Wisconsin's Joel Stave slowly overcoming mental block

Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave couldn't recover from a bad toss.

"I tried to tell myself, 'Just stay positive, don't worry about it,' " Stave told FOX Sports. "But you get in your own head a little bit. And when you get in your own head a little bit, it's kind of tough."

Stave was victimized by the yips earlier this season, a mental obstacle that coach Gary Andersen briefly masked by claiming his QB had suffered a shoulder injury.

Anderson quickly backtracked, though, and it was revealed that Stave's troubles were all in his head. For Stave, it was difficult to go from being the starter, to fighting for a job, to losing it altogether.

"I had to work through it," he said. "I feel a lot better coming out of it because you've had those days where you start to throw the ball bad and your practice will just go into the toilet." 

In 2013, he compiled 2,494 yards with 22 touchdowns - the second-most single-season touchdowns in Wisconsin history, behind only Russell Wilson's 33 in 2011. This season he hasn't seen a down, but he's getting closer to returning to game action. 

Stave is now able to cope, persevering through mistakes and understanding how they're an integral part of the game. When he botches a deep route, he keeps his composure and looks to avoid making the same mistake twice.

"I feel a lot better than I did about a month ago," he said. "Obviously, everything around that time was pretty emotional for me. I was upset and frustrated and everything that goes along with it. That's something that I had to work through, but I feel like I did a good job with that."