UW football: Receiver Anderson aims to put injuries in his rear-view mirror
Considering how long it's been since he played in an actual game, it would be understandable if Isaac Anderson was counting the days until the University of Wisconsin football team opens the 2008 season against Akron on Aug. 30.
Anderson is doing no such thing. If the sophomore wide receiver has learned anything during his two mostly frustrating seasons with the Badgers, it's that he should resist the urge to daydream about the future.
That's why Anderson refuses to look ahead to next week, much less five months from now.
"I just want to take it day by day," said Anderson, whose last game action came against Buffalo in the 2006 regular-season finale. "I want to just prove to everyone that I can go out there and be healthy and stay healthy."
It's not easy for an athlete to shed the label of "injury prone." That's why this spring practice session is so important to Anderson, a potential playmaker whose career has been grounded to this point because of nagging injuries.
Anderson spent most of his true freshman season battling an injured hamstring in his right leg. He played in the Badgers' first six games, catching five passes for 49 yards, but missed six of the final seven games of the season.
He then injured his hamstring in his left leg during preseason camp last season and eventually asked to be redshirted. He spent most of the 2007 season practicing with the scout team.
"It was real tough," said Anderson, a Minneapolis native. "It was a humbling experience and also one to learn from. There was a lot of motivation to get my legs back right so I don't have to go through this experience anymore."
Anderson decided to make some important changes prior to the start of spring practice.
The first was to change his jersey number; an attempt, he admits, to also change his luck. He's switched from No. 10 -- "I got stuck with it as a freshman," he said -- to No. 6, which became available when cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
"It's kind of a starting over thing," Anderson said.
The other change is just as noticeable. The 5-foot-11 Anderson added about eight pounds in the six weeks of offseason conditioning leading up to spring practice and is now at 180 pounds.
"Isaac has made a statement to me just because he's put on a little more girth," UW coach Bret Bielema said. "Physically, he hasn't been able to hold up, and I think that's a big thing that's gone through his mind. He's got to put himself in a position to show us that he's got some durability."
Anderson's hard work isn't limited to the practice field. He's spent much of his free time either in the weight room or the training room. When he's not riding a stationary bike or stretching, he's applying heat to his hamstrings or soaking them in the hot tub.
"I'm trying to do everything right," Anderson said. "If I'm not doing everything right, the coaches will notice that (and say), 'All right, he's not doing everything to be on the field.' "
Playing time is certainly available at wide receiver, a position filled with talent and potential but short on experience. The only true wide receiver on the UW roster with significant production on his collegiate resume is Kyle Jefferson, who had 26 receptions for 412 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman last season.
Xavier Harris' eight career receptions are the next highest, followed by Anderson's five. The only other returning wide receivers to catch a pass are David Gilreath and Daven Jones; each had one catch last season as a true freshman.
Other players in the mix for playing time are sophomore Maurice Moore and redshirt freshman Nick Toon.
"There really isn't anybody in our program right now that's established themselves as an every-down player at the wide receiver position," Bielema said. "There's a lot of good candidates."
Including Anderson, assuming he can stay healthy. To his credit, Anderson has put the past behind him. Instead of dwelling on everything that went wrong during his first two seasons, he's optimistic about what can go right the next three seasons.
"I still have a good opportunity in front of me," he said.
jpolzin@madison.com
File photo/Michelle Stocker/The Capital times
Wisconsin's Isaac Anderson.
