MADISON, Wis. - With fewer than three weeks to go until the Wisconsin Badgers host Utah State at Camp Randall Stadium for their 2017 season opener, UW offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said on Saturday likes what he has to work with along the team's offensive line. But there are still a few roles that need a little more clarity before the Aggies come to town, both on the line and in the offense as a whole.

-- The Badgers shook things up in their starting lineup this fall by moving junior Michael Deiter over to the open spot at left tackle and installing redshirt freshman Tyler Biadasz at center. There have been some growing pains, but the Badgers are confident that a lineup of Deiter, Jon Dietzen (when healthy), Biadasz, Beau Benzschawel and David Edwards is their best combination of five players.

Biadasz, in particular, seems more than ready to step in to a starting job and contribute after he redshirted in 2016 and Rudolph said that he learned a lot by watching how Deiter handled the starting center job last year.

"I just think that Michael was a great example for him," Rudolph said. "(Tyler) was here from day one and watching (Deiter) and seeing this is how you go about doing it. This is how you prepare, this is how you communicate. I think that’s helped him a great deal."

-- Deiter is still adjusting to his new position, but appeared to take a step forward during the second week of fall camp. Rudolph said Deiter is getting more confident in his technique the more work he gets at left tackle, and with a few weeks left before the season opener the Badgers seem happy with the progress he's made.

"He’s still shoring some things up in his sets, but they’re improved," Rudolph said. "They’re the best they’ve been today. I think getting all of the reps in to the plays at that position, because there’s slight variances when you see different looks or pressures, and finding that comfort level and confidence. I’d say he’s getting there very quickly."

-- Last week Rudolph said that he was looking for a few of his younger linemen to take a step up and claim the backup jobs that were still available - particularly at center and tackle. And for now it looks like Brett Connors has solidified his spot as the back-up center, which would allow the Badgers to leave their starting lineup mostly in place if something were to happen to Tyler Biadasz, rather than moving Michael Deiter back to center.

"I think he’s done a really good job," Rudolph said of Connors. "I got on him early in camp – I thought that he had a really good spring ball the year before last. And I think it’s hard sometimes when you start games and then all of a sudden you’re fighting for a reserve role. And I told him ‘Hey, we need everyone.’ I thought he really practiced his tail off really for the last five practices, and I thought he did some things to solidify that backup spot, and I just need that to continue from here."

-- And while Jon Dietzen has been the first team left guard for most of camp, he has missed some time with a nagging leg injury over the last week. That's opened up some reps for the likes of Micah Kapoi and Jason Erdmann, although Erdmann has missed time with a shoulder injury too. Rudolph said that Dietzen is getting in as much work as he can, but he likes the steps forward that his other guards are taking - and suggested that they'll need a lot of guys to be ready to play.

"I think there’s a lot of competition at guard," Rudolph said. "I like what guys are doing. Dietzen is fighting through something, but he gets to practice and gets as much as he can in. But I like what he’s done so far. He’s shown a lot of improvement mentally as well as physically."

"I think Micah came in in the best shape he has been in, and that’s showing up. He’s a little lighter, and I think that’s allowing him to play with some better conditioning. Jason Erdmann has done a good job and has stood out there at different times. That’s a guy who can play some center, too. I think there’s a lot of competition at guard, and if last year plays true at all you’re going to need everyone. You want to stay healthy and you want to do that, but when you’re confident in the backups you’ve got and you don’t have to move guys around to make something work it’s a much better feeling."

-- And while the Badgers have Alex Hornibrook entrenched as their starting quarterback, Rudolph said the race to be his backup between freshman Jack Coan and redshirt freshman Kare' Lyles is still ongoing. Both young quarterbacks got a lot of extra reps in over the last two of UW's open practices, and while Coan appeared to edge out Lyles from a consistency standpoint, it appears as though the Badgers will let the two players continue to battle for a while.

"I think (the competition is) something you need to keep pushing for, and I like the way the two guys have competed," Rudolph said. "Two days ago I thought both guys showed some good things in the huddle and in their execution. You just saw a confidence level and things that you were like ‘Ok, guys were cutting it loose.’ But I think it’s ongoing right now and that’s the way it should be probably."

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.