MADISON — The dreary months of winter have come and gone, and so has a significant portion of the offseason. Wisconsin took to its outside practice field for its 10th of 15 practices.
BadgerBlitz.com had boots on the ground at the practice field and will be in attendance for the duration of spring.
Here are some notes from Saturday’s practice:
WISCONSIN BADGERS OFFENSE
Saturday was the offense’s worst practice of the spring, in large part due to several absences along the offensive line.
Presumed starters Kevin Heywood and Joe Brunner were off to the side, joining other linemen like JP Benzschawel, Emerson Mandell and Barrett Nelson as inactive for team drills.
Leyton Nelson filled in for Heywood at left tackle, and Colin Cubberly slotted in at left guard, but neither looked up to speed.
With limited time in the pocket, Wisconsin’s passing game fell stagnant. Tyrell Henry, Eugene Hilton and Vinny Anthony looked good in the few positive plays the offense managed. Henry has established himself as the top slot receiver while Trech Kekahuna is unavailable and had several plays manufactured for him as a runner and receiver.
Hilton caught a slant, broke a tackle and sprinted upfield for a big gain. He also caught a pass above his head on a bullet from Danny O’Neil, showing his strong hands. Anthony had an impressive catch for a touchdown on a slant, holding onto the ball despite excellent coverage from Matt Jung.
Billy Edwards and Chris Brooks seemingly had an easy touchdown, as Brooks breezed by two defenders up the seam, but Edwards’ pass came in a little behind Brooks and the wide out couldn’t haul it in.
The injury bug also bit the running back room, with Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli remaining off to the side Saturday. This allowed Dilin Jones to handle most of the first-team reps, and Gideon Ituka to handle more snaps.
Both had a tough time as runners and were frequently downed for losses, but had some chunk runs mixed in. Ituka had an impressive rep in pass protection, standing Tyrese Fearbry up before driving him into the grass.
WISCONSIN BADGERS DEFENSE
