Wisconsin QB Joel Stave says he’s back to his old self
Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave said his confidence is back after weeks of dealing with mental issues that were plaguing his performance on the field.
Stave told media on Tuesday that during warmups against Bowling Green two weeks ago, he began to feel like his old self and he’s now ready to get back into the competition for playing time.
“Going into that week I had started kind of throwing routes on air again and throwing them well,” Stave said. “That warm-up, I just remember throwing again and it kind of feeling normal, like myself again. And from then it’s been pretty much back to normal.
“I just knew at some point I’d come out of it, I’d get back to normal and start feeling comfortable again. That’s basically what happened.”
In August, Stave acknowledged that he was struggling with what many termed the “yips” and even the simplest of throws became difficult. He said Tuesday that Tanner McEvoy being named starter exacerbated those struggles. Stave had been the team’s starter last season and threw 22 touchdowns. However, coach Gary Andersen opened up the quarterbacking competition in the offseason and Stave started doubting himself.
“I tried to tell myself, ‘stay positive, don’t worry about it.’ But you get in your own head a little bit. It’s kind of tough,” Stave said.
“Right away when you get told that they are going to go with the other guy, that’s tough. With all the time I put in, all the work I put in, to hear that was very disappointing for me. That was probably the toughest time was finding out, and I basically had to rebuild from there.”
Stave said he confided in friends, family and teammates, but didn’t seek outside help for his problems. He said he was confident he would eventually get back to his old self.
Now, he’s competing for the backup position with Bart Houston and hopes he can work his way into a game as the Big Ten season approaches.
If Stave can find his old self, the Badgers might be wise to use him. The Wisconsin offense has struggled for consistency under McEvoy. The passing game ranks 113th in the country with just 152.8 yards per game and McEvoy is only completing 48.3 percent of his passes against FBS competition. He’s also thrown three interceptions against FBS teams versus just two touchdowns.
“Like they say, you go through everything for a reason and I believe that,” Stave said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better from this. I’ve grown a lot from this. Not everything is going to be perfect. I’ve had a very blessed life so far, so to go through something like that was good for me.”
For more Wisconsin news, visit BadgerBlitz.com.
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