Wisconsin TE Cam Large debuts in key situation vs. Illinois

Wisconsin drove down the field more than halfway through the second quarter last weekend inside Memorial Stadium, setting up a 1st-and-goal at the Illinois two-yard line. UW deployed a package of larger personnel, devised of two tight ends, two backs, and a mysterious No. 46 (who was actually offensive lineman Cormac Sampson in a different number than his normal No. 62).

Redshirt freshman Cam Large entered the game as one of those tight ends, making his collegiate debut in Champaign during a key red zone sequence. Two plays later, Large, who was essentially lined up as a fullback for both of his game reps, acted as a battering ram for senior John Chenal to cross the goal line for a one-yard touchdown.

"First when I was running out there, I was a little worried," Large told BadgerBlitz.com on Monday. "Not like in a 'how I was gonna perform,' but I was like 'Wow, like this is actually finally happening.' It felt great.

"First play, it was a kind of a blur. Second play I was like, 'Alright, I know what I'm doing.' Kind of shook off all that, ran in, put my head down and felt good.”

Wisconsin lists Large as a tight end, but as mentioned, he lined up like a fullback on those two plays. He initially started in the I-formation behind quarterback Graham Mertz and in front of tailback Braelon Allen on that 1st-and-goal. He shifted pre-snap to the right and reset himself, hand in ground, and Chenal quickly did so as well, going from the left and behind of tight end Jake Ferguson to deeper in the backfield.

Large -- whose assignment was to execute a kick-out block on an outside linebacker, according to the second-year Badger -- nearly pushed the 6-foot-2, 238-pound Allen into the end zone for what officially was a one-yard gain.

The ensuing play, Large again lined up in the I-formation before pre-snap motion shifted him to the right. Chenal replaced him in that spot in front of Allen, and this time, the redshirt freshman led the senior to Wisconsin's first touchdown of the day.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Large discussed the differences between roles of a standard hand-in-the-ground tight end and one that can be like an H-back or play in the backfield.

"I did it in high school so it's comfortable for me," Large said. "It’s more downhill playing fullback. You're a little less technique, a little more impact. Usually my hand's not in the dirt.

"It doesn't really matter to me. I don't care where I line up. I know I can get across the line and hit somebody.”

Large has "been in the mix for the goal line stuff just because I'm versatile in the way I can play kind of fullback and tight end" since the start of the 2021 season, according to the Pomfret, Conn., native. He did not play last year in Madison, and his first collegiate game action came against Illinois when Wisconsin only led by a field goal with less than six minutes before halftime.

For that matter, Wisconsin has struggled in the red zone this season. Overall, the offense has only scored on 13 of 18 opportunities (72.2%) through five games, good for a tie for 114th in the nation entering Saturday's contest against Army (7 p.m. CT, BTN). Last weekend, however, it converted on all three of its chances inside Illinois' 20-yard line (two touchdowns, one field goal).

Head coach Paul Chryst mentioned the gravity of being near that goal line and how Large put himself into that position to contribute.

“I think that there's a trust factor that goes in when anyone earns the right to be on the field, and that's why I think I use that phrase," Chryst said on Monday. "They've earned the right to be out there, and certainly in the situations he was in, it's on the goal line. Those are kind of known big situations. How do you finish a drive?

“Just the way that he kind of approaches each day, he's got an energy about him and thought it showed. He's gonna keep going. It wasn't pretty, but he and Braelon kind of helped get that -- could have been the ball on the three- or four[-yard line] and then Braelon got it going. He kind of kept pushing it, and how do you get it to the one, and now you get a chance to finish it. He'll jump in and do anything for this team."

Large came to Madison as a high three-star recruit who had a final four of Wisconsin, Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia. The redshirt freshman believes he was overthinking in his first year at UW, but now feels more comfortable with the playbook. He knows his assignments and does not have to think when he is out on the field. That particular comfortability developed in spring practices earlier this year.

"It's just nice to be able to cut it loose," Large said.

Large sits in a tight end room that boasts players with game experience over the last two years. Redshirt senior Jake Ferguson has caught a pass in a school-record 39 straight games and leads Mickey Turner's group. Though UW listed Jack Eschenbach as out for this week, redshirt sophomores Clay Cundiff and Hayden Rucci can provide options for Chryst and Turner as well. Redshirt junior Jaylan Franklin may not have seen much time as a tight end yet in his UW career, but he has played 22 games overall.

The redshirt freshman gushed over his fellow tight ends.

“We have a great room. I love our room. All the guys get along," Large said. "It's a really tight-knit group, and it's fun. It's fun to just go out with the boys every weekend. We know we're gonna all have a chance to impact the game. We're all not gonna be just sitting on the bench. I think that's really special.

"I mean usually, rooms aren't always like that. Like on this team, there aren't rooms like that, but our room’s special. It's good to go out there and just play next to your guys, some of your best friends. It's awesome.”

Large does not care about his individual stats when discussing goals. In his eyes, it's all about the program and the end result each fall weekend.

“I just want to win games. I just want to do all I can. I don't care if it's two plays, 20 plays, doesn't matter to me. I want to do as much as I can to help our team win games.”