With temperatures as high as they’ve been all spring, it seemed like a beautiful, mid-fall day when the Badgers took the field for their annual spring game.
The only differences: Camp Randall Stadium wasn’t jam packed, and Wisconsin was the only team to take the field.
The spring game was similar to a practice, where the first team offense played the second team defense and vice versa. This allowed the coaches to focus on one side of the ball for evaluation. The first half was pretty loose, with different groups of players coming out and playing for different amounts of times and situations. The second half was much more scheduled and was more similar to a game.
In the first half, the first team offense put on a showcase that they are capable of scoring in a number of ways. Sophomore running back Corey Clement rushed for a touchdown on the first drive. Shortly after, redshirt junior quarterback Tanner McEvoy threw a pinpoint pass behind a defender into the arms of diving senior wide receiver Kenzel Doe. McEvoy also ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the half.
“It was the perfect ball, it can’t get better than that,” Doe said. “I knew he was going to throw it with the way the defense lined up.”
In the second half, the defense took control. They swarmed into the backfield consistently, pass or run. McEvoy was forced to scramble more, and the running backs were stuffed at or behind the line frequently. Despite losing eight significant contributors from the defensive trench, the returning Badgers formed a stout front line.
“Everyone is molding together, everyone is learning together. We have a bunch of smart guys, so they’re learning the concepts right away,” redshirt senior linebacker Michael Trotter said.
Two of the biggest question marks coming into the spring were the quarterback and kicking positions.
The quarterback competition is turning out to be a close battle. Last year’s starter, redshirt junior Joel Stave did not play Saturday due to a shoulder injury.
There were high expectations for freshman D.J. Gillins. He scrambled a few times and his arm was lackluster, missing his only pass attempt.
With McEvoy switching from defense last year, he looked like the best option on the field during the spring game.
“You can tell Tanner really wants to be the quarterback here,” Doe said. “He can get out of the pocket and scramble, and then make the throw.”
In the kicking game, junior Jack Russell and sophomore Andrew Endicott both missed 44-yard field goals. Russell had a few more attempts than Endicott, but the junior also missed a 35-yarder.
Head coach Gary Andersen is still confident in Russell’s ability, as well as the ability of the special teams as a whole.
“Jack has been hitting the ball pretty cleanly. It came off his foot nicely today,” Andersen said. “We seem to be in good shape in terms of snapping and holding, and we should be.”
Fall practices are still a ways away, but after losing key seniors, a young team has gelled and both sides of the ball played at a high level in the Spring Game. Andersen is pleased about where his team is at right now.
“Overall, mission accomplished,” Andersen said. “[I’m] proud of the way the kids handled spring, all 15 practices.”
