The Three Power Backs

Lance Smith is suspended indefinitely. After violating the terms of his plea agreement, he needs to return to court for sentencing. I'm willing to give these kids the benefit of the doubt to a certain degree, but he plea bargained for the offense of beating up his girlfriend. Not my favorite activity. I thought the university handled the situation well last year, with the 5 road-game suspension and I think an indefinite suspension is apporpriate now. Lance had his chance at redemption and it seems he didn't take it very seriously. So, happy trails, Lance. Hope you find yourself and learn your lesson. So sorry it didn't happen sooner.

As for the Badgers, what does it mean? Four scholarship backs. That's not a lot, but when the first three are Hill, Brown, and Clay, I can't say I'm at all worried. Losing Smith means losing the speed back; the guy who keeps the defense honest. I had high hopes for Smith and thought he had more potential than Hill with more versatility, but it's time to move on, and Brown and Clay can help.

All three of these guys are straight ahead, downhill backs. Brown showed real promise last year, the rumors keep swirling around Clay that he'll live up to the hype (though I've heard from well placed individuals in the football program that he was overhyped), and Hill? Two straight 1000 yard seasons are nothing to sneeze at. So we'll see more of Brown and Clay to keep Hill healthier, and our opponents know that every time Evridge hands the ball off, someone's going to get a new bruise. I'm ok with that.

It may also mean that Chryst will get more creative using his tight ends (something he's already quite good at). With Graham looking so good last year as a compliment to Beckum, will we see some clever plays out of a two-tight end set? I bet we do.