MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin crossed the halfway point of spring ball with Thursday's practice -- its eighth of 15 sessions scheduled through April 22. The team, which practiced in spider shoulder pads, helmets and shorts, participated in only 18 periods. That equated to about 75 minutes overall, but within that timeframe, a wide receiver shined with a few receptions as the offense overall hummed to a stronger tune.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down our observations and notable events that took place inside the McClain Center. As a disclaimer, these respective recaps highlight just one practice and are not indicative of players' entire performances during the spring. For that matter, these sessions in late March through late April allow the staff and players to test their limits, so mistakes can happen without immense penalty.

That said, here are our thoughts from Thursday.

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*Wide receiver Skyler Bell stood out the most today with at least a trio of receptions. He reeled in a catch over the middle between a few Badger defenders for a long reception. Quarterback Graham Mertz placed the ball perfectly in what may be the best play of 11-on-11 action on Thursday. The defense on that snap consisted of a mix of reserves and players receiving first-team reps this spring.

*Bell hauled in two touchdowns during what appeared to be red zone skelly/7-on-7 work, one from Mertz and one eye-opening reception near the back of the end zone from Chase Wolf where the redshirt freshman got both feet in despite close coverage.

*Overall for this particular period, the quarterbacks established themselves well. Mertz also hit wide receiver Chimere Dike for a nice touchdown down the middle of the field, while redshirt freshman Deacon Hill found tight end Cole Dakovich for a touchdown on the second-to-last rep.