Wisconsin football camp notes

[Mark87]

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Luke Fickell walked off a sweltering practice field, sweat seeping through his shirt following Wisconsin’s first day of preseason camp late Tuesday morning, and declared the expectation he has for his team. Fickell, in speaking to reporters, stressed above all else the importance of discipline.

Wisconsin will spend the next two weeks at UW-Platteville, where the only time football won’t be on the brain is the seven hours of sleep wedged into players’ schedules each night. If the Badgers are to take a step forward after an underwhelming 7-6 season in Year 1 of the Fickell era, then ensuring they thrive in the small details will be paramount — fewer mistakes and better mental toughness among them. Fickell has little patience for falling short in those areas.
That’s why Fickell was so animated during an 11-on-11 hurry-up sequence involving the second-team offense midway through practice. The group, led by quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — who continues to split first-team snaps with Braedyn Locke in a competition — took so long to line up and snap the ball that Fickell sent them off to the sideline to be replaced by a new unit. He wanted to send a message about the standard he expects.

“It’s a point of emphasis,” Fickell said. “That’s a period where we’re trying to play faster. And if we just kind of, ‘Oh, it’s day one, we’re going to let them work through some of these things,’ that’s not what we’re going to do now. … There’s a demeanor about how we’ve got to do things. Even on day one, it’s got to be established.”

Wisconsin was far from perfect, particularly offensively over the two-hour practice, as the Badgers work toward their Aug. 30 season opener against Western Michigan. Here are 10 takeaways from the first day of camp:
1. The Badgers didn’t do themselves any favors last season by tying for 107th nationally on defense with four forced fumbles and tying for 120th on offense with 12 fumbles lost. The defense appears to be drastically improved and won the day Tuesday, unofficially forcing six fumbles.

The offense lost two fumbles early in practice during skeleton drills. Safety Kamo’i Latu forced and recovered a fumble on receiver Bryson Green after Green caught a pass in the right flat and turned upfield. Safety Hunter Wohler then forced and recovered a fumble after a completed pass to receiver Chris Brooks Jr. Defensive back Justin Taylor later forced and recovered a fumble in skeleton drills on freshman tight end Grant Stec.

During 11-on-11 work, the first-team offense fumbled the ball when Van Dyke and running back Chez Mellusi had a handoff exchange issue. Outside linebacker Leon Lowery took the ball away from Mellusi on another running play. And finally, inside linebacker Christian Alliegro forced a fumble on tight end Tucker Ashcraft on a catch over the middle that cornerback Ricardo Hallman recovered.

“It should be toughest for me,” Fickell said. “You can be excited about them punching a ball out. Then you can be really gut-hurt because why’s the ball on the ground? But I think it’s an emphasis on both sides of how we do things. We’ve got to be able to do them together. And that’s going to do nothing but make us better.”

2. As expected, Van Dyke and Locke rotated with the first- and second-team offenses. Neither quarterback produced their best day overall, but there were more solid moments from Van Dyke, showing why he has the potential to ultimately win the job.

Van Dyke read the defense crashing down on running back Tawee Walker and kept the ball to complete a short pass to slot receiver Will Pauling. Van Dyke demonstrated an ability to gain a chunk of yardage on the ground after another play broke down — an area that Fickell said can be a critical part of the quarterback’s game this season. Van Dyke’s best throw of the day highlighted his arm strength when he fired a completion over the middle to receiver Quincy Burroughs in traffic for a first down.

3. Wisconsin’s first-team offensive line remained the same as in the spring with left tackle Jack Nelson, left guard Joe Brunner, center Jake Renfro, right guard Joe Huber and right tackle Riley Mahlman. The change came in the second unit on the right side, with Colin Cubberly at right guard and Barrett Nelson at right tackle to go with left tackle Kevin Heywood, left guard JP Benzschawel and center Kerry Kodanko.

Cubberly finished the spring as the second-team right tackle, though offensive line coach AJ Blazek has stressed he views his long-term fit on the inside. Barrett Nelson missed the spring with an injury but could be the top option as a reserve swing tackle. Freshmen Ryan Cory (center) and Emerson Mandell (right tackle) earned work with the third-team offense.
4. Wide receivers Vinny Anthony and Green took initial first-team reps, with Trech Kekahuna in the slot. Kekahuna will be used quite a bit as he works either alongside Pauling or in place of him.

Burroughs and CJ Williams are other viable options on the outside with the top unit. Williams made an outstanding touchdown catch working against cornerback RJ Delancy III during a red zone 1-on-1 drill. Boston College transfer receiver Joseph Griffin Jr. earned work with the third-team offense.
5. The Badgers’ first-team defense remains a work in progress at the linebacker spots. Jake Chaney and Jaheim Thomas opened with the top group at inside linebacker, with Alliegro and Tackett Curtis earning second-team snaps. Alliegro also paired with Chaney on the first unit.

The outside linebackers had even more combinations: Darryl Peterson and John Pius, Aaron Witt and Lowery, Thomas Heiberger and Lowery as well as Pius and Lowery. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the linebackers are ready to make a more significant impact this season.

Pius was a menace, much as he was in the spring. Peterson and Pius both came in unblocked for would-be sacks of Locke within a brief sequence of each other. Pius had another likely sack of Van Dyke when he won his matchup off the edge. Lowery and Alliegro both forced fumbles, and Alliegro drilled Mellusi on a short completion over the middle and forced a drop to Walker because of his presence.

6. Wisconsin’s top defensive line remained James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal, with Ben Barten, Cade McDonald, Elijah Hills and Brandon Lane all earning reps with the second-team defense. Lane, who transferred this summer from FCS Stephen F. Austin, already looks like he’ll be a key rotational piece and could have an even bigger role.

Lane stopped running backs Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker on a pair of short runs up the middle. Fickell called Lane “a bigger-bodied guy that’s been through a lot that I’m hoping and believing can provide something.” Redshirt freshman Jamel Howard worked with the third-team defense and batted down two balls at the line of scrimmage against freshman quarterback Mabrey Mettauer.

7. Wisconsin’s first-team secondary consisted of cornerbacks Nyzier Fourqurean and Hallman, with Max Lofy in the slot and Austin Brown and Wohler at safety. However, Brown also earned work in the slot in place of Lofy, with Wohler and Latu at safety.

Wisconsin used a variety of players with the second group, including Delancy and Jace Arnold on the outside, with Brown or Owen Arnett in the slot. Preston Zachman, Latu and Braedyn Moore all earned looks at safety. Jonas Duclona and Amare Snowden worked with the reserves at cornerback with Moore in the slot.

8. Ashcraft could be ready to give Wisconsin more playmaking ability at tight end. He was a focal point of the offense, coming up with multiple catches throughout practice. The sophomore hauled in a pair of first downs from Van Dyke, one up the left hash and another over the middle, though he also lost a fumble.

“He’s got the balance to be able to do everything,” Fickell said. “I think that’s probably what — more than anything — we’re looking for. Riley Nowakowski is the leader of that group and has done a great job and he’s got some balance to be able to do both. But I think Tucker’s got a really high end.”

9. Eleven scholarship freshmen who weren’t with the program during the spring went through their first practice Tuesday. Two who garnered plenty of offseason praise were former four-star running backs Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones. Even with only a handful of opportunities, Dupree flashed his potential.

Dupree caught a long pass in skeleton drills down the left hash from Locke between defenders. He later caught a pass from Mettauer on the left sideline when Taylor dove for an interception and missed it. Dupree also demonstrated his speed on a run around the left side for a nice gain while working against the team’s young reserves late in practice.

There are still hurdles to climb for playing time with Mellusi and Walker seemingly the top 1-2 punch and Acker and Yacamelli vying for snaps as well. But there is a lot to like early about Dupree. Freshman defensive lineman Dillan Johnson also flashed on one play when he generated a pressure that forced Mettauer to throw a pass away.

10. Wisconsin has three capable punt returners in Kekahuna, Anthony and Tyrell Henry. Kekahuna and Anthony generally were the top two on Tuesday, with Henry’s opportunities sprinkled in between them. All three players possess explosive play potential.

Kekahuna, a redshirt freshman, could be the most intriguing player in the bunch given his speed, cutting ability and upside. Although Kekahuna did not return any punts in four games last season, he did return a pair of kickoffs — for 17 yards against Nebraska and 37 yards against LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Anthony returned nine punts for 85 yards last season, while Henry returned 13 punts for 89 yards while at Michigan State.

 

[Mark87]

Day 3 notes

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Wisconsin completed its third preseason practice at UW-Platteville on Thursday morning, as the Badgers continue to work toward their Aug. 30 opener against Western Michigan. Here are six observations:

1. Quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke continue to rotate with the first- and second-team offenses while coaches give both players a look in a competition to win the starting job. There haven’t been a lot of deep shots down the field during 11-on-11 play early this preseason, nor has there been a move-the-ball scrimmage scenario. The good news for the offense is that it has been much better at taking care of the ball the last two practices after struggling with fumbling issues.

Both quarterbacks are seeking more consistency. Van Dyke underthrew tight end Riley Nowakowski who was open over the middle and threw behind tight end Jackson McGohan incomplete. Still, Van Dyke has moments each practice that highlight his arm strength and ability to pick up chunk yardage on read options or play breakdowns. His best throw came when he delivered a rope to receiver CJ Williams between defenders during an 11-on-11 sequence.

Locke produced what felt like his best day so far with a handful of nice throws. He completed a long pass down the right sideline to a diving Nowakowski. His longest completion went to slot receiver Trech Kekahuna, though it was a short throw and Kekahuna did most of the work. Kekahuna caught a pass in the left flat, juked a defender on the sideline and broke upfield for a gain of more than 30 yards. By the time Wisconsin’s final scheduled open practice is held Aug. 17, there should be a clear No. 1 and 2.

True freshman Mabrey Mettauer has handled the third-team offense reps, though redshirt freshman Cole LaCrue has been a practice participant in other drills. One of Mettauer’s strengths is his ability to pull the ball from his tailback to create a running lane for himself — though it likely helps that he has been on the field with freshman Darrion Dupree and playing against the third-team defense.

Mettauer may not be the most mobile quarterback but has long strides at 6-foot-4 and can gain yardage on the ground. Mettauer also has had success with duping the defense via pump fakes to put a ball on a receiver. There is still a clear separation between Mettauer and the top two quarterbacks, but he has earned plenty of work thus far in camp.
2. The more Dupree touches the ball, the more it becomes clear that he plays with a different type of gear. I compare it to Kekahuna in that he’s the type of player people hope to see with the ball in his hands in space just because you never know if he’ll break something big. That doesn’t mean he’s going to leapfrog veterans Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker for carries on the depth chart. But he’s a different kind of tailback that will be tough to keep off the field.

Wisconsin began practice Wednesday with a 1-on-1 pass-catching competition in the red zone. Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel pulled freshman Landon Gauthier out of the drill and replaced him with senior Jaheim Thomas to match up against Dupree. Dupree put a stutter step on Thomas, broke outside and caught a short touchdown pass. He is quite comfortable as a pass catcher, having finished his senior season of high school with 755 receiving yards.
“That was impressive,” Wisconsin center Jake Renfro said. “I haven’t seen something like that in a little while. So having a guy like him on the team with that explosiveness and that ability to stop and start on a dime is special.”

Later on Wednesday, while working with the third-team offense, Dupree caught a pass from Mettauer in the right flat, put a move on walk-on inside linebacker Drew Braam to blow past him and lowered his shoulder against defensive back Justin Taylor for a big gain.

Dupree put together a couple of strong runs with the third-team offense Thursday, including a long gain around the right side in which there was a huge hole and no defender touched him for the first 15 yards. Dupree also ran for a first down around the right side when tailback Gideon Ituka put a good block on a defender to help spring him. Dilin Jones, the other four-star tailback in the 2024 class, often was the first up with the third-team offense so coaches could give him a look too. Dupree and Jones both were among several players working on kick returns. 3. Walker has picked up where he left off in the spring, looking like one of the more impactful transfer additions from the offseason. Walker runs with both power and speed as a 5-9, 218-pound tailback. He caught one pass in the left flat and knocked the helmet off cornerback Ricardo Hallman as he turned upfield. Despite that play, Hallman had an outstanding day by forcing multiple incomplete passes while working against receivers downfield.
Walker produced a handful of first downs by bursting through a hole up the middle or with his ability to quickly turn upfield on a short reception and lower his shoulder. It’s safe to say he has played at a starter-quality level, which is good news for Wisconsin as it determines how to use the 1-2 punch of Mellusi and Walker.

4. The bulk of the attention at outside linebacker this offseason has gone to transfer additions John Pius and Leon Lowery, as well as returner Darryl Peterson. But true freshman Thomas Heiberger continues to demonstrate that he can be a significant playmaker, even with a different body type from the veterans in the group. While Lowery is 252 pounds, Pius 250 pounds and Peterson 248 pounds, Heiberger is listed at 227 pounds — up nine pounds from the spring when he was an early enrollee. His explosiveness and agility are evident, and he has taken advantage of second-team snaps.

He burst into the backfield and stuffed running back Cade Yacamelli for a short loss, stopped running back Jackson Acker on a carry around the edge and later sacked Locke when he shot up the middle on an apparent quarterback draw. Even if there aren’t enough available snaps on defense, Heiberger could be a special-teams contributor and has the talent to not require a redshirt season.

5. Offensive line coach AJ Blazek said after practice Wednesday that one of his goals in the next couple of weeks was to figure out which players could fit as the seventh and eighth linemen. The top five have been the same since the spring, with JP Benzschawel working as a possible sixth man. Barrett Nelson, who missed the spring with an injury, has emerged as a viable depth option for Blazek.

During one sequence, Nelson worked as the first-team right guard while Joe Huber took snaps at center. Huber has been the starting right guard next to Renfro at center but has taken occasional center snaps so Blazek can build more options behind Renfro. Nelson has earned work as the second-team right tackle but has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Nelson’s listed weight of 302 pounds is 14 pounds heavier than his listed weight in the spring, and Blazek praised his physicality.

6. Wisconsin’s first field-goal-kicking session of this preseason featured five attempts from starter Nathanial Vakos and two each from Gavin Lahm and Portland State transfer Gianni Smith. Vakos made 4 of 5 tries, including a 47-yarder from the left hash, and missed his final attempt from 47 yards off the right upright. Lahm connected on both his tries with plenty of room to spare, while Smith went 1-for-2.

Smith, a senior, made 8 of 9 field goal attempts at Portland State last season, which included a 51-yarder and a 55-yarder against UC Davis. Nate Van Zelst did not attempt any kicks on Thursday. Van Zelst made 11 of 14 field goals and all 35 of his extra points in 2022 after he took over for an injured Vito Calvaruso.

 

[Mark87]

 

[Mark87]

Wisconsin has entered its second week of preseason practices at UW-Platteville as it creeps closer to an Aug. 30 opener against Western Michigan. Here are five Badgers takeaways from practices this week:
1. Quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke continue to rotate snaps between the first- and second-team offenses, as they have done since the spring. And while both appear capable of leading the offense this season, there are moments during each practice that indicate why Van Dyke could gain the edge. His arm strength is outstanding, and what has stood out most is how effective of a runner he can be in the RPO game.

During practice Tuesday, he fooled the defense on a read option, gained a great block from tight end Tucker Ashcraft and ran around the right side for what would have been a touchdown of more than 60 yards. He was at it again Wednesday, stepping up in the pocket under pressure during a red zone drill and taking off up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown run. During an 11-on-11 sequence, Van Dyke picked up 14 yards to the defense’s 5-yard line when he escaped pressure. Later, with the ball starting at the defense’s 25-yard line, he ran around the right side for a touchdown.

In the spring, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Van Dyke was showing the kind of mobility he had as a redshirt freshman at Miami in 2021. Van Dyke has carried that into the preseason.

Van Dyke tossed a pair of interceptions Wednesday — one in skeleton drills over the middle to safety Hunter Wohler and one in 11-on-11 to safety Preston Zachman. But overall, he is showing better playmaking ability and a greater comfort level with the offense. It began Monday when he completed all of his passes in a four-play sequence. Van Dyke evaded pressure, stepped up in the pocket and completed a pass over the middle to slot receiver Trech Kekahuna for more than 30 yards through the air. On the next play, he rolled out of the pocket to his right and completed a pass to a diving Bryson Green along the right sideline.

On Wednesday, Van Dyke delivered a pair of perfect passes to receiver CJ Williams, who beat cornerback Amare Snowden down the right sideline. One went for a gain of 20-plus yards. The next went for more than 25 yards when Van Dyke hit Williams on a back-shoulder fade, with Williams diving for the catch at the 5. Van Dyke also threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Green in the front right corner of the end zone on cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean.

Fourqurean praised Van Dyke’s knowledge and accuracy earlier this week.

“There are sometimes in zones I’m trying to get underneath and he just throws it right over my head to where I can’t get it,” Fourqurean said. “Or maybe even in man. I think (Monday) I had a rep with CJ Williams and even the other day with Bryson Green. I might be on the inside, but he might throw it right to the outside where only the receiver will get it or it will go out of bounds. Just little things like that are very impressive to me.”

The good news for Wisconsin is that Locke has legitimately pushed Van Dyke and continues to deliver quality moments. On a fourth-and-7 from the defense’s 22 during practice Wednesday, Locke completed a pass over the middle to slot receiver Tyrell Henry for a first down. That drive was capped by a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle from freshman running back Darrion Dupree. On the next series, Locke threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Green, who dove in the front of the end zone.




2. Kicker Nathanial Vakos has made 34 of 38 field goal attempts from inside 50 yards during his two-year career at Ohio and Wisconsin but is just 3-for-8 eight on tries of 50-plus yards. That’s an area he believes he can significantly improve this season. Vakos buried a 52-yard field goal from the right hash during a scrimmage sequence Tuesday, which was his longest attempt of the preseason.

During live reps Wednesday, he made a 32-yard field goal and then a 49-yard field goal. Vakos’ final field goal attempt came again from 49 yards on the last play of practice. He made the initial attempt, but Fickell called a timeout and forced another try that fell short and wide left. Gavin Lahm and Gianni Smith each made a field goal attempt from 50 yards, with Smith’s clearing the bar with plenty of room to spare.

Last season, Vakos made 14 of 15 field goals inside 50 yards and was 1-for-4 on attempts of 50-plus. Vakos said he tweaked his back while tying his shoe right before the start of the Indiana game. It was an injury that lingered and prevented Fickell from being confident in using Vakos from long distance. Fickell bypassed three field goal tries of 50 yards or more against Indiana alone. Vakos said he also strained an oblique muscle before Wisconsin’s bowl game.

“Something we’ve been working on all offseason is obviously from deep, from 50-plus,” Vakos said. “That’s something that I feel I need to get better at, and it’s really just keeping my mindset clear. I’m not trying to hit the biggest ball. I used to always try and hit the best ball to look on TV like I have a 65-plus leg. But, really, I just need to make it and I’ve got to keep myself calm and fluid and swing downfield. I have the distance, so I just can’t really worry about that.”
3. Atticus Bertrams finished his freshman season at Wisconsin ranking 10th in the Big Ten in punting average at 41.3 yards per attempt and came away disappointed in his performance. He appears to be hitting the ball this preseason with more consistency and length. During a punting sequence Tuesday, he boomed kicks of 52 and 54 yards and a third punt pushed returner Tyrell Henry backward from his spot. Bertrams continues to work on both his straight-on punts and rugby-style rollouts.

“It’s just those bad misses showing up in times where the team needs me,” Bertrams said. “I think I faulted way too many times for my liking and I know Fick’s not happy with how I was last year. I’m always going to be my hardest critic and I’m the first one to come out and say I wasn’t good enough last year. I think I’ve done a lot of work to redeem myself. Hopefully, that shows this season.”

4. Wisconsin’s outside linebacker depth took a hit early this preseason with injuries sustained to Aaron Witt and Thomas Heiberger. Fickell said Saturday that Witt could miss at least 7-10 days but that he would return. Outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell said Wednesday that Heiberger didn’t have a season-ending injury but would return at some point this season. Mitchell acknowledged that Heiberger did enough as a freshman to warrant playing time this season.

Those ailments left Wisconsin with just four healthy scholarship outside linebackers, so coaches moved true freshman defensive lineman Ernest Willor Jr. to the position. Willor has worked the past two days at outside linebacker with both his hand on the ground and as a standup edge rusher. He created a couple of pressures Wednesday, which included one that led Van Dyke to throw an interception on a pass over the middle.

“He’s got violent hands,” Mitchell said. “He’s got a good get-off. There’s definitely a lot of tools there. It’s obviously a completely new position with a ton of new calls. Some of the other freshmen came in January and they’ve got eight months and I’ve had 48 hours (with him). So there’s some mistakes that he’s working through. But I think he’s loving the position and there’s some things where I’m cautiously optimistic.”

5. One of the reasons Mitchell said coaches were comfortable moving Willor is because of the depth the staff believes it has on its defensive line. Ben Barten and Brandon Lane are two players who have shown up as playmakers.

Barten batted down two Locke passes in a three-play span Tuesday. Lane stuffed freshman running back Dilin Jones on a run up the middle and later split right guard Colin Cubberly and right tackle Merson Mandell for what would have been a sack of Locke. Lane also created another sack off the edge on Van Dyke. Lane has yet to earn snaps with the first-team defense but figures to be a key rotational piece

 

[Keg Man]

I'm such an ancient bitter soul.

I'm not convinced anything is changing at Quarterback.

AND, more importantly, I'm not convinced:

• These guys will play hard for 60 minutes
• These guys will play smart for 60 minutes
• These guys will not play down to the level of their opponents
• Starters will play hard to create blow outs so their buddies playing 2d, 3d, and 4th string get to play

I hope I am wrong, but, historically, my concerns are valid.

Make me eat crow Bucky