MADISON -- Luke Fickell and the Badgers had their ninth practice of spring on Thursday. While the first and second teams are beginning to look more solidified at certain positions, there are still some major questions that must be answered in the remaining six practices, specifically in the backfield.
BadgerBlitz.com was on the scene for the ninth of 15 practices, and will be in attendance throughout the duration of spring. Here are some notes from Thursday's session.
OFFENSE
One of the biggest takeaways from Tyler Van Dyke over halfway through spring camp is that, despite his immense talent, he can be rather inconsistent.
When he’s on, it doesn’t seem like there should be a position battle at all. Van Dyke had one series in a red zone drill early in practice where he completed three bullet passes in a row, all perfectly to the chest of his receivers. But for the remainder of practice, his great throws were few and far between.
Braedyn Locke isn’t as talented, but is the steadier hand. And whenever Van Dyke put together a nice drill, but Locke would follow and either match or outperform him
On the third team, freshman Mabrey Mettauer is continuing to look better every practice, despite throwing to some of the least dependable receivers on the roster. He’s particularly developed some nice chemistry with Grady O’Neill, a redshirt sophomore walk-on
Will Pauling and Trech Kekahuna continued to stand out with their athleticism, as is the case in almost every practice.
But on the outside, Bryson Green had one of his best practices yet. He caught multiple contested catches from both quarterbacks, with a few requiring some nimble footwork on the sideline. Green also seems to have the best hands on the team.
His improvement would mean a lot for Van Dyke, who has found comfort in the past with vertical threat receivers.
Running back reps were too split to make any new real takeaways. Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker are at the top, but it’s hard to tell who’s favored within the rest of the litter.
Although early on in practice, Gideon Ituka played with the third team, which is to be expected given his early enrollee status. But, in my opinion, he has outperformed Cade Yacamelli, Jackson Acker and Nate White so far in spring camp, and should earn more reps than the three of them
Thursday was a great day for the starting offensive line, specifically on the interior. Essentially every running back found space and produced some big plays as a result of the line work. Left guard Joe Brunner especially is a name that fans should learn.
