MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin wrapped up its third full week of spring ball on Saturday morning inside the McClain Center. Donning full pads and practicing for nearly two hours, the offense appeared to step up further in several periods.

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 Saturday.

RELATED: Practice No. 4 Recap | Practice No. 5 Recap | Practice No. 6 Recap | Four thoughts on Wisconsin's second week of spring practices | Practice No. 7 Recap | Practice No. 8 Recap |

*The offense looked crisper on Saturday than any of the previous six sessions reporters have seen. The passing game came together more with some nice strikes. Quarterback Graham Mertz hit wide receiver Chimere Dike across the middle on one particular snap. Safety Hunter Wohler, still seeing first-ream reps with fifth-year senior Travian Blaylock out, eyed up a potential interception, but Dike crossed his line of sight to reel in the grab.

*The offensive line also asserted itself more overall with getting push and creating holes for the backs. A few runs by Braelon Allen and Julius Davis seemed cleaner in churning up more yardage down the field. Redshirt freshman Jackson Acker also scored a touchdown in a red zone 11-on-11 period.

*Wisconsin utilized a red zone 9-on-9 session for the first time during open practices. The offense scored, by BadgerBlitz.com's highly unofficial notes, five touchdowns (disclaimer: we included them, even if the player caught the ball before reaching the end zone if the referee raised his hands -- there were two of those). Mertz threw two -- one each to Dike and fellow wide receiver Keontez Lewis. Chase Wolf hit tight end Jaylan Franklin, and wide receivers Dean Engram and Markus Allen as well for would-be scores.

*Allen, for that matter, scored two touchdowns in red zone periods. Along with that score during a 9-on-9 session where he made a nice play in the back of the end zone, Wolf found the redshirt freshman later for a touchdown during a team period.

*Dike and cornerback Justin Clark had a fun couple of reps against each other within the red zone, each winning one. Dike came down with the first off a Mertz throw during that 9-on-9 period for a touchdown. In red zone 11-on-11 work, the Toledo transfer fought for and came away with an interception.

*Dike clearly is wide receiver No. 1, and on Saturday, he also reeled in -- along with the other previously referenced receptions -- a catch off a Mertz throw where cornerback Jay Shaw came in for a breakup. The Waukesha, Wis., native continued his concentration on the pass and made the play.