MADISON, Wis. -- The three most significant traits carried by the new and improved Joel Stave would seem to be fairly basic for any college quarterback: confidence, timing, trust. Yet hearing Stave discuss obtaining these attributes is akin to treasure seekers delighting in the details of their quest for a long-lost holy grail.

For Stave, Wisconsin's fifth-year senior quarterback, that comparison may not be much of a stretch. A year ago at this time, Stave didn't possess any of those characteristics, so stunned was he about losing the starting job in fall camp that he could not complete basic throws. That's why the developments of the past several months have represented such a breath of fresh air for him.

First-year Badgers head coach Paul Chryst wasted little time in naming Stave the starter on the first day of spring camp. After three consecutive seasons in which Stave never had assurances before the season he would start, a weight finally lifted. He didn't have to peek at coaches to see if another player would take the next series and threaten his tenuous grasp on the job. He no longer felt he needed to be perfect. In other words, it was now OK to make a mistake.

For the first time, Stave was willing to "cut it loose" in practice this season and try things he never would have otherwise attempted. Allow Stave to explain.

"There were plays in camp where I'd hit the top of my drop and the guy's not even close to out of his break yet, and I'd just throw it," Stave said. "A lot of times, you'd see it work out well. And that's when you can really start to trust that, you know what, I can do this. Just trust the guy and throw it.

"There were a couple plays in camp that really kind of when you're doing that and you see it working positively, that builds your confidence in yourself but also in the system and in your guys around you."

The result is a quarterback who has never looked better. A year after completing a career low 53.4 percent of his passes, Stave is completing a career best 67.4 percent, which ranks second in the Big Ten behind only Rutgers' Chris Laviano. Stave threw for more than 200 yards in only two of his nine starts last season. Now, he is averaging 222 yards passing per game.

During Wisconsin's 28-3 victory against Troy on Saturday, Stave completed 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and also ran for a score. He has been at his best inside the opposing team's 40-yard line, where he has completed 19 of 27 passes for 227 yards with all six of his touchdowns this season. He also ranks third in the Big Ten in passing efficiency.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a player whose story made national headlines last season for all the wrong reasons. Last fall, Stave performed well in camp but still lost the starting role to Tanner McEvoy, whose mobility was the deciding factor in then-coach Gary Andersen's system. Stave's confidence tanked, and he subsequently lost his ability to throw. Simple out routes, curls and slant patterns transformed into Stave's own personal horror show, with balls sailing high or nose-diving into the turf. A bizarre mental block wrecked his mechanics and sent him to the bench for more than a month of the season.

But McEvoy struggled, and Stave regrouped enough to take back the starting job in the team's sixth game. He helped guide Wisconsin to seven consecutive wins, a Big Ten West championship and the Badgers' first bowl victory since 2009. Still, plenty of room for improvement remained.

When Andersen left for Oregon State and Chryst replaced him at Wisconsin in December, there was perhaps no player on the Badgers' roster happier to reunite with him than Stave. The two worked in the same quarterback room in 2011 when Stave was a redshirt freshman and Chryst served in his final year as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator before a three-year stint as head coach at Pittsburgh.

Chryst said there was never any doubt Stave provided the Badgers with the best chance to win. He entered this year 21-7 as a starter over three seasons -- nine wins shy of tying the program record established by Brooks Bollinger in 2002. Chryst also told Stave he had put in too much time and effort not to enjoy the process.

"He's played a lot of games, and he's played a lot of big games," Chryst said of Stave before the team's season opener. "He's got a poise about him that I think it's important for our team, our offense, to know that they have got someone they can trust. … Joel is a great teammate, and he'll do anything for that group on and off the field. And I think he's got more than enough talent to be a really good quarterback."

Stave has rewarded his coach's faith by having the season of his life. In the process, he's finally having the time of his life.

"More than anything, it's just been a lot of fun for me this year," Stave said. "I think I'm having more fun playing football than I have maybe in years past. A lot of that is just going down and trusting your guys, trusting your coaches and just cutting it loose."