Senior safety Bondoc makes most of his first start
MADISON – When preseason camp closed in August, safeties Eric Burrell and Evan Bondoc were nowhere near the top of Wisconsin’s depth chart.
When UW faced Illinois Saturday, Burrell and Bondoc were on the field with the No. 1 defense.
The reason? UW was without three safeties, senior D’Cota
Dixon (leg), redshirt freshman Scott Nelson (leg) and freshman Reggie Pearson (leg).
Burrell, a redshirt sophomore, made his second consecutive start and recorded five tackles in UW’s 49-20 victory.
Bondoc, a fifth-year senior who joined the program as a walk-on from Madison Edgewood High School, made his first college start and recorded five tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
“He has earned every bit of that,” senior linebacker T.J. Edwards said of Bondoc’s big day. “He is a guy who has worked his butt off to get on any team he can … special teams, defense.
“When he got his shot I was super excited for him to see what he was doing out there, making plays.
“I told him: ‘I’m going out with you tonight.’ ”
Edwards would make a fitting bodyguard for the newest star in an injuryriddled secondary.
Bondoc, who was placed on scholarship last season, entered Saturday having recorded a total of eight tackles in 24 games. Most of his work came on special teams, however. Bondoc learned during the week he would start along with Burrell, who got his first start one week earlier at Michigan.
“Bondie has worked a ton,” UW coach Paul Chryst said. “You don’t just get ready for this opportunity last week or this week. It’s been stuff he's been doing for his whole career here.
“Our players appreciate Bondie. When he does make plays a lot of people are excited.”
If Bondoc was giddy in the wake of his performance, he didn’t show it while meeting with reporters afterward.
“I grew up in Madison and I’ve been a Badger fan my whole life,” he said calmly. “It was really cool.”
What factors allowed him to make plays in his first start?
“Just trusting it and letting it go,” he said, echoing the words defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard uses weekly. “Coach Leonhard says it all the time. Trust it and when you get out there just go all out.”
Burrell, who had 11 tackles in the loss to Michigan, was proud of plays made by the secondary on Saturday.
“People have been doubting us since the start of the season with the young secondary that we have,” he said. “But I think we went out there and had fun.
“Bondie played a hell of a (game). Hats off to him.”