The season debut of Tom's Takes, with five observations from the season-opening 28-20 victory over Northern Illinois.

1, The Badgers have found a quarterback. I got a chance to watch Scott Tolzien for 12 practices in camp and saw the obvious improvement in his game. And I was STILL amazed at how he played in his first start. Going 15-of-20 for 257 yards is the kind of efficiency the Badgers have lacked at the position since John Stocco was a senior in 2006. Granted, he threw two interceptions. I won't give him a total pass on the first one, even though the line failed to pick up a blitzer and he was hit as he threw. The blitz came from the front side and he's got to see it coming and get rid of it quicker, or take evasive action. The second interception was a bad one and allowed the Huskies to get back in the game. Still, Tolzien looked crisp going through his reads and delivering the ball on time and on target for most of the night. He did not look like a caretaker at the position. I think there is plenty here for offensive coordinator Paul Chryst to work with going forward.

2, Having said that, redshirt freshman Curt Phillips still showed he deserves to play. He made a couple plays with his legs, as expected. He looked a little tentative on a couple throws but will get more comfortable. He was 3-of-5 for 24 yards. Giving him two series seemed about right. Some people will note, both of Tolzien's interceptions came the series after he sat out. But Tolzien said afterward he had no problems staying in rhythm. Also, don't discount the advantage of opposing defenses having to spend extra time preparing for Phillips.

3, It's way too early to get concerned about the running game. The Huskies will be a solid defensive team by mid-season and they did some things to take away the run. (That's why nobody was within 10 yards of Isaac Anderson on the 80-yard touchdown pass.) Given all the injuries to the offensive line in camp, it's going to take a little time to get the running game in sync. I thought the line was a little better than expected, given true freshman Travis Frederick at center and sophomore Kevin Zeitler at right guard were not expected starters going into camp. Not giving up any sacks was a nice start. UW coach Bret Bielema also revealed afterward that tailback Zach Brown got dinged up in practice recently. Here's the good news about the rushing attack: On a night when the two tailbacks combined for 29 carries and 94 yards (3.2 average), Phillips added 34 yards and Anderson had 23 yards on an end around that went for a TD. As a result, the Badgers still rushed for 152 yards as a team.

4, The Badgers have some playmakers on defense. Everybody expected senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield to be one of them and he didn't disappoint. He was disruptive all night. Fans now know why everybody in the program has been gushing about sophomore defensive end J.J. Watt for the last year, while sitting out as a transfer. He is exactly what the defense needs, an active 287-pounder who is a nice complement to Schofield. Also, redshirt freshman linebacker Mike Taylor showed his potential at linebacker. I'm sure Taylor made some mistakes, but he made a huge play, ripping the ball away from a ballcarrier to get a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also had a tackle for loss. The guy plays hard and likes to hit. He just needs to stay healthy, which has been an issue.

5, I thought it was a good start for the safeties, Chris Maragos and Jay Valai. Maragos had a nice game with nine tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and pass breakup. He made the defensive play to stop the fourth-and-3 pass at the end of the game, despite a miscommunication with Valai, which brought back memories of last year. Maragos said Valai was actually supposed to be on the intended receiver, Kyle Skarb, but was on the other side of the field before the ball snapped. So, Maragos waved Valai to the deep middle, where Maragos was supposed to be. Maragos then took Valai's spot and made the play. That's actually something the defense worked on in the spring. The safeties worked at both spots, so if that precise thing happened, they could switch roles without any problems. That's an example of how much experience helps at safety. If those two continue playing like that, it will be huge for the defense.

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