Notebook: Garrett Groshek on fullbacks; more praise for Chimere Dike

Heading into this season, Wisconsin's offense needed to replace key pieces at running back, wide receiver and the offensive line. What was one key position group that returned all of its contributors from 2019 on that side of the ball?

That's right, the fullbacks.

Redshirt senior Mason Stokke and junior John Chenal combined to play in 26 games last year (12 and 14, respectively) and 43 total contests in their careers (21 and 22). According to redshirt senior running back Garrett Groshek, that group is "probably one of the most experienced" in receiving time on the field. Now heading into the 2020 campaign, the upperclassman believes the fullbacks have "picked up where they left off."

“Obviously had to shake off the rust as far as pad level and things like that, but they've started to really clean it up," Groshek told reporters via Zoom on Sunday morning. "John's a lot better as far as the work and efficiency with his feet this year compared to last year, and Mason just kind of expanded his knowledge of the offense. Been able to do some running back stuff, some tailback stuff.

"Then both of them being able to do some of the closer [roles] to the line of scrimmage, the tight end -- whether it's off the ball or on the ball -- just trying to get a little bit there."

Last season, Stokke carried the ball 15 times for 51 yards with two rushing touchdowns. One of those scores came on a fourth-down rush during the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl loss against Oregon. He also reeled in six passes for 47 yards in 2019.

As Groshek mentioned, Stokke had also received "a couple of running back reps as well, just because of the uncertainty of if everybody's going to be available and when they'll be available." The veteran tailback feels the converted linebacker from Menomonie, Wis., has looked "really good" with those opportunities.

“He had a good understanding before actually getting those live reps of what our position took and what his role needed to be, so it's just being able to get some kind of live reps at it," Groshek said. "He performed the way that we expected, and he's done really well at it. It's fun to see him go from the traditional role of having to block and everything to be able to get some passes and be able to get some runs more than being three or four yards from the line of scrimmage when he gets it. So it's cool to see him in space, and he's done a really good job with it.”

In the past couple weeks, Chimere Dike's name as emerged with praise from three Wisconsin quarterbacks, among others.

Danny Vanden Boom complimented the true freshman's athleticism and detail in route running. Redshirt sophomore Chase Wolf recently called Dike, a Waukesha North product, "a stud" and "a guy that we're gonna rely on in the future."

When asked by a reporter if there was an offensive player that popped out during camp that "kind of kept being a pain" for the defense through the air, redshirt senior safety Eric Burrell brought up Dike's name with a laugh.

"Chim, he's a young guy, but I think he's a smart learner," Burrell said via Zoom on Sunday. "He comes in the locker room asking me like ‘Hey, what I should have done better?' I'm like, ‘Wow.’

“That's the first freshman that came up to me and asked me, ‘Hey, what should I've done better?’ What worked well, what didn't, so I think that was an exciting moment for me and for him. It's just him looking up from an older guy and understanding me as a defender trying to help his game out and also help my game out. But Chim, I think he's gonna be a big help for us this year so I'm excited for what he has to bring."

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds on Wisconsin's fall camp roster, Dike enrolled early in January. According to WisSports.net, the three-star wide out reeled in 59 passes for 962 yards and six touchdowns as a senior in 2019.

Last week, Wisconsin wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted told reporters that Dike and seniors Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis, Adam Krumholz and Jack Dunn had been the most consistent and trustworthy.

"Chim's doing an amazing job being a freshman and just going out and playing hard every play, taking upon himself to study more, and just, he's going to be a really good football player in this program," Whitted said on Oct. 13 via Zoom. "Very, very high football IQ, goes about his business the right way, and wants to get better. He has those intangibles that you want."

The major injury news from Wisconsin's fall camp in October involved Jack Coan and a right foot injury that required surgery earlier this month. The quarterback was set to start a senior campaign after passing for over 2,700 yards and completing nearly 70 percent of his passes last year with 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Practice footage from UW late last week showed Coan in a boot next to head coach Paul Chryst. Despite being sidelined for what the program announced as indefinitely on Oct. 6, Chryst noted how much the signal caller means.

“He's a significant, big part of this team, and a leader on this team," Chryst said via Zoom on Sunday. "I think that's what's hard for people when a guy gets hurt, they think that he's gone. He's with us every day, and he's being himself. He's involved, and I think that he's not acting as a coach. He's acting as a leader of this team. That's who he is, and I think what guys look to and continue to look towards him for that.

“We were saying before he got hurt, it’s the same person.The same qualities exist and the same care he has for this team, the same passion for this team, that didn't get injured."