Not the way they've got it looking right now," he said of the defensive game plan, cocking an eyebrow as he held an ice pack to a tender ankle he tweaked during practice Tuesday night.

Dodd-Masters sat out the final hour of the workout but said not even a bad bratwurst sandwich would keep him out of Saturday's game.

"I'll be ready," he said. "I'll take a shot if I have to."

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