3 QUICK TAKEAWAYS FROM WISCONSIN’S SPRING PRACTICE NO. 11

The Wisconsin Badgers concluded their 11th practice of the spring on Tuesday, which was a fairly even battle between the offense and the defense, with highlight plays coming on both sides of the ball.

Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s spring practice No. 11.

Outside runs vs. Inside runs

The battle between the running backs and the defense extended throughout the day, with the offense looking stronger on runs to the outside, while the defense had the advantage, clogging up the box.

The day started off with 1-on-1s between the backs and the linebackers in a pass protection drill, where Cade Yacamelli stood out again, winning two of his reps. Additionally, I thought Tawee Walker put up a good fight, holding up against Jaheim Thomas on a rep, as well as winning against Tyler Jansey.

However, both of the linebackers had good days overall, with Thomas showcasing his pass-rushing repertoire in a different 1-on-1 rep, as well as in a blitzing role during team drills. Meanwhile, Jansey also won a 1-on-1 rep and looked pretty active around the ball while getting more opportunities as Tackett Curtis continues to be worked back in after offseason surgery.

In the run game, Chez Mellusi started strong with some nice runs, including one for a good gain up the middle. Shortly after, Cade Yacamelli showcased good vision and agility between the tackles, cutting a run back for a good gain.

The Badgers also looked to experiment with the speed option, which had some success in the red zone, as Mellusi and Jackson Acker both had short touchdowns executing the concept.

Additionally, as the day went along, I thought Yacamelli and redshirt freshman Nate White both had a number of nice runs to the outside with the second and third-team defense, showcasing their burst to hit the edge against an aggressive defense.

But, the defense also had some strong moments on a day filled with pressure, both from blitzing linebackers and off the edges.

As the day went along, the defense really started to pick things up on runs inside the tackles, which had been a strong suit for the offense to begin the camp. Jansey and other linebackers were quick to the ball, while the edges continued to showcase their motor by pursuing the ball on backside runs.

Yes, that led to a number of solid quarterback keepers, both by design and RPOs, but I thought the defense held up a good fight on the inside concepts, while the backs had a good day on the outside.

Skill position highlight plays

I thought Tuesday was a pretty good day for the wide receivers, who made a number of highlight plays, but the corners had their moments as well.

It started with the usual 1-on-1 drills, where I thought Vinny Anthony was a standout, excelling on comeback routes twice.

Defensively, Jonas Duclona was the highlight player for me, as he mirrored a whip route from C.J. Williams, which led to no throw from a quarterback, while covering Bryson Green well on his second rep, leading to the same predicament.

Bryson Green started the day slow with a drop in 1-on-1s after beating R.J. Delancy on an in-breaker, but continued to rack up highlight plays, specifically in contested catch situations.

Working with Tyler Van Dyke, Green had a nice 20-yard catch up the sidelines, leaping over Austin Brown for a classic head-top. The duo connected again on a crosser with good touch from Van Dyke, where the receiver got up with Delancy in coverage to make another catch in the intermediate portion of the field.

Delancy did record a pass breakup during 7-on-7s, collapsing quickly on a curl from Braedyn Locke to make the play.

C.J. Williams had an up-and-down day, dealing with some incompletions on catchable passes during the same series, but bounced back with a great catch deep down the sidelines from Braedyn Locke during a move-the-ball period.

Nyzier Fourqurean got the last laugh, however, displaying excellent coverage on a fade in the endzone, forcing Williams out of bounds on the sidelines before making an impressive catch for an interception.

Elsewhere, Quincy Burroughs had a highlight catch, high-pointing a ball from Tyler Van Dyke well near the sidelines on a good throw and reception. He also won his lone rep in 1-on-1s against Jace Arnold, while getting a touchdown from Braedyn Locke on a tight window throw over the middle during the move-the-ball period.

As usual, Will Pauling and Trech Kekahuna continued to stand out, with both catching extremely deep passes after getting open downfield out of the slot on the day. The duo have found a way to make splash plays consistently, while also hauling in a good amount of volume daily.

While a number of receivers had highlight plays, I did also think that the defensive backs played physically, making a number of hits for pass breakups, creating a level of competition between the skill-position players.

Standouts

A number of the standouts were listed above, such as Fourqurean, but there were a few other players who made a number of plays on Tuesday.

It starts with Jaheim Thomas, who led the charge of a pretty successful pass rush on the day, as the quarterbacks were constantly under duress and sacked. The battle between the edges has been one that head coach Luke Fickell has preached about this offseason, and the defense had the edge over the offense in that department Tuesday.

Elsewhere, I thought Tucker Ashcraft had his best moment of the spring yet, hauling in a pass from Tyler Van Dyke in the red zone session, making an incredible one-handed catch while keeping a foot in bounds for the score on a well-placed ball.

Defensively, I liked what I saw from Anelu Lafaele in what seemed like his best practice to date. With the ongoing competition at outside linebacker between John Pius, Leon Lowery, and Darryl Peterson, as well as a recent injury to Aaron Witt, the true freshman has gotten more reps with the third and even the second-team defense at times.

On Tuesday, he made the most of those opportunities. First, he beat Colin Cubberly, who was working at right tackle, off the edge with the second-team defense for a sack. One series later, the outside linebacker dove on a fumble from running back Nate White, making a key recovery that hyped up the defense. Then, Lafaele kept with Mabrey Mettauer in pursuit on a play-action pass, although the quarterback was able to get by on a scramble.

11 practices deep, the Badgers remain competitive, and will look to finish the spring strong over the final two weeks.

2024-04-23T23:44:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd