SPORTS
Wisconsin football relishes Saturday of firsts
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by Dave McGrath
Monday, April 3, 2006
Saturday marked several firsts for the UW football team this spring. It was the day the players had been waiting for: the initial full pads and full-contact practice.
"It was good to get out there and tackle," head coach Bret Bielema said after the practice. "I know the guys were looking forward to the last segment of practice there — see a body on a body and see a few guys go down to the ground and see guys try to make a few guys miss."
Saturday's practice was also the first time the team headed outdoors, as the warmer weather allowed the Badgers to run drills in Camp Randall and not in the McClain Center.
Former head coach and UW athletic director Barry Alvarez sat and watched the majority of practice from the 33rd row in the bleachers.
In the first full-contact drills, the Wisconsin defensive unit looked to be a little bit further ahead than the offense, which is none too surprising considering only two starters from last year's offensive unit were on the field.
Defensive end Kurt Ware was probably the player of the day, three times breaking into the backfield for tackles for loss, even forcing and recovering a fumble on one play.
"He was really active today," Bielema said.
"I felt pretty good today," Ware said. "It was good to be out there playing tackle football."
Quarterback John Stocco was off and on, hitting some great throws but also showing the lack of chemistry between the senior signal-caller and his receivers, as several passes fluttered down to unoccupied turf.
Defensive back Shane Carter also showed off his bloodlines, as the brother of former NFL star receiver Cris Carter picked off his second and third passes of the weekend.
The battle for punt returning duties cleared up a little, at least for the spring, as candidate Jarvis Minton will be put on the shelf for the remainder of spring practices after getting a little "nicked up," according to Bielema, making WR Marcus Randle El the clear-cut No. 1 return man. Running back Jerry Butler, who has also seen reps as punt returner, muffed a catch during punt return drills, drawing the ire of coaches.
The running back situation continued to be as muddled as ever, with Butler, Jamil Walker, P.J. Hill and Dywon Rowan all seeing about an equal amount of carries. All of them had their moments both bright and forgettable, but Bielema indicated a lot of that could be due to inconsistent play from the offensive line, especially the second and third teams.
