"Last year when he was out, he was doing the same thing," Pitts said, recalling when Walters had a severe ankle sprain and played in just six full games in 1998. "He's been here for so long and he's done miraculous things against some of the best corners, any kind of coverages, so he knows what he's talking about.
"He's a good student of the game and he'll see things that are going to help me and help the rest of the wide receivers." Walters, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver this season, dislocated his right wrist when he landed awkwardly during practice Tuesday. He was downcast the following day, but by Thursday he had accepted that he will be on the sidelines for his final college game. "All the good things that have happened to me far outweigh the bad," he said. "It's funny, because I was talking to my mom after I won the Biletnikoff Award, told her that if I don't play another game, I won't have anything to hang my head about. "We have other great receivers on this team. It's an opportunity for other guys to step up and play in a big-time ball game and make big-time plays." Pitts already was thinking that way. "When I first found out about Troy's injury, I told myself, `It's on you, now.' For some strange reason, my ankles didn't hurt much anymore," Pitts said. "I just knew most of the load was going to be on my shoulders and it's no time to be hurt or anything like that." With Walters on the sidelines much of last year, Pitts led the team with 74 catches for 1,012 yards. He was second this season with 58 receptions for 953 yards, to Walters' 74 catches for 1,456 yards. "I've always hoped other teams look past me, and I've been able to hurt some teams because they didn't concentrate that much on me," Pitts said. "This time, it's going to be a little bit different. " I'm sure Wisconsin knows the ability of all of our wide receivers and I think they'll play us as if Troy were there, know that we have a great group and they're going to have to do some things to stop us." He's right. "They didn't make it here with one player," Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. "Walters is their leading receiver, but they've got one guy who caught 50 (Pitts) and another who caught 30 (Dave Davis)."If anything, it may cause them to concentrate more."
Pitts said he will be heeding Walters' advice when he's on the sidelines, and thinking of him when he's on the field. "We're going to have Troy in our minds every time we step on the field; without him, we wouldn't be here," Pitts said. "Hopefully we'll come out of this thing with a win, and I'm going to dedicate it to him."
