The defense got the upper edge as Wisconsin started their third week of spring ball.
The Wisconsin Badgers concluded their eighth practice of the spring on Tuesday, as they started the third week of their offseason program, with the defense having the edge over the offense on the day.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s spring practice No. 8.
Linebackers shine
On Tuesday, I thought the linebacker group as a collective really stood out in several different facets, contributing to the defense having a strong day overall against the offense.
It started with 1-on-1 pass protection drills to begin the day, where the linebackers went up against the running backs and dominated.
Nearly every single linebacker won at least one rep, with several players consistently getting to the backfield with an array of passing moves, quickness, or sheer strength. The highlight of the session was Christian Alliegro mauling over Chez Mellusi on a strong rep for the linebacker.
Alliegro had a nice play later in the day, keeping up with tight end Jackson McGohan on a deep ball from Tyler Van Dyke, which the linebacker was able to get his hands on.
Elsewhere, I thought outside linebacker John Pius had a really good day, getting to the quarterback on two separate occasions while also seemingly breaking up a pass with his length at the line of scrimmage as he rotated among the top two defenses. One of those plays came against starting right tackle Riley Mahlman as a part of the intense battle on the edges.
Additionally, I thought Jake Chaney was moving pretty well on the day, getting to ball carriers in the flat a couple of times in the open field, showcasing his athleticism. The Badgers came into the offseason looking to improve in space, and the early returns have been nice.
Jaheim Thomas has stood out for much of camp, and had another good day on Tuesday, working well in the 1-on-1s, while catching an interception from Braedyn Locke late in the day, which was his second in the recent practices.
One of the other intriguing aspects we saw on Tuesday was the Badgers playing five linebackers at the same time, as Darryl Peterson continued to showcase some of his potential versatility by sliding inside and serving more in a three-tech role as an interior lineman.
That, matched with the Badgers using Thomas as an edge rusher alongside another outside linebacker, had Wisconsin operating with five total players at the position, as the look also included two inside linebackers with Jake Chaney and Christian Alliegro on the field.
Earlier in the offseason, we heard defensive coordinator Mike Tressel reveal how the team could use their linebackers in different ways to get more on the field, and that came to fruition on Tuesday again.
Peterson could be the wild card of the group; with the added transfers, the redshirt junior could find himself playing in a variety of roles, which he embraced during his interview with the media last week.
Overall, though, the defense had a good day even past the linebackers after the offense stood out on Saturday.
One key difference came in the red zone: the offense consistently found the endzone during that portion of practice on Saturday. Today? The defense stuffed the offense on both opportunities, forcing the team to settle for field goals.
Quarterbacks uneven
Saturday was one of the best days for the quarterback room as a collective, as top options Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke both had a good practice on one of the longer days of the spring.
On Tuesday, however, both had their fair share of ups and downs, with the defense gaining the upper hand.
Van Dyke’s first throw of the day was an interception, although it was a good pass for Quincy Burroughs, who saw the ball go through his hands and into those of safety Austin Brown.
After a three-and-out in the lone red zone session for Van Dyke, which involved a drop from tight end Jackson McGohan on third down, the Badgers quarterback did have a good set of plays, bouncing back from an off-target go-ball to Bryson Green by hitting Vinny Anthony on a slant with good timing that involved a ton of yards after the catch. Van Dyke followed that up with an on-target throw to Burroughs running what looked like a wheel route up the sideline for a big gain before having another pass dropped to end the drive.
However, things started to falter after that, as Van Dyke had a rough 7-on-7 period, missing Quincy Burroughs off target on an out-route before throwing two ugly interceptions in a four-throw stretch, with the latter being a telegraphed throw that safety Owen Arnett jumped.
As the day progressed, Van Dyke had a couple of sweet throws, including a pretty deep ball to Will Pauling with two defenders in the area, but was inconsistent with his accuracy, while looking slow with some of his progressions, leading to missed opportunities.
As the transfer continues to learn the offense, the expectation is that those mistakes will decrease, but it was an up-and-down day for the graduate transfer on Tuesday.
Braedyn Locke, on the other hand, didn’t have as many mistakes, but still had his fair share of inconsistencies as well.
Locke started the day fine, bouncing back from a missed opportunity in the red zone with a sweet layered throw over a defender to Vinny Anthony over the middle on a play that got good yards after the catch.
Later on, though, while rotating with the second-team offense, Locke did have a set of plays where he struggled, missing high and wide on a few throws, while also having a pass dropped by C.J. Williams running a comeback route in a tough series.
Now, Locke did have some good throws as well, fitting in a tight-window ball to Trech Kekahuna with two defenders rapidly closing, but he ended the day with an ugly interception, throwing a ball right at Jaheim Thomas, who was an underneath linebacker on the day.
Both quarterbacks had a strong day on Saturday, but Tuesday was more of a learning experience for the group as they battled inconsistencies.
However, it was more of a down note for the offense as a whole, as the quarterbacks did not benefit from receivers dropping a number of passes throughout the day, disrupting any form of consistency.
On a side note, while exclusively earning all of the third-team reps, I thought Mabrey Mettauer had a strong start to the day during a 7-on-7 drill where he worked against the top offense, spinning the ball well on a number of throws to hit his targets.
With Nick Evers transferring, Mettauer will get the entirety of those third-team reps, which should only accelerate his learning process.
Standouts
As I mentioned above, I thought the linebacker room stood out as a whole on the day, with several players making plays, both in individual and team drills.
Outside of that, I thought Austin Brown had a good day, intercepting a dropped pass in 11-on-11s, while impressing with a pass breakup on Will Pauling where the safety delivered a strong hit to jar the ball loose after Van Dyke managed to fit in a good ball on a slant.
Elsewhere, I thought, amid a number of receiver drops, that both Quincy Burroughs and Vinny Anthony stood out among the group on Tuesday.
Burroughs had a rough start to team drills with a dropped pass that ended in an interception, but had a really good day outside of that.
The redshirt sophomore has quietly been a dominant force in 1-on-1s all spring, which only continued on Tuesday, as the wideout easily beat Jonas Duclona on what seemed like a dig route, finding himself wide open as he broke inside.
He later had a nice play on a wheel-type route, shaking the safety for a big gain from Van Dyke along the sideline on one of the bigger plays for the offense Tuesday.
I saw Burroughs make two other grabs, with one coming from each quarterback, as the wideout found ways to get open to make plays.
Overall, I thought Vinny Anthony was the most consistent of any receiver on Tuesday, ending the day without a drop, while displaying his blazing speed on multiple occasions with nice runs after the catch.
The Badgers don’t have a true speed deep threat, which is where Anthony could shine this year, but he made it clear that he can also find ways to get open and create in space on Tuesday, adding to the competition at receiver.
I also wanted to highlight Cade Yacamelli, who I thought had the best pass-protecting session of any running back in the 1-on-1 drills, winning three reps to begin practice. Additionally, the back showcased his movement in space, getting a nice run to the outside during one of his reps.
Lastly, I have to include Tawee Walker here, while giving a shoutout to the offensive line for their continued efforts in the run game. Walker has been a hot topic for me this spring, but his explosiveness just continues to stand out to me, which will form a good combination with the front five this fall.
The Badgers seem to have found a great complement to Chez Mellusi with Walker in the portal, who will allow Wisconsin to incorporate the entirety of Phil Longo’s run scheme to his liking.