UW head coach Bret Bielema and his staff spoke at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association's 31st annual football clinic this past weekend, but it was the Badger defense that did most of the tutoring during Wisconsin's intra-squad scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium.
Hard hits by junior second-string middle linebacker Joshua Neal and freshman safety Jay Valai set the tempo early for the defense, which was visibly more fired up than the offense.
Quarterbacks Tyler Donovan, Allan Evridge and Dustin Scherer struggled to find their rhythm in the passing game. Sophomore safety Aubrey Pleasant and sophomore corner Josh Nettles recorded interceptions during the scrimmage while Valai, junior defensive back Jack Ikegwuonu and sophomore linebacker Erik Prather snagged picks during seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills.
Freshman Niles Brinkley, who recently switched from wide receiver to defensive back, also had an impressive diving interception during the scrimmage.
Bielema did not seem concerned by his quarterbacks' growing pains.
""First off, the defense played fairly well, especially our ones,"" Bielema said. ""But in addition to that, you got three quarterbacks handling a majority of that work that are just experiencing things for the first time.""
""When you take out the fact that ... Tyler started two games last year and Allan started when he was at Kansas State, those guys don't have much live game experience, so every day is a learning experience for them,"" Bielema added.
Instead of harping on the negatives, Bielema highlighted the continued improvement of junior tight end Travis Beckum and the physical and mental toughness of sophomore running back Lance Smith.
""Mentally, [Smith] has really sharpened up his game,"" Bielema said. ""Also, he rolled his ankle pretty good the other day ... and they told us on Thursday he was going to be minimum and he went the whole way.""
Although the UW defensive line clogged up the middle, Smith did find some success on cutbacks off tackle. He broke free for a 40-yard run down the left sideline before Pleasant and fellow safety Shane Carter knocked him out of bounds.
The Badger offensive line did not blow their defensive counterparts off the ball, but Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Palcic said his younger players are still learning.
""It was typical of six practices into spring ball, some good things, a lot of things we need to correct,"" Palcic said. ""But they're working hard and I think we've been improving on a daily basis.""
Saturday's practice marked the first time the Badgers played outdoors this spring. The scrimmage consisted of 74 plays with 32 plays for starters, 32 for the second string and 10 for reserves.
According to Bielema, 3,100 high school coaches participated in the three-day coaching clinic, held at the Marriot Madison West. Speakers included members of the Badgers' staff, as well as Florida head coach Urban Meyer and Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders.
Play of the Day
While the Badger defensive backs stifled the offense's passing attack for most of the afternoon, Evridge and senior wideout Luke Swan connected for a long touchdown pass late in practice. After snagging Evridge's spiral on a deep ""out"" route, Swan stopped his momentum before stepping out of bounds. Sophomore free safety Shane Carter overran Swan, who then darted down the sideline to the end zone.
Injury Report
Junior corner Allen Langford rolled his ankle when Swan attempted a cut block. Sophomore wide receiver Isaac Anderson injured his hand during practice. Beckum began practice wearing a green, non-contact jersey, but took it off during the scrimmage and participated at full strength.
Quick Slant
Several hundred of the high school coaches who attended the football clinic also stayed for the Badgers' scrimmage. Players from Madison's professional women's football team, the Wisconsin Wolves, watched part of the practice. Athletic director Barry Alvarez and former All-American tackle Joe Thomas also attended.
