PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Wisconsin completed its third preseason practice at UW-Platteville on Thursday morning, as the Badgers continue to work toward their Aug. 30 opener against Western Michigan. Here are six observations:
1. Quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke continue to rotate with the first- and second-team offenses while coaches give both players a look in a competition to win the starting job. There haven’t been a lot of deep shots down the field during 11-on-11 play early this preseason, nor has there been a move-the-ball scrimmage scenario. The good news for the offense is that it has been much better at taking care of the ball the last two practices after struggling with fumbling issues.
Both quarterbacks are seeking more consistency. Van Dyke underthrew tight end Riley Nowakowski who was open over the middle and threw behind tight end Jackson McGohan incomplete. Still, Van Dyke has moments each practice that highlight his arm strength and ability to pick up chunk yardage on read options or play breakdowns. His best throw came when he delivered a rope to receiver CJ Williams between defenders during an 11-on-11 sequence.
Locke produced what felt like his best day so far with a handful of nice throws. He completed a long pass down the right sideline to a diving Nowakowski. His longest completion went to slot receiver Trech Kekahuna, though it was a short throw and Kekahuna did most of the work. Kekahuna caught a pass in the left flat, juked a defender on the sideline and broke upfield for a gain of more than 30 yards. By the time Wisconsin’s final scheduled open practice is held Aug. 17, there should be a clear No. 1 and 2.
True freshman Mabrey Mettauer has handled the third-team offense reps, though redshirt freshman Cole LaCrue has been a practice participant in other drills. One of Mettauer’s strengths is his ability to pull the ball from his tailback to create a running lane for himself — though it likely helps that he has been on the field with freshman Darrion Dupree and playing against the third-team defense.
Mettauer may not be the most mobile quarterback but has long strides at 6-foot-4 and can gain yardage on the ground. Mettauer also has had success with duping the defense via pump fakes to put a ball on a receiver. There is still a clear separation between Mettauer and the top two quarterbacks, but he has earned plenty of work thus far in camp.
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2. The more Dupree touches the ball, the more it becomes clear that he plays with a different type of gear. I compare it to Kekahuna in that he’s the type of player people hope to see with the ball in his hands in space just because you never know if he’ll break something big. That doesn’t mean he’s going to leapfrog veterans Chez Mellusi and Tawee Walker for carries on the depth chart. But he’s a different kind of tailback that will be tough to keep off the field.
Wisconsin began practice Wednesday with a 1-on-1 pass-catching competition in the red zone. Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel pulled freshman Landon Gauthier out of the drill and replaced him with senior Jaheim Thomas to match up against Dupree. Dupree put a stutter step on Thomas, broke outside and caught a short touchdown pass. He is quite comfortable as a pass catcher, having finished his senior season of high school with 755 receiving yards.
Badgers, meet @darrion_a 🤝😮💨 pic.twitter.com/PA6aagv8o5
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“That was impressive,” Wisconsin center Jake Renfro said. “I haven’t seen something like that in a little while. So having a guy like him on the team with that explosiveness and that ability to stop and start on a dime is special.”
Later on Wednesday, while working with the third-team offense, Dupree caught a pass from Mettauer in the right flat, put a move on walk-on inside linebacker Drew Braam to blow past him and lowered his shoulder against defensive back Justin Taylor for a big gain.
Dupree put together a couple of strong runs with the third-team offense Thursday, including a long gain around the right side in which there was a huge hole and no defender touched him for the first 15 yards. Dupree also ran for a first down around the right side when tailback Gideon Ituka put a good block on a defender to help spring him. Dilin Jones, the other four-star tailback in the 2024 class, often was the first up with the third-team offense so coaches could give him a look too. Dupree and Jones both were among several players working on kick returns.
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3. Walker has picked up where he left off in the spring, looking like one of the more impactful transfer additions from the offseason. Walker runs with both power and speed as a 5-9, 218-pound tailback. He caught one pass in the left flat and knocked the helmet off cornerback Ricardo Hallman as he turned upfield. Despite that play, Hallman had an outstanding day by forcing multiple incomplete passes while working against receivers downfield.
TAWEE. WALKER. 🤯
remember the name. @RMBwee pic.twitter.com/TW8BIWHHGV— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 1, 2024
Walker produced a handful of first downs by bursting through a hole up the middle or with his ability to quickly turn upfield on a short reception and lower his shoulder. It’s safe to say he has played at a starter-quality level, which is good news for Wisconsin as it determines how to use the 1-2 punch of Mellusi and Walker.
4. The bulk of the attention at outside linebacker this offseason has gone to transfer additions John Pius and Leon Lowery, as well as returner Darryl Peterson. But true freshman Thomas Heiberger continues to demonstrate that he can be a significant playmaker, even with a different body type from the veterans in the group. While Lowery is 252 pounds, Pius 250 pounds and Peterson 248 pounds, Heiberger is listed at 227 pounds — up nine pounds from the spring when he was an early enrollee. His explosiveness and agility are evident, and he has taken advantage of second-team snaps.
He burst into the backfield and stuffed running back Cade Yacamelli for a short loss, stopped running back Jackson Acker on a carry around the edge and later sacked Locke when he shot up the middle on an apparent quarterback draw. Even if there aren’t enough available snaps on defense, Heiberger could be a special-teams contributor and has the talent to not require a redshirt season.
5. Offensive line coach AJ Blazek said after practice Wednesday that one of his goals in the next couple of weeks was to figure out which players could fit as the seventh and eighth linemen. The top five have been the same since the spring, with JP Benzschawel working as a possible sixth man. Barrett Nelson, who missed the spring with an injury, has emerged as a viable depth option for Blazek.
During one sequence, Nelson worked as the first-team right guard while Joe Huber took snaps at center. Huber has been the starting right guard next to Renfro at center but has taken occasional center snaps so Blazek can build more options behind Renfro. Nelson has earned work as the second-team right tackle but has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Nelson’s listed weight of 302 pounds is 14 pounds heavier than his listed weight in the spring, and Blazek praised his physicality.
6. Wisconsin’s first field-goal-kicking session of this preseason featured five attempts from starter Nathanial Vakos and two each from Gavin Lahm and Portland State transfer Gianni Smith. Vakos made 4 of 5 tries, including a 47-yarder from the left hash, and missed his final attempt from 47 yards off the right upright. Lahm connected on both his tries with plenty of room to spare, while Smith went 1-for-2.
Smith, a senior, made 8 of 9 field goal attempts at Portland State last season, which included a 51-yarder and a 55-yarder against UC Davis. Nate Van Zelst did not attempt any kicks on Thursday. Van Zelst made 11 of 14 field goals and all 35 of his extra points in 2022 after he took over for an injured Vito Calvaruso.
(Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)
