A major storyline of fall camp for Wisconsin centers on the indefinite suspensions of senior defensive backs Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant, but the Badger secondary is not fretting about the absences.
Earlier in camp, head coach Bret Bielema announced the suspensions of Carter and Pleasant but did not specify the length of or the reasons for the suspensions. But since the statement on Aug. 15, the defensive backfield has moved on without Carter and Pleasant and remains confident in its ability to succeed.
Senior strong safety Jay Valai has little concern over the absences.
""You just try to move forward and try to play football right now,"" Valai said. ""It doesn't put any added pressure on any of us.""
Senior defensive back Chris Maragos shares a similar sentiment.
""I just think we took it as the misfortune that it was, and we kept moving forward with it and getting better every day,"" Maragos said.
The Badgers have reason to believe their unit will not falter because of the suspensions after Maragos and Valai emerged as Wisconsin's two starting safeties in 2008.
Pleasant started all 13 games at strong safety in 2007. But Valai, who has raised some eyebrows with his hard-hitting style last season, took over the position in 2008 by starting 12 of 13 games.
Like Pleasant, Carter also saw his playing time wane in 2008 after being a fixture at safety in 2007. Carter led the Big Ten with seven interceptions as a sophomore but struggled greatly with his run defense as a junior. As a result, Maragos started six games at free safety and entered fall camp as the favorite to win the job for the upcoming season.
Now, with a season of experience under their belts, Valai and Maragos are excited for the 2009 season.
""We're feeling pretty good,"" Maragos said. ""I think we're a pretty tight-knit group and we're pretty cohesive. I think we're forming together and making a pretty solid unit right now.""
The Badgers lost starting cornerback Allen Langford to graduation but expect contributions from a couple inexperienced defensive backs this fall.
Sophomore Aaron Henry injured his knee late in 2007 and took a medical redshirt in 2008 but should receive the bulk of the playing time at one of the cornerback positions in 2009.
Sophomore defensive back Devin Smith should also see plenty of the field on defense this season after playing mostly special teams in 2008.
And cornerback Niles Brinkley will return for 2009 after starting seven games and intercepting a team-high four passes in 2008.
Maragos said he feels good about the three cornerbacks and their potential to succeed in 2009.
""Aaron [Henry]'s healthy right now and he's playing real well and we got a good rotation going with Niles Brinkley and Devin Smith,"" Maragos said.
Fall Camp News and Notes
Wisconsin will release its depth chart for the season opener against Northern Illinois Aug. 27...
Last spring, the starting quarterback position appeared to be a two-man race between senior Dustin Sherer, who started seven games in 2008, and freshman Curt Phillips. Many gave Sherer the edge last spring, but recently the quarterback competition took a sharp turn.
Now Phillips finds himself in a battle with junior Scott Tolzien for the job, with Sherer all but eliminated from consideration. Tuesday, Bielema split the repititions between Phillips and Tolzien equally, with Sherer taking basically no meaningful snaps...
Sophomore Nick Toon got off to a slow start in 2008, but finished strongly. Toon saw the bulk of the passes come his way in 11-on-11 drills in practice Tuesday and figures to be a focal point of Wisconsin's offense in 2009...
After little playing time at cornerback in 2008 as a freshman, sophomore Devin Smith could be a starter in 2009. Smith took just as many, if not more, snaps than incumbent Niles Brinkley in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills Tuesday...
Wisconsin got a scare last week when junior left tackle Gabe Carimi went down with a knee injury. Bielema said Carimi's knee will not keep him out of practice more than two weeks, and the lineman should be ready for the Sept. 5 opener against Northern Illinois.
