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Badger mates learned together
Wisconsin's Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum found success after switching from defense to offense.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Launched:11/02/2006 06:36:45 AM EST
Nov 2, 2006 ? As the Wisconsin Badgers lost in Beaver Stadium last November, Andy Crooks and Travis Beckum were nowhere to be seen. The two Badger linebackers were stuck on the sideline, finishing lost seasons.
Who would have known ...
The year before, Crooks was a freshman sensation, and Beckum was one of the most hotly-recruited high school players in the nation.
Then came injury and waiting and disappointment.
It would take the risk and uncertainty of changing positions, of changing entire sides of the team, to try and make this work out.
They would they do it, and do it together.
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* * *[/SIZE] Crooks came first.
The high school linebacker from small-city Wausau, Wis., was an immediate force in college.
He started five times for the Badgers as a true freshman linebacker in 2004. He even intercepted a pass and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown against Georgia in the Outback Bowl.
Then came last year's trouble.
He injured a knee in preseason camp and was never the same. He recovered but lost his starting spot. His tackles dropped from 38 as a freshman to 18 as a sophomore.
"He was pretty down on himself, doubted himself," said his father, Mike Crooks. "It wasn't much fun for him. He wanted to be on the field."
So did the coaches. And they saw a different kind of opportunity.
Move the linebacker to tight end?
Crooks took to the idea, saw hope. He was thrilled.
"He just wanted to get back on the field and play," his father said. "He would have played nose guard if they wanted him to."
The Badgers had their first tight end.
[SIZE=+1]
* * *[/SIZE] Beckum came next.
He was big city. He was
the man in high school.
Rivals.com, a national recruiting service, rated him as the No.1 prospect in Wisconsin, the No.6 linebacker in the nation, the No.56 player in the nation overall.
Everybody wanted him. Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee.
But a funny thing happened last year when he came from Milwaukee to Madison. He wasn't really needed at linebacker, so they switched him to defensive end.
And he wasn't really needed there, either. He made only two tackles all season.
Finally, Beckum approached his coaches, asking about a possible move.
He wanted to try tight end, too.
"I knew we were losing three tight ends after the year. I knew in high school, even with only a few reps (at tight end), I was successful there."
The Badgers had another one.
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* * *[/SIZE] So small-city and big-city changed positions together, moved from defense to offense at the same time.
They began rooming together on the road.
And they became dual starters this fall, the Badgers often using two tight ends at the same time.
Crooks is more power and blocking, even lining up at fullback sometimes. But he's still made 16 receptions and a team-leading four touchdown catches.
"Andy's more of a blue-collar tight end. He hasn't left the field for a single offensive play, other than when he lost a shoe," his father said.
"He's a great player, a great blocker," Beckum said. "I don't think a lot of teams realize he has the ability to catch the football."
Beckum, meanwhile, has been the "glitzy" tight end. He not only leads the team with 37 catches for 577 yards (64 yards per game), he also is the fifth-leading receiver in the Big Ten. He has three touchdowns.
Together, they are an unusual, though, devastating combination.
"Me and Crooks are real close," Beckum said. "If we're in practice or a game and we realize the receivers aren't getting the job done, we say, 'Maybe it's time for us to step up and make some plays.'"
The linebackers who finally found a home.