With the annual spring game just days away, the Wisconsin football team prepared with their usual Saturday team scrimmage. A large crowd crammed the McClain Center as coaches, high school teams and recruits were in attendance for the full-pads practice.
Junior running back P.J. Hill reminded the crowd of his big-play ability throughout practice. It was evident that he was one of the most impressive players of the scrimmage. On the very first play, he received a hand-off from senior quarterback Allan Evrigde busted to the outside and rumbled for 25 yards before he was finally taken down by sophomore safety Jay Valai.
The scrimmage lasted over two hours, yet again provided many of the back-ups and younger players an opportunity to shine in front of the coaches, a theme that has taken over this spring.
Junior defensive tackle Jeff Stehle, one of the major surprises of spring practice, anchored a battered defensive line that sacked the quarterback on four-straight plays at one point during practice. Of course, the whistles blew when it seemed the quarterback was close to being sacked, but the pressure stemming from the defensive line was impressive nonetheless.
The practice ran smoothly without injury, even though the full pads led to many physical hits.
Sophomore wide receiver Maurice Moore was the unfortunate beneficiary of an absolutely crushing blow from freshman cornerback Mario Goins midway through the scrimmage. Moore, running a simple out route, exposed his rib cage to defenders when he reached for a sailing pass from junior quarterback Dustin Sherer. Coming down from his leap, Goins nailed Moore in the mid-section and sent him to the ground. To Moore's credit, he was able to hold onto the ball, even though he was noticeably shaken.
Near the end of the scrimmage, sophomore running back Zach Brown showed his capability as a runner in the open field. Brown, who rushed for a career high 250 yards against Minnesota last season, busted into the open field and froze Valai with a quick juke before he ran straight into the end zone for the score.
Injury Notes:
Senior defensive tackle Mike Newkirk did not participate in practice Saturday. Last Thursday, he was dressed in full pads and participated in non-contact individual drills before he took off the pads and had his shoulder iced.
Senior and junior tight ends Travis Beckum and Garrett Graham participated early in practice as both were running routes and catching passes, but neither participated in contact drills or the scrimmage. They are both expected to be ready for fall camp.
Freshman wide receiver Nick Toon was also in pads Saturday. However, he did not take part in the scrimmage. He is recovering from a leg injury from earlier in camp.
