Wisconsin all-time winningest quarterback Joel Stave offered candid advice to current Badgers starter Braedyn Locke on Tuesday.
Stave was asked during a radio interview about what he’d say to Locke about how he should handle criticism.
Here’s what Stave told host Jim Rutledge:
“I think the big thing is do everything you can to ignore the noise,” Stave said. “Focus on you, focus on what you can control. It’s been a tough year. There have certainly been some high points, [and] there have obviously been some low points too. He’s played a tough, tough schedule. I think he does have a lot of positive things to draw back on, but it’s ignoring anything that’s not focused on the team.”
Here is his full answer:
https://twitter.com/ESPNMadison/status/1858972709046386950
Stave represented Wisconsin from 2011-15 and left Madison with a 31-10 record as a starter. The 31 victories made him the winningest quarterback in program history, and his .756 win percentage is No. 3 among UW quarterbacks all-time, per Wisconsin Athletics.
As a starter, Stave experienced excellence for Wisconsin football. He played in three bowl games and captured Offensive MVP honors in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
Locke, meanwhile, has struggled this season, leading some fans to call for true freshman Mabrey Mettauer to suit up under center for the remainder of the season,
In nine games as a redshirt sophomore, Locke has completed 129 pass attempts for 1,514 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He is up to 10 total turnovers in seven starts since taking over for Tyler Van Dyke in Wisconsin’s early-season game vs. Alabama.
Stave’s comments come at the perfect time for Locke. After completing just 12 of 28 passes for 96 yards, one touchdown and one interception in UW’s loss to No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16, the critics have only gotten louder.
UW is now tasked with defeating Nebraska on Nov. 23 in Lincoln. If the program wishes to reach its 23rd straight bowl game, Locke needs to protect the ball and drown out the noise.
