Here are five burning questions -- and some answers -- from the University of Wisconsin football team's 38-17 victory over Akron Saturday in the 2008 season opener against at Camp Randall Stadium.

1. Will the Zips put up a fight?

Pregame outlook: When Sports Illustrated previewed the college football season earlier this month, it placed UW at No. 10 and picked the Badgers to finish with a 10-2 record during the regular season. You can presume SI wasn't picking the Badgers to lose their season opener, since it predicted Akron will finish 1-11. The Zips were ranked 114th out of 119 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, according to SI. By the way, the next team on the list after Akron? Marshall, which is UW's opponent next week.

Postgame answer: Give the Zips credit. They could have folded after UW jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, but Akron pulled to within seven at the half.

I thought Akron should have at least tried one shot at the end zone late in the second quarter when it reached UW's 8-yard line with 6 seconds remaining. Of course, you run the risk of having the clock run out and losing the momentum you just gained after forcing a turnover.

What really hurt the Zips was a penalty on the opening kickoff of the second half. Instead of starting with good field position, Akron got pushed back to its own 8-yard line and went three-and-out. UW scored touchdowns on its next three possessions to turn the game into a rout.

2. Will Allan Evridge press?

Pregame outlook: Evridge, a fifth-year senior, seems like a cool customer and wouldn't appear to be a candidate to get rattled by an Akron defense that is about as scary as a butterfly. Still, it's been a long time since Evridge's last start -- two years, nine months, 11 days to be exact -- and it would only be natural if he's a little anxious to make up for lost time. Speaking of that last start, it didn't go well for Evridge. A redshirt freshman at Kansas State at the time, he completed just 2 of 10 passes for 25 yards with an interception before leaving the Nov. 19, 2005 game with an injury during the Wildcats' 36-28 victory over Missouri in Bill Snyder's final game as Kansas State's coach.

Postgame answer: Evridge was sharp early on, although he got somewhat lucky on his first attempt when he threw into double coverage and tight end Garrett Graham made a great grab for a 20-yard gain.

Evridge's interception in the end zone was a bad decision and bad execution, and Evridge admitted as much afterward. There was another cross-field throw in the first quarter to tight end Mickey Turner that was ill-advised and easily could have ended up as an interception.

3. Will the stars be grounded?

Pregame outlook: To play or not to play, that is the question. Senior tight end Travis Beckum (hamstring) and senior fullback Chris Pressley (thumb) are questionable for Saturday's game because of injuries. On one hand, Beckum and Pressley have been begging the coaching staff to play and it'd be nice for the players if they didn't have to miss any time during their final season as Badgers. On the other hand, there's no sense in putting two of the team's most valuable performers on the field for a game that shouldn't be much of a contest. Especially in the case of Beckum, it would be wise to make sure he's 100 percent -- or as close to it as possible -- for the difficult stretch of games that begins in Week 3 at Fresno State.