It took most of the first half, but a touchdown was finally scored in the spring game. It came with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining on a 3-yard run around left end by Lance Smith. It came on the second series for Dustin Sherer as quarterback of the Cardinal and capped a 75-yard drive. The big play was 35-yard completion to David Gilreath, who made a great adjustment on the pass against safety Chris Maragos. Senior quarterback Allan Evridge got the first two series for the Cardinal offense and looked sharp early on. He completed a 15-yard pass to Isaac Anderson on the first play of the scrimmage and also had a 40-yard completion to tight end Lance Kendricks, who was wide open against Aubrey Pleasant. That drive stalled at the White 5-yard line and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Philip Welch, barely getting it inside the left upright. Evridge's second series ended in an interception by Maragos on a throw into traffice. Cornerback Niles Brinkley also had an interception for the Cardinal, picking off Scott Tolzien and returning it 22... >>MORE
UW senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who has been out the last couple weeks with an ankle injury, thought his teammates could use a lift. So, Casillas returned to the field on Thursday night, in the final practice before Saturday's spring game. Casillas only took part in pre-practice work and some individual drills, but his presence always lifts the spirits of the defense. "I came back today, just to kind of get back in the flow," Casillas said. "Just talking to some of the guys, let them feed off me, because I think I bring a little more energy than the average Wisconsin player." UW coach Bret Bielema also said there's a chance sophomore receiver Kyle Jefferson, who missed his second practice after suffering a gash on his leg that required stitches, after running down a hall and running into a wall, will be available for the spring game. On the field, senior quarterback Allan Evridge, who has picked things up noticeably in the last three practices, going back to last Saturday's scrimmage, made one of his... >>MORE
If you're into recruiting, or you just like behind-the-scenes stuff, the Sports Illustrated website has a story about a California high school quarterback, Tate Forcier, who has posted on a website copies of the letters he has received from colleges offering scholarships. One of the letters, as you might have guessed, is from UW coach Bret Bielema. He gets a special mention in the story for a brief personal hand-written message at the end. The letters provide small insights into how the different programs approach recruiting. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh wins the hyperbole award, saying in his letter, "As both the top academic institution in the world, and the home of the top collegiate athletic program in the world..."The story also notes, "Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy writes the same way he talks -- with ALL CAPITAL LETTERS." Bielema's letter is pretty straightforward, hitting on the program's accomplishments since winning its first Rose Bowl title following the 1993 season. UW fans also might note, Bielema... >>MORE
Coaches like to refer to them as "teaching points." That can also be a euphemism for yelling at players. Redshirt freshman cornerback Otis Merrill has got to experience a lot of those moments this spring and he had another one during Tuesday night's practice under the lights inside Camp Randall Stadium. Merrill made the mistake of giving up on a play, which turned into a long completion to Maurice Moore. That led to Merrill getting yelled at by several defensive coaches, as well as Bielema. "Otis has got a lot of gifted talents, just because of the way he was made," Bielema said. "He's had a tendency to slack off at the end of plays. He was on a man route there, he got picked and basically just gave up on the play. "I said, `Next year, we're playing Michigan, you get picked, you can't give up in front of 80,000 people. If you're going to do it, you're not going to do it on this field. Jog two laps and get back in there.' " Bielema admitted singling out a player and making him jog a... >>MORE
The changes in the student ticket policy for football games announced last week are an obvious attempt to get students to the games earlier. Much has been said over the last couple years about the half-empty student section for kickoffs, especially at 11 a.m. games. Under the new system, students who arrive at the game early will get the best seats. UW coach Bret Bielema said that's the system used for students at other schools. "A major emphasis of what we're trying to get done is get students in the stands, but also to prioritize people when they come," Bielema said. "That's the one thing I've seen at different stadiums is first-come, first-served. (They) get the best seats." Some of the changes were also made to cut down on rampant fraud regarding student tickets. Vouchers are not being mailed this year to ticket lottery winners because students frequently made copies of the vouchers for friends. Reprints void the bar codes on vouchers, so students and others using reprints weren't allowed in games because the... >>MORE
Josh Neal always regarded himself as a linebacker. But when injuries hit the fullback position in 2006, Neal moved to that position to help the team. He moved back to linebacker last season, then injuries hit the defensive line. So, Neal moved to defensive tackle during the season, despite being generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 250 pounds. This spring, he has played both defensive tackle and even some defensive end, due to more injuries in the line. When injuries hit the cornerback position on Tuesday, you half-expected to see Neal trot out on the field at that spot. Neal is a fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tenn., and the son of former Badgers receiver Marvin Neal, who is now a minister. Most of Josh Neal's playing time this season will likely come on special teams. But it would have been hard for the Badgers to make it through this injury-plagued spring without his contributions in the defensive line. "He's getting us through spring and he's got a great personality," UW coach Bret Bielema... >>MORE
The injury news was considerably brighter for the Badgers on Thursday. Mike Newkirk, who was supposed to be out the rest of the spring following shoulder surgery, returned earlier than expected and took part in some non-contact individual drills. Defensive end O'Brien Schofield suffered a fracture in his right hand, while working on a pass move on Tuesday. "But it's not displaced, they're just waiting for that to begin to heal a little bit," UW coach Bret Bielema said. "They club it up and he should be able to go Tuesday-Thursday next week." Cornerback Josh Nettles suffered a high-ankle sprain on Tuesday and could be out the remainder of the spring, although there's a chance he could be back for the spring game. Also, cornerback Mario Goins returned to the full practice after becoming dehydrated in the previous practice. The return of Newkirk, who went through his drills with even more enthusiasm than usual, was definitely a big lift for the defensive line. He took part in the first two practices... >>MORE
UW coach Bret Bielema let it slip recently while talking to UW students that the Badgers would have two home night games this season against Ohio State (Oct. 4) and Penn State (Oct. 11). When asked about it Tuesday night, Bielema could not confirm it. "There will be an official release from our athletic communications," he said. "I know we've had some preliminary talks, but I haven't got any official word. It hasn't crossed my desk." As Bielema noted, if networks choose to schedule night games, they can do so at this point without any needed approval from the schools or coaches. It's only when games get moved closer to the season that coaches can block it. "Any time we have a night game in Camp Randall, is something that can be a positive," Bielema said. "The networks have agreed with us in the past. The way the rules are, if there's a request by ESPN, ABC, CBS, whatever it is, if they come to terms and make a decision this early, no school can deny (it)."... >>MORE
Lots of stuff to report from Tuesday night's practice. So, I decided to fire up a couple episodes of my son's "Friday Night Lights" first-season DVD and postpone bedtime for a few hours. After moving practice from the early morning to late evening, UW coach Bret Bielema praised the spirit shown by his players. "This is probably one of our better tempoed practices from the start to where we are now, just the way the guys are flying around and being active," Bielema said near the end of practice. But execution was another matter. The Badgers had one of their sloppiest practices of the spring, which was exacerbated by injuries to three more players at the two positions that could least afford them. Starting defensive end O'Brien Schofield, starting cornerback Mario Goins and backup cornerback Josh Nettles all left the practice with unspecified injuries. Bielema said he had no immediate updates on any of the injuries. The loss of Schofield came after the defensive line was just starting to get a little healthier, with the return of... >>MORE
A bit of a programming note, so to speak. UW coach Bret Bielema has moved back practices for the last two weeks (Tuesdays and Thursdays) of spring from 6:30 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. The good news is I didn't have to get up at 5:15 a.m. this morning. The bad news is we are still supposed to adhere to the four-hour rule, which means no information from practices can be posted anywhere until practice has been over for four hours. (If you don't know the reasoning behind this rule, some players' parents apparently found out about injuries while reading them on various blogs or message boards. This gives the coaches/trainers time to contact parents when injuries happen.) Today's practice will probably conclude around 10:15 p.m. That means nothing can be posted until 2:15 a.m. Don't worry about setting your alarms, because I will likely be waiting until the following morning to update this blog with the events of the previous practice. This is just a heads up, in case you are looking for information on... >>MORE
