Nearly the entire offense from last season's dynamic offense is gone, and it showed at times in Saturday's spring game.
The quarterback position is one of the few not in doubt on the offensive side of the ball. Senior John Stocco played quite well Saturday considering it was his first game with all new receivers, all new running backs and a mostly new offensive line. In only one half of play, Stocco was 10-13 for 154 yards with one interception and showed no signs of fatigue or injury with a couple nice scrambles.
I did think we did some good things today, but by no means are we ready for fall yet,\ Stocco said.
Most of the interesting battles this spring took place at the running back position. Redshirt freshman P.J. Hill started the game, but left with an injury after only two rushes for seven yards (Bielema said the injury should not keep Hill out for long). Junior Jamil Walker was the leading rusher on the day with 54 yards and a touchdown, but perhaps most impressive was the play of senior Dywon Rowan, who rushed six times for 50 yards and caught three passes for 46 yards.
""I like what Dywon did,"" Bielema said. ""He always has good ball security ,[and] I thought he caught a couple of nice screens.""
The wide receiver and tight end positions remain up in the air after Saturday's game. Junior Marcus Randle El led the team with five catches for 50 yards, but he seemed to be the only relatively sure start at the position, as nobody else was overly impressive. Tight ends did not figure into the equation much Saturday, as sophomores Travis Beckum and Sean Lewis combined for a mere four catches and 28 yards. The 6'7' Lewis did have the catch of the day, however, leaping to make a nice grab in the red zone. Linebacker-turned-tight end Andy Crooks blocked but did not get into the box score.
Running backs did spring loose a couple times Saturday, giving credit to a very young, very big offensive line. Injuries kept a couple of players out of the lineup, including senior Joe Thomas, so some of the position battles remain to be won.
—Zach Kukkonen
Matured defense shines
Among many Wisconsin Badger football players, there is a feeling that defense can be a strength of the team this year.
""I think we can be real good,"" said last year's team captain, senior linebacker Mark Zalewski. ""We just have to keep getting better, keep working on the little things.""
In Saturday's annual Spring Game, the first-team defense matched up against the second-team offense, mainly, and did not allow a score on that side of the ball. In fact, the only score of the game for the second-string team came on a defensive play, when senior defensive back Zach Hampton returned an interception 59 yards in the first quarter for a touchdown.
Immediately as the game got underway, the first-team defense made its impact felt. Senior safety Roderick Rogers, second-team All-Big Ten last year, made a jarring hit on a swing pass to sophomore tight end Travis Beckum. It was the sort of start Rogers, who also had an interception, and his teammates were seeking.
""The thing was to come out and attack like [he would] any other player,"" Rogers said. ""That's what we wanted to focus on, coming out on the first drive, attacking from the jump, and putting on a show for the crowd.""
Added sophomore cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu: ""A big hit like that is a confidence boost for everybody.""
The Cardinal defense, playing stout defense against the run and blanketing receivers all afternoon, limited the White team to 120 yards of total offense. Granted, they were facing mainly the second-string, but it was still a performance that drew praise from head coach Bret Bielema.
""They did a good job of getting pressure—that should be a strong point of our defense,"" Bielema said. ""I like the progress they've made. I thought the guys really bought into what they were doing and had a little fun out there.""
Because the Cardinal team ran more than twice the number of offensive plays as the White, it was the backups who saw the most field time on defense. Freshman Elijah Hodge and sophomore Joshua Neal, both linebackers, tallied seven tackles for the White, and senior defensive back Johnny White recovered a fumble in the red zone as the first half was ending.
This season, the UW defense returns eight starters from the unit that blunted a powerful Auburn offense in the Capital One Bowl. The group looks to be physical and create turnovers, as they did last year when they led the Big Ten with a +13 margin.
Zalewski says the early returns on this year's defense are favorable. ""Throughout the whole spring, every day, the communication's been a whole lot better,"" he said. ""[Saturday], along with the last few practices, everything's been real sound. Everything's just been real crisp.""
—Jon Bortin
Melhaff concludes inconsistent spring
The field goal kicker position is fairly set, but junior Taylor Melhaff has had a little trouble with consistency this spring. The game was evident of this fact, as Melhaff missed his first try, a 43-yard attempt, but made his 41-yard second try.
""[Melhaff's been] off and on. I know that there's a little bit of concern on his part with that first kick, about his ability to get his foot on the ball and hit it exactly how he wanted,"" Bielema said. ""But I like the progress he's made, in scrimmages he's competed and done the things he's needed to do.""
The punter position is as set as any position on the entire team. Junior Ken DeBauche was recognized last season to be one of the best punters in the nation and appears to have lost nothing since fall. He boomed a 52 and a 48-yarder in the game, including one inside the 20-yard line. Even before the game he was putting kicks inside the five.
""Kenny DeBauche has changed a few things up as far as his operation time to put himself in better position,"" head coach Bret Bielema said. ""I expect big things out of the position.""
—Zach Kukkonen
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