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Bielema says his team's focus is forward LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM T he pain is sharper, and the hurt is deeper. Those are usually the consequences when someone has been labeled a "players'' coach and they lose one of their players to a season-ending injury. Although Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has been down this path before, it doesn't make it any easier to accept. It's still painful, it still hurts. That was the case when Joel Stave was injured last Saturday. On the first play of the third quarter, Stave was sacked by Michi- gan State defensive end William Gholston who used his 278 pounds to pin the Badgers' quarterback to the artificial turf, left shoulder first. There was nothing fake about getting thrown down in that man- ner. "He was in a lot of pain,'' Bielema said. As he was helped to the sidelines, Stave appeared to be wiping away tears. Bielema later confirmed that Stave was upset, more so with the fact that he to leave the game than anything else. That was the competitor in Stave. "That part jumped out at me,'' Bielema said. Stave, a redshirt freshman, had just played his best half of the season, Not only did he complete his first eight passes, but he showed characteristic poise in the face of the fast and physical Spartans. Statistically, this is the best defense in the Big Ten, and one of the top five in college football, and Stave didn't flinch. That mental and physical toughness has emerged in 14 » VARSITY NOVEMBER 1, 2012 all six of his starts. "He's really grown as a football player,'' Bielema said. That growth will now likely be stunted until spring practice. While the injury will not require surgery, Stave is expected to be sidelined a minimum of eight weeks. "You don't want to push it,'' Bielema said. Instead, he chose to accent the positive; a silver lining, if there is such a thing. "The exciting thing is we get him back for another three years,'' he said. That was part of his message to Stave right after he was injured. "Hey, man, this is going to be a growing experience,'' Bielema told him. "You've learned a lot in these first seven games and you're going to continue to get better. "The good news,'' Bielema went on, "is that you've got three years in front of you and some of our future scheduling is really exciting and there could be a big build-up for your senior year.'' For now, Bielema is not looking any further down the road than Nov. 10 at Indiana. "In this business, you have to move forward and handle the cards that you've been dealt,'' he said. "A lot will be written about what's be- hind us, and what's in front of us.'' He paused and stressed that he's concerned with "what's within us right now.'' That gives him hope, too, because he feels like he has the pulse of his players. "They're very resilient, they never give up, they have faith,'' he said. "I know this, if I had guys who weren't caring, or willing, I'd be concerned. But they've been tested in so many different ways.'' This is merely another test — finding a way to finish the regular season on a winning note with Danny O'Brien or Curt Phillips, or both. He said as much to his players during Sunday's team meeting. "We've made a living off of 'next man in,'" he reminded everybody in the room, "and you can't be looking around and feeling sorry for your- selves. You've got to be preparing in that way.'' It could always be worse. Take Maryland, for example. The Terps have lost four scholarship quarter- backs to season-ending injuries. In light of these losses, Maryland will turn over the offense to a con- verted linebacker. The backup quarterback will be a converted tight end. It could always be worse. When Stave went down, Bielema had a flashback to 2007, when wide receiver Luke Swan sustained an ugly season-ending injury at Illinois while making a catch. Because his college career was over, Bielema said, "it was the worst of the worst.'' The following Monday, Bielema had trouble holding back tears at his news conference. "It's tough on everybody when you lose a kid like that, especially a senior,'' he said. Swan is now a member of Bielema's staff; reinforcing his label as a "players'' coach.