The defense shined once again during the 12th practice of the spring on Thursday.
The Wisconsin Badgers concluded their 12th practice of the spring on Thursday, where the defense stood out once again, generating both splash plays and consistency on a day that involved more live action than expected.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s spring practice No. 12.
Defense shines
I thought the defense had one of their best days of the spring on Thursday, and it carried through all three levels.
Much has been said about the defensive line, which saw a number of departures this offseason, but they held up well on Thursday, recording a number of key run stops, while the pass-rusher group continued to generate pressure.
Darryl Peterson started the day strong with a set of plays, while others like Curt Neal, Ben Barten, and even Ernest Willor made their name known with various plays of their own near the line of scrimmage.
The battle in the trenches has been a big one to watch this spring, and the defense had the advantage over the offense in that department, especially with the second and third-team units.
But, arguably the most impressive aspect of Thursday’s practice was the coverage that the secondary had against Wisconsin’s talented core of receivers.
There were a number of coverage sacks for the Badgers defense on the day, with the entirety of the secondary holding up as the top quarterbacks went through progressions, which hadn’t been the case as much over the past practices.
Even in 5-on-7s, where a pass rush wasn’t present, the defense forced throwaways and tight window incompletions on back-to-back throws from Braedyn Locke, while a number of the throws completed by both quarterbacks during the first period were short passes.
The secondary came together to make splash plays as well, as Nyzier Fourqurean intercepted an errant pass from Tyler Van Dyke early, while Michael Mack took a poor Mabrey Mettauer throw to the house, as he sat in the underneath window on an intended slant.
Elsewhere, there were two other plays that should’ve been intercepted, as R.J. Delancy couldn’t corral a near pick off Tyler Van Dyke near the beginning of practice, while the transfer quarterback had a ball tipped in the air that could’ve easily been picked, but was dropped.
One other intriguing factor that popped up again was Wisconsin utilizing five linebackers in several sets, with an outside linebacker bumping in to the interior in addition to the four mainstays.
Darryl Peterson has usually taken over the interior role, but John Pius even saw some opportunities there, and his length was disruptive on a play, getting to the backfield and recording a pressure against the second-team offensive line.
The incorporation of an additional linebacker allowed for redshirt sophomore linebacker Sebastian Cheeks to get more opportunities with the second-team defense as a versatile linebacker, as he lined up as a pass-rusher several times.
With the Badgers electing to mainly play their top three outside linebackers (Peterson, Pius, and Leon Lowery) in a rotation with the top defense, the younger players have gotten more opportunities with the second-team defense, and some are making the most of that opportunities (standouts down below).
Quarterbacks inconsistent
The quarterback battle between Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke this offseason has been well-documented, with both players having their ups and downs as they fight for the starting job.
Thursday was much of the same, although both quarterbacks saw their fair share of inconsistencies as the defense had a strong day.
Tyler Van Dyke had a rough start, as an early throw to the sidelines was nearly picked off by R.J. Delancy. Then, on his very next attempt, Van Dyke’s pass intended for Vinny Anthony breaking in was intercepted by Nyzier Fourqurean in a rough 11-on-11s sequence for the transfer.
After a number of short completions in a 7-on-7 period, Van Dyke’s inconsistencies were seen in a 7-on-7 red zone session, where he delivered a great throw to Will Pauling in the back of the endzone for a score, but followed that up with another near interception on a pass intended for Bryson Green that was tipped up.
Now, this ball wasn’t on Van Dyke, who delivered a good ball, but more so a great play from the defense, but the offense wasn’t able to bounce back, as the transfer quarterback threw the ball away on third down due to great coverage, leading to a failed red zone attempt.
Van Dyke did have some pretty throws as usual, including a dart over the middle to Trech Kekahuna that somehow fit between two closing defenders, but it was a rougher day for the veteran, who saw a number of passes get broken up.
On the other hand, Van Dyke has looked more comfortable with the offense, coincidentally, as he’s started to involve his legs more, which will be a key factor if that aspect can become more consistent.
Braedyn Locke, on the other hand, had the better day between the two, but dealt with inconsistencies of his own on Thursday.
Locke’s best part of the day came during the 7-on-7 red zone session, where he tossed three consecutive touchdowns, hitting Haakon Anderson twice before finding Kyan Berry-Johnson on an out route for the score while with the second-team offense.
There weren’t many deep passes attempted on Thursday, which was a difference from previous practices, but Locke had a nice intermediate throw to an open J.T. Seagraves running a tight end leak-esque route, while also finding Anderson on a 20-yard post, although the wideout dropped the pass.
Locke had a tendency to hold on to the ball too long on several occasions Thursday, which was both a product of strong coverage from the defense, but also an issue from the quarterback.
Van Dyke, on the other hand, occasionally looked to take off too early, rather than staying with the play after fielding pressure, leading to a few sacks or plays at the line of scrimmage by the defense.
Both quarterbacks didn’t get great help from their receivers, who dropped several passes on the day at all levels of the field, but it wasn’t the best overall day for the position group.
Mabrey Mettauer continues to get all of the third-team reps, as he’s the only other healthy quarterback on the team following the departure of Nick Evers, and he looks as you’d expect a redshirt freshman to: some flashes combined with a few mistakes.
Mettauer had an early interception where he didn’t see safety/nickelback Michael Mack underneath, leading to a pick.
Elsewhere, the true freshman is still picking up the speed of the game, but the opportunities to get reps are certainly there, and Mettauer continues to make at least one impressive throw a practice, showcasing his arm talent.
On Thursday, that ball was in the direction of Mike Cerniglia, where Mettauer hit the tight end’s outside shoulder, leading him away from a defender who was in tight coverage.
Standouts
With a strong day for the defense, a number of the standouts, as expected are from that side of the ball.
Darryl Peterson was an early standout, as he made a run stop while acting as the backside outside linebacker in pursuit on the second series of the day. One play later, Peterson recorded a pressure off the edge, leading to an incompletion from Braedyn Locke.
Looking in individual drills, Peterson was also looking smooth in that department compared to the group. He’s a player that could play a few roles this season, and is a potential breakout player if he can put it all together, especially as a pass-rusher.
Elsewhere, Fourqurean continued a good spring with his second interception in two practices. Head coach Luke Fickell has called him the most improved player on the roster, and he’s looking the part of a starting cornerback for Wisconsin this offseason.
For the second consecutive practice, Anelu Lafaele is making the standouts list after another really good practice for the true freshman.
With Peterson, John Pius, and Leon Lowery running almost exclusively with the top defense, we’ve seen Lafaele and fellow true freshman Thomas Heiberger get more opportunities with the second-team defense, and they’re making the most of the new chances.
On Thursday, with the duo seeing a ton of second-team action, it was a freshman-on-freshman battle on the edges, with Lafaele and Heiberger at outside linebacker, and Kevin Heywood and Collin Cubberly at tackle.
The defensive duo had the advantage on the day, as Lafaele was consistently around the quarterback, sacking Braedyn Locke on three separate occasions, beating Cubberly twice to get to the quarterback. On the third chance, he and Heiberger combined for the sack, with both getting to the backfield quickly for the stop.
Heiberger had another play of his own near the beginning of the day, combining with a blitzing Max Lofy to get to Braedyn Locke on another day full of sacks for the defense.
Lafaele is seen as more of a developmental edge rusher for the Badgers, but his get-off is quick and the true freshman plays with a significant motor, getting hyped consistently after making plays.
Offensively, I thought Haakon Anderson was a clear standout with the second-team offense, as he was Braedyn Locke’s top target on the day.
Anderson shined in the red zone with back-to-back touchdown catches, including one in the back of the endzone where the receiver elevated to make the play, while remaining inbounds.
Anderson did have one bad drop on the day after separating to get open on a post route, but he was a volume merchant on Thursday, as I charted at least four catches on the day for the redshirt senior.
The Verona native ended the day with a nice catch on a comeback route, elevating and securing the ball high on a good delivery from Braedyn Locke.
Lastly, Cade Yacamelli continues to be a sleeper in spring ball, just as he was last offseason, compiling another good day of work.
Making the standouts list on Tuesday for a variety of reasons, Yacamelli returns once again after a number of strong runs, consistently using his vision to find holes and make plays.
Yacamelli started the day with a nice cutback to the right side, hitting a big hole for a nice gain. Later, in 7-on-7s, Yacamelli caught a pass after running a nice route, which initially looked like a Texas route before the back cut back outside, getting the ball in the flat.
But, the back’s best reps came during an 11-on-11 red zone session where Yacamelli started with a 10-yard run after getting a huge hole up the middle from guards John Clifford and James Durand. On the following play, Yacamelli cut a run to the right side, breaking a tackle before trucking a defender on his way to the endzone for the touchdown, which hyped up running backs coach Devon Spalding.
Yacamelli has been a consistent producer this past week, and it feels like his reps have started to pick up as of late, with the redshirt sophomore working as the back behind Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker.