WISCONSIN 51, UNLV 17
'HELLO, RUSSELL WILSON!'
Transfer quarterback makes major impression in his Badgers debut by leading 51-17 rout of UNLV on opening night
BY MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM T
he ESPN film crew did something in the 2011 opener that the UNLV de- fense couldn't do.
They stopped Russell Wilson. Since the start of training camp,
ESPN had been tracking Wilson — and his every movement on and off the field — for a quarter- back special ("Depth Chart'') that aired in Octo- ber.
As soon as Wilson stepped outside of the lock- er room after the UW's 51-17 win over UNLV, he was stopped and "miked'' by the ESPN producer in charge of the project. They exchanged pleasantries and went about their business — all of which fell under the head- ing of business as usual for Wilson, who has handled every media situation with a calm pro- fessionalism. Such 24/7 attention would normally be a dis- traction to most players. "Most definitely, especially during training
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camp,'' agreed UW wide receiver Jared Abbre- deris. "After practice you just want to go home and take a nap or go watch some film. "But he (Wilson) always has people following him around and asking for interviews. It's been really impressive how he has handled himself. But I'm not really surprised. "That's just the kind of guy he is. He can han- dle it. He's one impressive guy.'' Throughout the season opener, the 22-year-
old Wilson took care of business on the sidelines by communicating with each of his offensive teammates; especially the skill position players. "He'll come over and talk to you about the route depth or something like that,'' Abbrederis said. "If he sees something in the defense, he might say, 'Get ready for this play, it might be coming.''' Because of Wilson's running ability, the UW receivers are always on alert. "If you're running a pass route,'' Abbrederis
