MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Badgers took to the Camp Randall field on Tuesday morning for their third open spring practice.
BadgerBlitz.com was there to catch the action. Here are my three biggest takeaways.
Koziol makes his presence known
Most of Tuesday’s 11-on-11 play took place in the red zone. This meant that there were less of the 30+ yard bombs that we saw on Saturday. But it allowed an important weapon to have his best day of practice yet — tight end Tanner Koziol.
Koziol entered Madison with high expectations. He was one of the most productive tight ends in the country last season at Ball State, finishing with 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns.
Yet the first two practices were rather quiet for him. But on Tuesday, Koziol finally offered a preview of his potential in the offense.
He was reliable on the short and easy routes, but then quickly revealed himself as the premier jump-ball target on the team. His best play came in the endzone, when he lept into the air and secured a tough catch against safety Austin Brown, who couldn’t have played better defense.
Koziol is the type of weapon that the Badgers haven’t had in years — a player who can be trusted when no one’s open but the offense still needs something. He’s who they desperately needed against Penn State and Oregon last season.
Ultimately, I expect Tuesday to be the first of many where Koziol takes centerstage in the Badger offense.
