The University of Wisconsin football team was without its biggest playmaker Thursday, but don't be alarmed.

Senior tight end Travis Beckum missed practice with what coach Bret Bielema described as ``tightness in his lower body.''

It seemed to be more of a precaution than anything. It's clear Bielema and Co. aren't taking any chances with injuries this fall. Friday is UW's first day in full pads and it has a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, so it made sense to rest Beckum in hopes he'd be ready for practice on those days.

In other news, third-year defensive lineman Brandon Hoey's playing career is over because of a back injury. Hoey had surgery in the spring and said he hoped to be ready by fall, but he came to the conclusion Wednesday that wasn't going to happen.

It's a shame because Hoey, a promising recruit out of Shoreview, Minn., never got to play a down at UW. He redshirted in 2006 and did not see action last season because of the back injury.

The good news is the surgery appears to have helped Hoey cope with everyday activities. When I talked to him last spring, he said it was painful to sit during class -- and the four-hour drives home to Minnesota were pure torture.

``The thing the doctors felt good about was they could get his back to being healthy, like you and I healthy, just not necessarily putting on full pads and going out and banging against 300-pound people,'' Bielema said.