Bollinger, Kavanagh split time in Madison

MADISON (U-Wire) - Wisconsin assistant coach Brian White isn't worried about his quarterbacks and he doesn't think anyone else should be, either.

He's seen Ortege Jenkins and Keith Smith pull it off at Arizona, and he's watched conference foe Michigan employ a similar tactic this season as Drew Henson and Tom Brady have shared time calling signals for Michigan.

Most notable perhaps was the success that Ohio State was able to enjoy two years ago. As Joe Germaine complemented a more nimble Stanley Jackson, the Buckeyes rolled to an 11-1 record and a Rose Bowl crown, while giving the notion of a two quarterback system credence.

But White, who is still wet behind the ears in his first year as

Wisconsin's offensive coordinator, is not looking for reassurance from

watching other teams pull off a two-quarterback system. What's the point when they run different offenses with different personnel?

"The only thing we can do is execute our offense, and take advantage of the strengths of our two guys," White said. "We don't run Arizona's offense, Penn State's offense or Ohio State's offense. It doesn't do us any good to try and model someone else."

In fact, the only similarity between the 1999 Badgers and any of the aforementioned two-quarterback arrangements is the coaches' intentions to ride the system until it breaks. White admitted Tuesday that the coaching staff is in no rush to flush out a starter as long as Scott Kavanagh and Brooks Bollinger continue to complement one another without miscue.

White could see them split time for the length of the season.

"If last Saturday is any indication of how things are going to be, there's absolutely no reason to change it," White said. "Whether that'll continue, I don't know, I'm not a fortuneteller. I wish I had the crystal ball right now and could see the future clearly. No one would ever question why you'd play multiple running backs or fullbacks or tight ends.

"Our whole philosophy is to play as many players that deserve to play, regardless of what the position. Both Scott and Brooks deserve to play. So until one of them doesn't deserve to play, then we're going to play both of them."

White raises an interesting point. If every other position on the field is substituted for, why not shuffle the men under center as the situation dictates? It's the same logic that dictated a substitution for Barry Sanders inside the 5-yard-line. Fantasy owners may not like it, but Sanders wasn't the bruiser the Detroit Lions wanted pounding up the middle when they were down by seven.

Bollinger, who has accepted his position with the unfettered gratitude one would expect from a redshirt freshman in the nation's toughest conference, understands the system. In his a 3-for-7 performance against Murray State, Bollinger entered the game in the second quarter and should make his entrance stage Saturday about the same time.

Neither he nor Kavanagh, who looked sharp in his debut as the Badgers' starter, have been given any time frame or schedule regarding substitutions. And frankly, Bollinger isn't

surprised.

"That's my job, to deal with it," Bollinger said.

09-10-99