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LUCAS AT LARGE M I K E LUCA S ��� UWB A DGERS.C OM Badgers��� QBs have each other���s backs C urt Phillips, a country music fan, may relate to Cory Morrow, a singer/songwriter who wrote the lyrics to ���Just Along for the Ride������ ��� a title that applies to Phillips��� last two trips to the Rose Bowl. Two years ago, he was on crutches. Last year, he was in a knee brace and still rehabbing from his third ACL surgery. This year, Phillips said, ���It will be nice to be out there without having a limp.������ It will be even nicer going back to Pasadena as Wisconsin���s starting quarterback. ���Obviously, it���s an awesome environment,������ Phillips said of the Rose Bowl, ���and I was excited to be out there with the success that the team had. ���But it was disappointing being out there and not having a chance to contribute and frustrating just having to stand on the sidelines and watch.������ After Wisconsin���s 45-38 loss to Oregon, Phillips was not only dealing with the uncertainty of the Badgers making it back again, but there were questions surrounding his future as a college quarterback. Not that he had any reservations. Without question, he thought he���d be back. That has always been his answer. In fact, as part of his commitment to being more than an afterthought on the depth chart, he didn���t rule out playing in a Rose Bowl. ���I hoped I���d get a chance to do it,������ he said. ���But I wasn���t sure.������ In the end, Phillips was more 10 �� VARSITY D EC E M B E R 27, 2012 than just along for the ride. He had his hands on the steering wheel the last four games and helped drive the Badgers to Pasadena. ���That makes it that much sweeter this year,������ said Phillips, who went 2-2 as a starter. That included blowouts of Indiana and Nebraska and overtime losses to Ohio State and Penn State. ���Going to the Rose Bowl is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,������ he said, catching himself and grinning. ���Fortunately this is our third time, so we have to make sure we make the most of it this time.������ Raised in Kingsport, Tenn. ��� a Peyton Manning fan, no less ��� Phillips said of the Rose Bowl, ���It���s something that every kid grows up watching and dreaming about playing in.������ Joel Stave, a Cheesehead from Greenfield, Wis., can relate. A year ago, he was redshirting as a freshman quarterback ��� a walk-on, no less ��� and he was also along for the ride to Pasadena. A month into the 2012 season, he came out of the bullpen to relieve Danny O���Brien and wound up starting six games before breaking his collarbone in the Oct. 27 overtime loss to Michigan State. At the time, Stave said, ���I had always hoped that I would get a chance to play again this year.������ During the early stages of his rehab, Stave slept in a recliner instead of his bed because it was more comfortable. The recliner was a gift item from Wisconsin���s appearance in last season���s Rose Bowl. ���Basically the second day I started throwing,������ he said, ���I was throwing on the run and throwing the ball 30 yards down the field. I was surprised by how much I was able to do without pain.������ Although he has yet to be cleared for contact, Stave has been practicing with the team. ���It���s kind of a feel thing,������ he said. ���If I feel like I���m strong enough, then I think they���d let me give it a shot.������ As of last week, he admitted, ���I wouldn���t say I would want to take a hit quite yet.������ But if he gets clearance to play against Stanford, he promised, ���I���m going to play like I���ve always had. If that means stepping into a throw and taking a shot (on his collarbone), that���s what it means. ���If I���m out there,������ he went on, ���I owe it to my teammates, the coaches and everybody else to play the best that I can ��� that means taking a hit if I have to take a hit and doing what I have to do.������ Regardless if Stave gets on the field, he will have a role against Stanford. So will O���Brien. ���Having three quarterbacks with game experience is definitely an advantage for us,������ Phillips said. ���The same thing I tried to do for Danny and Joel when I wasn���t playing, they���re trying to do for me. ���I have guys that I can trust with what they would have done in certain situations.������ It���s part of the UW���s Rideshare. ���We���re just trying to help each other out,������ Stave said. ���That���s what we���ve always done.������