Remember when Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema released his depth chart with Scott Tolzien and Zach Brown as his starters with an ‘OR’ next to each of their names?

It’s only been two and a half weeks, so how could you forget, right? Well, through the Badgers’ first two games, it sure looks like Bielema and Co. made the right decisions.

Wait a minute, you’re probably thinking, didn’t John Clay rip off a 72-yard touchdown Saturday to give the Badgers the late lead? And didn’t Brown only take the ball nine times for 40 yards in the game?

The answer, to both of those questions, is yes.

So shouldn’t Clay have been the starter all along? Well, no.

You see, the decision to list Brown atop the depth chart likely had as much to do with his strong performance in camp as to provide a motivating factor for Clay. It looks like Clay took the message to heart.

After a disappointing week one performance by both backs against Northern Illinois and a slow start versus Fresno State, Clay finally showed his ability in that long touchdown run — especially outrunning a defensive back — and in 10 carries for 43 yards thereafter.

As a result, Bielema rewarded Clay for his performance. Not only was he co-offensive player of the week, but he also earned a promotion.

Clay is listed on this week’s depth chart as the Badgers’ No. 1 back and will get the start.

“What we want to do is see John and how he takes the reins,” Bielema said at Monday’s press conference.

So Bielema and the Badgers got what they wanted. Clay was forced to prove he deserved the starting role, and he did so with a 21-carry, 143-yard performance against the Bulldogs.

Now, Clay has plenty of confidence built up from his performance and subsequent promotion to a starting role in the Wisconsin backfield. Bielema’s hope is for the Badgers to ride the momentum Clay gave them in the last six minutes of regulation and in overtime Saturday.

The decision makes sense for UW.

Opposing teams know about both Brown and Clay, but most of their preparation is going to be built around stopping the big, fast and intimidating Clay. So, if you start Brown, he may pick up a few big gains early, but the defense will adjust to his quicker running style and render it less effective.

When you then bring in Clay, he’s the guy they’ve been preparing for to begin with, so they already know what to do to try to stop him. Whether they can or not is another question, of course.

But when the roles are reversed, as they will be this week, the game plan is much more effective.

Starting with a heavy dose of Clay will wear down the Wofford defense making them susceptible to big plays through the air, which the Badgers have shown they have the ability to make. And when Brown enters the game as a change-of-pace back, his running style becomes more effective, allowing him to find more holes in the defense.

Behind center, Tolzien is the answer.

Sure, Curt Phillips showed he can add another dimension to the Wisconsin offense with his legs, but he simply is not as strong a passer as Tolzien at this point in his career. What’s more, Tolzien’s confidence in staying in the pocket under pressure has allowed the UW passing game to develop even more.

His pass over the middle to Toon in overtime was a perfect example of what he brings to the table.

Tolzien put the ball in the right place at the right time, sneaking it through the defense and allowing Toon to pull it in for the score.

If that’s not enough to convince you, look at his numbers. Tolzien finished with 225 yards on 17-of-28 passing. Add last week’s totals and the junior signal caller has 482 yards through the air on 32-of-48 (67 percent) passing, with a pair of touchdowns against a pair of interceptions. Not exactly All-Big Ten numbers, but strong nonetheless.

Last season through two games, Allan Evridge had recorded 383 yards on 24-of-36 passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Similar numbers to be sure, but the biggest difference is this: Tolzien has eight more completions for nearly 99 additional yards.

And while Evridge may not have needed to pass as much with P.J. Hill tallying 211 yards in last year’s opener, Tolzien has put up his similar stats under much more pressure against much stronger defenses.

It’s still early, but through two games, Wisconsin gets a passing grade on its decisions at quarterback and running back. And with the way the defensive secondary has looked, Tolzien and Clay will need to continue to perform the way they did Saturday.

Jordan is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Still think the Badgers should start Curt Phillips? Prefer Zach Brown to John Clay? E-mail him at [email protected]