Wisconsin spring football: practice No. 12 recap

A look at what stood out from Saturday's spring practice from the McClain Center.

The Wisconsin Badgers football team was back on the field for their twelfth of 15 spring practices on Saturday. 

Contents

1. Injury news
2. Top plays
3. Standout performers
4. Offensive notes
5. Defensive notes

The team was in full pads and scrimmaged for a large chunk of practice in front of a stellar visitor list inside the McClain Center. 

Both the offense and defense displayed flashes, and a number of players stood out. 

Here is a breakdown of what went down...

Injury news

• Keeanu Benton, Isaiah Mullens, and Isaac Townsend all did not practice on the defensive line.

• In the secondary Travian Blaylock and Jay Shaw also did not practice.

• Nick Herbig did practice but he did not participate in the scrimmaging portions. 

• The following players continued to be out: Semar Melvin (CB), Joe Tippmann (OL), A'Khoury Lyde (CB), Aaron Witt (OLB), Cam Large (TE), Chez Mellusi (RB), Isaac Guerendo (RB), Brady Schipper (RB), Preston Zachman (S), Clay Cundiff (TE), Stephan Bracey (WR), Jack Eschenbach (TE), Jordan DiBenedetto (WR).

Top plays

• Alexander Smith had an over-the-shoulder interception off Graham Mertz. 

• Deacon Hill connected with Markus Allen for a deep 50-yard touchdown toss over the top of the second defense. 

• Chase Wolf threw a deep touchdown to Dean Engram for a touchdown on a post that once again beat the second-team defense and freshman cornerback Al Ashford. 

• Markus Allen also hauled in an acrobatic touchdown catch in the red zone from Chase Wolf. 

• Darryl Peterson beat Jack Nelson off the edge for a would-be sack.

• Braelon Allen had a long run to open practice that would have gone for a touchdown and also had a one-handed catch out of the backfield where he would have found the end zone. 

Standout performers

• Markus Allen really flashed on Saturday with multiple touchdown catches. He worked primarily with the second group, but he made the most of his opportunities.
• Tight end Jack Pugh also had a great practice. He single-handed carried the second unit on one drive with a flurry of catches and he displayed an ability to move well after the catch. 
• Chase Wolf threw the ball really well. He made good decisions throughout the morning and delivered the ball where it was supposed to be. 
• Ricardo Hallman had a pair of pass breakups that stood out. He was working with the top group and I thought he made the most of the reps. 
• Braelon Allen saw more snaps and he had a long TD run as well as a one-handed reception out of the backfield. 
• Darryl Peterson would have had two sacks in team time while working with the first group. 
• Alexander Smith and James Thompson Jr. each made a couple of nice plays, as did Jake Chaney at inside linebacker. 

Thought Ricardo Hallman looked really good today. Had a pair of pass breakups.

Skyler Bell continues to flash as well, he had a beautiful diving grab on a Mertz throw that stood out.

Darryl Peterson once again saw first team reps at OLB. He has multiple sacks.

— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) April 16, 2022

Offensive notes

• Graham Mertz was inconsistent on Saturday. He made a pair of nice throws to Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell early on, but he also missed a couple of easy throws. Overall it was not a great day for Mertz, who struggled with decision-making and accuracy. There was also a fumbled handoff attempt between him and Braelon Allen. I thought that Chase Wolf put together a strong performance with the second group. 

• The offensive line was able to open up some nice running lanes. The first group remained unchanged (Mahlman, Beach, Bortolini, Furtney, Brown). Right tackle Logan Brown did struggle at times and also came out of practice for a bit with an injury but was able to return.  

• Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell received the most reps with the first-team group at wide receiver. 

Defensive notes

• Tate Grass and Jordan Turner earned most of the first-team action at inside linebacker. Thought they looked good together. 

• Darryl Peterson worked opposite CJ Goetz with the first team while Nick Herbig was limited. 

• Justin Clark, Ricardo Hallman, and Alexander Smith were the top three cornerbacks. All three showed flashes, with the bulk of passing production happening against the reserves. 

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