The Wisconsin Badgers are now halfway through fall camp, and they let fans see a glimpse of the action on Tuesday night, hosting an open practice at Camp Randall Stadium.
It was a day that the defense reportedly dominated with a ton of takeaways and key stops, although the offense did respond with some bigger plays later in practice.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s open practice, courtesy of 247Sports’s Payne Blazevich.
Defensive line makes a stand
We’ve been wondering how the defensive
line rotation would look this season after all the departures in the offseason. Hammond Russell and Junior Poyser were brought in, while Charles Perkins returned after missing most of last season with an injury.
Well, Blazevich noted that Russell, fellow transfer Jake Anderson, and others made an impact on the interior, while the pass rushers were getting after the quarterback regularly.
“The Badgers’ gallery at defensive line imposed their will with Hammond Russell, Jacob Anderson and more making an impact on the interior,” Blazevich wrote. “Outside linebacker Nicolas Clayton issued a violent pass breakup right in quarterback Deuce Adams’ face, while Sebastian Cheeks and Liam Danitz brought pressure in the pass rush.”
Additionally, reserve linebacker Taylor Schaefer forced a pair of turnovers, marking a solid day for the front seven.
Offensive inconsistency
Unfortunately, much of the story for the Badgers offense this offseason has been the inconsistency and struggle to stack up consecutive strong days. While we’ve heard more positive remarks on the run game starting to develop, the passing game remains a work in progress. And that was the case on Tuesday.
“Wisconsin’s offense opened the session completely out of sync with timing issues, misfires and some stout defensive play preventing the ball from progressing far beyond its original spot,” Blazevich reported. “But the unit showed signs of life later in the night with a few necessary connections.
“Misread coverages, timing issues, erratic snapping and more defined a slow start for Wisconsin’s unit. Quarterback Colton Joseph surrendered an easy giveaway during seven-on-seven action, while Danny O’Neil threw a pair of interceptions on a go-ball and out-breaking route.”
Seeing interceptions in 7-on-7s is not a good sign. And the fact that erratic snapping, which we’ve seen from the reserves at center, remains an issue does not ease any worries. But there were some big plays as the day went on, with the tight end room shining.
Jacob Harris caught a few big passes, while Emmett Bork had a huge downfield catch down the sideline.
While Bork was a standout, we didn’t see much from the tight end room in the spring. Good to see production coming from there in the passing game. Eugene Hilton also made another play, connecting with Colton Joseph on a deep ball down the sideline with two defenders closing in.
Secondary shines
It was a turnover-heavy day for the defense, and the secondary stood out.
The youngsters Donovan Dunmore and Grant Dean each hauled in interceptions, while other cornerbacks notched pass breakups as well.
“Wisconsin’s back line took advantage of its chances to make plays with several pass breakups and a few takeaways on Tuesday night,” Blazevich wrote.“The unit consistently played the ball, limiting and disrupting opportunities for the passing game to find its step.
“UW’s young defensive backs teed off in the early going with interceptions from cornerback Donovan Dunmore and safety Grant Dean. Dunmore notched a deflection near the sideline, while cornerbacks Cai Bates and Jai’mier Scott crashed for pass breakups of their own. The secondary fit its gaps and got hands on the football, forcing the offense to play around the pressure and capitalizing on opportunities to snatch the ball when presented.”
The secondary has been the biggest growth for Wisconsin on defense this offseason. While it is a largely unproven group, they should be an upgrade, which should only further the Badgers’ growth on that side of the ball.
