Badger Football Thread 2015

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After an interesting spring UW is heading into fall with some unknowns, I hope they get the defensive backfield and WR postions taken care of or it will be a long season in madtown.
 
Wisconsin football: Badgers continue spring practice grind Friday >>
http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/201...ring-practice-recap-taiwan-deal-tanner-mcevoy

The Wisconsin Badgers continued their spring practice schedule Friday afternoon inside Camp Randall Stadium, as the team practiced in shoulder pads and shorts for about two hours.

Senior quarterback Joel Stave continued to get first team reps, while junior Bart Houston and redshirt freshman D.J. Gillins both took some snaps with the second team.

After dealing with a hand injury his first year on campus, redshirt freshman running backTaiwan Deal looked explosive splitting second-team reps with junior Dare Ogunbowale.

Redshirt freshman T.J. Edwards and junior Leon Jacobs received first-team reps at inside linebacker.

Senior Tanner McEvoy saw action on both sides of the ball. He took a few reps at wide receiver during position drills and continued to impress in the secondary with an interception in 7-on-7 drills.

Injury Updates:
  • Jordan Frederick, Eric Steffes, T.J. Watt, Aidan McNamara, Jake Stengel, Peter Roy, Devin Gaulden, Derek Straus, A.J. Jordan, and Connor Senger did not practice Friday
  • Junior wide receiver Rob Wheelwright left practice about halfway through with what appeared to be an unspecified lower body injury.
 
Video: Badgers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda: Spring is time to work on deficiencies
 
Practice Report 4-15_ 17

University of Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst didn’t appear pleased with the Badgers' effort when addressing his team Wednesday night.

It was UW's first practice in 12 days after taking off for spring break, and the team's post-practice huddle wasn't just a formality this time around.

When speaking with the media afterward, Chryst explained he wants to make sure players are taking advantage of every opportunity they get.

“I thought we had some guys that were really good (today), then we had some that — we’ve got to keep rolling,” he said. “It’s that old adage, ‘You get better or you get worse.’ I think it’s real. You get limited number of opportunities for us to work on the field, and I just wanted to make sure everyone takes advantage of that.”

MANY RETURN FROM INJURY

The 11 days off were enough for a number of injured Badgers to return to the field.

Inside linebacker T.J. Edwards and running back Dare Ogunbowale were back after leaving UW’s last practice back on March 27, while cornerback Devin Gaulden and safety Tanner McEvoy returned after also missing just one practice.

Offensive lineman Beau Benzchawel and wide receivers Reggie Love and A.J. Jordan were also back at practice after being out.

Wide receiver Jake Stengel returned but left early with what appeared to be a left leg injury.

Tight end T.J. Watt, fullback Derek Straus, tight end Eric Steffes, offensive lineman Aidan McNamara and wide receivers Connor Senger and Peter Roy remained out.

OBSERVATIONS

— Cornerback Sojourn Shelton had a great practice, intercepting two passes and recording an impressive pass breakup to deny George Rushing of a catch.

— Rushing had some rough moments during skeleton and team drills. He lost a fumble and dropped an easy completion.

— Although there were a couple poor throws mixed in, true freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook continued to impress. His highlights included a 40-yard seam to Krenwick Sanders, a deep comeback to Jazz Peavy on the sideline and another big gain to Sanders over the middle.

— Peavy made a number of plays, including one on a nice deep ball from quarterback Bart Houston.

— Safety Joe Ferguson made a nice play on the ball to intercept Houston on the second-team defense.



Read more: http://host.madison.com/sports/coll...e68-11e4-9717-cface5fb9be8.html#ixzz3XakJbIs4
 
I was hoping - and still hope - someone will emerge to take Stave's place under center.
 
Bart Houston has had a nice spring and looks to compete for the job in the fall. The darkhorse and the kid I thought would fit has... Alex Hornibrook has looked like the solid number 3 and rising. The arm no one else has ...he has.

Looks Like Tanner McEvoy ends up playing Safety and WR. Having a big spring at WR
 
Spring game today... many questions will be answered. Many more will come to light !
 
Spring game provides plenty of insight into Paul Chryst's Badgers



Paul Chryst was reintroduced to University of Wisconsin football fans Saturday and, for the most part, they had to like what they saw.

Chryst, the former Badgers offensive coordinator, has returned as UW’s head coach and put his team on display for the first time before 9,630 fans at the spring game on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

It’s well known that Chryst, like many UW fans apparently, has little use for spring games. Heck, he didn’t even have one at Pitt last year. However, as spring games go, this one was fairly informative, in part because it reinforced what had been happening throughout spring practice.

Tailback Corey Clement didn’t take the field and quarterback Joel Stave played only one series, but the Badgers still showed signs of reviving the two-dimensional offense they had before Chryst left. And for a team that must replace two interior linemen and both inside linebackers on its highly ranked defense, the game demonstrated that not only can the replacements play, but they might even add some explosiveness.

Keeping in mind that the No. 1 offense faced the No. 2 defense and the No. 1 defense faced the No. 2 offense, and that the No. 2 offense was hampered by a startling lack of experience on the line, here are some observations from Saturday:

• Chryst has junked Gary Andersen’s option offense for the one he ran at UW from 2005 to 2011, combining power running with a pro-style passing game that makes heavy use of backs and tight ends. Stave threw only two passes — a 38-yard deep ball to Alex Erickson and a 17-yard fade to Rob Wheelright for a touchdown — before he sat down Saturday, so we’ll have to wait until the fall to see if Chryst’s quarterback-friendly offense can help the senior elevate his play.

The encouraging part about Saturday was that Stave’s backups — junior-to-be Bart Houston and redshirting freshman D.J. Gillins — had some impressive moments. Houston was 9-for-16 for 103 yards and had a beautifully thrown 20-yard touchdown pass to Wheelright on a corner route. Gillins had to run for his life when playing behind the No. 2 line, but moved to the No. 1s in the second half and showed considerable improvement, making plays with his arm and his feet.

• UW has been thin at wide receiver for several years, but, led by Wheelright, the receivers showed some playmaking ability. Erickson was steady as always Saturday while Wheelright showed he could get open, use his big body for position and make plays. Jazz Peavy, George Rushing and Krenwick Sanders also made plays.

• Tight end Austin Traylor continued his transformation from blocker to pass receiver. He caught one ball for 14 yards Saturday after emerging as a capable receiver during spring practices. Kyle Penniston, who graduated from high school in December, had one 35-yard catch and Troy Fumagalli didn’t play, so it appears Chryst has the tight ends he needs. With the game on the Big Ten Network, UW chose not to throw to its running backs Saturday, but Chryst said the pieces are in place for a significantly improved passing game.

• Clement is the heir apparent to Melvin Gordon, but the competition for No. 2 heated up in a big way Saturday. Dare Ogunbowale went nowhere running with the No. 2s, but scored on touchdown runs of 55 and 20 yards with the No. 1s. Redshirting freshman Taiwan Deal ran for 60 yards on 12 carries with the No. 1s in the first half before struggling with the No. 2s after that. The impressive thing about Deal is the way he uses his power to finish off runs.

• The offensive line, which lost three players to graduation, was missing two starters Saturday. The first unit still played well, but the second group struggled to keep the No. 1 defense out of the backfield. This is one position where UW needs to stay healthy in the fall.

• Keeping in mind that the No. 2 offensive line was struggling, the No. 1 defense stymied the running game and put major heat on the passer. Along the line, promising young players such as Chikwe Ibasih, Alec James and Conor Sheehy consistently got after the passer. Along with Jake Keefer and Arthur Goldberg, they might form a line that could be just as deep but faster and more versatile than last year’s group.

• Everyone knows Vince Biegel and Joe Schobert are one of the nation’s best outside linebacker tandems. It’s what’s between them that will determine whether UW’s defense can repeat the success it had last season.

Finding two inside linebackers was UW’s biggest worry on defense, though those fears were eased a bit during spring practice and again Saturday by the play of Leon Jacobs and redshirting freshman T.J. Edwards. Both are short on experience at a position that demands experience, but what they lack in instincts they make up for in speed and athleticism. Edwards and Jacobs showed up on down after down Saturday.

• Moving former quarterback Tanner McEvoy into the lineup at safety should solidify an already strong secondary. UW returns high-quality starters at the other three positions and McEvoy’s great range could make the secondary the strength of the defense.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/sports/coll...f8e-547a-b087-3cc8fa605c73.html#ixzz3YQ0aaBZs
 
Random thought ~ best offense I have seen in UW as far as structure in a while. I agree with the HC comments after OL depth is concern 1. The young kids need a lot of work. Awful feet !
 
Random thought ~ best offense I have seen in UW as far as structure in a while. I agree with the HC comments after OL depth is concern 1. The young kids need a lot of work. Awful feet !
Obasih and that Bondic kid impressed, as did Wheelright. I pray Wheelwright's performance is not some spring game fluke because dear god we need receivers to step up.

How many oline starters out? Two or three? I guess we should worry if the oline sustains injuries during the season.
 
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