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It was Nov. 19, 2005, in Bill Snyder’s final game as coach at Kansas State. Making his sixth straight start as a redshirt freshman, a beat-up Evridge was replaced in the second half by backup quarterback Allen Webb as the Wildcats rallied from two touchdowns down in the third quarter to beat Missouri 36-28.
Evridge was playing with an injured left (throwing) hand and a variety of other aches and pains after taking a pounding in the previous five games behind a makeshift offensive line.
“Pretty banged up and pretty sore,” Evridge said of his strongest memories of the game. “It was a great win, though, for coach Snyder, sent him out on a win.”
Evridge, now a fifth-year senior, transferred to the University of Wisconsin, sat out a season, spent a year as the No. 2 quarterback and got married last January. Suffice it to say a lot has changed in his life since his last start.
While some of the plays from his time as a starter have grown fuzzy, one thing Evridge has never lost is the experience of leading a team as a starting quarterback.
“The game-experience type things, clock management and being out there in front of people, those things kind of stick with you,” he said. “So, they’re kind of still in your back pocket. Those aspects are definitely still there.”
Evridge will be calling on all of those experiences as Wisconsin’s new starting quarterback going into Saturday’s opener against Akron at Camp Randall Stadium.
For the past two seasons, Evridge’s focus has been on trying to win the starting job. Now, it must shift to leading a team.
“I talked to him about this,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Paul Chryst said. “‘You’ve worked to this point and that has been about you being that guy. All legit, all fine. Now, the great thing about this position, it’s not about you.’
“So, you hope there’s a relaxed energy that says, ‘It’s not about me.’ ”
That’s what last year’s starter, Tyler Donovan, recently told Chryst happened to him.
“T.D. told me, ‘I didn’t realize it as much, until you named me the starter, I was jammed up,’ ” Chryst said.
Evridge certainly seemed relaxed, casually meeting with reporters Sunday night for the first time since being named the starter. He insisted nothing had changed, other than the questions about who the starter will be.
“I guess it’s nice for everybody to know media-wise, so you don’t get as many questions when you’re out and about,” he said. “From that aspect, it’s nice. It’s kind of something I just prepared for, didn’t really change my demeanor or anything.”
Evridge did have one scary moment, with a little more than a week left in camp, when he missed most of three days with a tight hamstring. He flashed back to last year’s camp, when he appeared to be passing Donovan, only to suffer a hamstring injury that slowed him the rest of camp.
“Kind of scared (me) there a little bit when I hurt my hamstring,” he said. “I ran through last year all over again. It’s very rewarding, very satisfying (to be the starter). Now, I’m just excited to get an opportunity to play with these guys and help the team win.”
Chryst emphasized all Evridge has won so far is a chance to do something. Now, it all depends on what he does with the chance.
“The biggest thing you have to be careful of is to think you’ve made it, because it’s all about what you do with that opportunity,” Chryst said. “He has given himself a chance to have the opportunity. Now, he’s got to maximize it.”
Given everything Evridge has endured to start another game, he plans to do what he can to make the most of this chance. That means staying calm, preparing every day and not getting ahead of himself.
“I have to keep improving and spend as much time with coach Chryst as possible and just try to keep going,” he said.
