MADISON -- Luke Fickell and the Badgers returned to the field inside the McClain Center on Thursday morning for the second media practice of the week.
BadgerBlitz.com was on the scene for the third of 15 practices, and will be in attendance throughout the duration of spring. Here are some notes from Thursday's session.
OFFENSE
REP BREAKDOWN
First team:
Quarterback: Tyler Van Dyke
Running back: Chez Mellusi, Tawee Walker (no clear #1)
Wide receiver: Bryson Green, C.J. Williams and Will Pauling (slot)
Tight end: Tucker Ashcraft
Offensive line (from left to right): Jack Nelson, Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro, Joe Huber, Riley Mahlman
Second team:
Quarterback: Braedyn Locke
Running back: Jackson Acker, Cade Yacamelli, Nate White
Wide Receiver: Quincy Burroughs, Vinny Anthony II, Trech Kekahuna (slot)
Tight end: Riley Nowakowski, Jackson McGohan, J.T. Seagreaves (no clear #2)
Offensive line: Kevin Heywood, James Durand, Kerry Kondako, JP Benzschawel, Peyton Lange
NOTES:
Wisconsin’s two big quarterback additions in the offseason — senior transfer Tyler Van Dyke and freshman Mabrey Mettauer — are beginning to break out of their shells. Both looked more confident and willing to take chances, despite the general lack of down-field throwing.
It’ll still take time to build chemistry between them and their new receivers, especially given the frequency of rotations so far in practice. The coaches are clearly trying to find reliable pieces in a room that struggled to create space last season.
Trech Kekahuna has filled the secondary slot receiver role well, replacing Skyler Bell, who transferred this past offseason.
But what was probably the play of the day belonged to C.J. Williams, who made a tough contested catch down the field against Jace Arnold.
An even more turbulent position group, the tight ends, saw the partial return of their most experienced player. Tucker Ashcraft participated in parts of the 11-on-11 drills, but still spent most of his time off to the side.
Deeper in the rotation, Jackson McGohan began to make an impression. He had a few nice catches over the middle and even delivered a crucial block to create a lane on the outside for Chez Mellusi.
The running backs ultimately weren’t as impactful Thursday, but we did see meaningful reps from redshirt sophomore Nate White. He has some of the most noticeable burst on the team, but will have to consistently impress if he hopes to rise on the depth chart.
They were impaired by some mistakes from the offensive linemen, who are clearly struggling to limit the front seven without the ability to grab any pads.
