The searing leg pain that put Allan Evridge out of the closing minutes of the fourth quarter was bad enough, but he kept hearing from the frenzied Fresno State fans.
"It really was a shot to the gut,"
the Wisconsin quarterback said.
All Evridge could do because of severe cramps was watch as backup Dustin Scherer ran out the clock in a 13-10 victory.
Evridge's favorite part? Just getting out of California with a victory.
"That was an extremely tough environment,"
Evridge said.
Just wait 'til Michigan and the Big House, Allan.
"Coach briefly mentioned that they haven't won there in a while,"
Evridge said.
Not since 1994, and playing at Michigan kicks off a tough stretch for No. 8 Wisconsin (3-0) that that will make or break their BCS hopes. It includes home contests against Ohio State and Penn State, and a road game at pesky Iowa.
P.J. Hill played at Michigan in 2006 and had one of the worst games of his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign. The burly running back said the hype surrounding playing at Fresno State should help them prepare for the stretch of top-tier conference opponents.
"Nobody wanted us to win that game, especially those fans, but I like being in situations like that because you feel good about it when you leave a team disappointed,"
Hill said. "I know there's going to be bigger games ahead of us. We've got Michigan ahead of us."
"That's a big game, like coach said, they're a wounded beast, but that's a good team that can do some things. We can't think we're just going to take it from them."
At least Wisconsin has an extra week to prepare.
"It's a good time to get our bodies right, a good recovery time, but it's also a good time to get some bonus days on preparation, practicing,"
Hill said. "It's going to put us a step ahead."
The new quarterback and the third-year running back helped the Badgers survive that first road test at Fresno.
"I was pleased with the W,"
coach Bret Bielema said. "Just the way our kids handled the road, they embraced the environment that we had there."
Now the offense can work on some new wrinkles with an extra week off.
Explosive tight end Travis Beckum gets extra rest after playing his first game following a hamstring injury, while Evridge said he wants to show he's the dual threat quarterback that he was touted as when he transferred from Kansas State.
"I'd like to start trying to make more plays with my legs, something I definitely want to start doing. Something I've observed over the last couple of games, for the most part, the guys are just doing a great job up front and making it easy for me,"
said Evridge, who has thrown for 526 yards but has just one meaningful scramble for 9 yards this season. "The first couple of games, I was just looking downfield for a lot of stuff. I was able to do that due to the fact that I was having good protection."
Try great protection.
Evridge has yet to be sacked, and Hill already has a 210-yard performance against Akron to go along with the 112 yards he gained against the Bulldogs.
"P.J. Hill is reading plays better than ever before in his third year because he's been there, done that,"
Bielema said.
And Hill is prepared for the hype to start building again for a big trip to the Big House. He promises he won't be overwhelmed.
"That was my freshman year. I was a quiet guy,"
Hill said. "I'm more experienced, I've seen a lot of things now. I think going into Ann Arbor this time it's going to be a different P.J. Hill."
