Through the dog days of fall training camp, the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense is giving no signs of getting bogged down in the heat.

After concluding their 14th practice of the fall Wednesday morning, the defense once again brought the energy that head coach Bret Bielema highlighted just two days ago, after the team’s most recent morning practice. The fired-up defense was especially impressive considering linebacker Kevin Claxton spent practice on the sidelines. Safety Aaron Henry resumed his burgeoning duties as the vocal leader of the defense from his spot in the secondary, talking up big plays by his teammates and challenging the offense to do better.

Fueling the defense’s fire is the fact that opposite Henry, the strong safety spot continues to feature one of the closest battles of camp. Redshirt junior Shelton Johnson and redshirt sophomore Dezmen Southward have each received several first-team reps, with Johnson seemingly getting more of late. The younger Southward is certainly athletic, though his inexperience has repeatedly drawn the ire of safeties coach DeMontie Cross. Wednesday morning, Southward made a nice play when he pursued tight end Jacob Pedersen from behind and poked the ball out of Pedersen’s hands right after he seemed to make the catch. The defensive sideline and nearby coaches lauded Southward for being in the right place, which will be crucial for him as Johnson has continued to look good as well.

Injury Report:

• Linebacker Mike Taylor sat out his third consecutive practice Wednesday morning. Taylor is being eased along after having knee injuries each of the past two seasons. It was unclear why Claxton sat out practice, though he spent most of the practice with his helmet in his hands and yelling instructions to his teammates from the sideline.
• As expected, wide receivers Nick Toon (ankle) and Manasseh Garner (hernia) and offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler (ankle) sat out practice again Wednesday. Toon is expected to return to practice Thursday, while no timetable has been given for Garner or Zeitler. However, Zeitler seems like he’s anxious to get back on the field, as he spent much of his time on the sidelines Wednesday jumping up and down and shaking his foot to see how his ankle responds.
• At one point, tight end Jake Byrne took himself out of practice with what seemed like cramps in his left leg. After stretching with a trainer, he returned.
• Linebacker Chris Borland and cornerback Devin Smith each began practice but did not finish. Borland is being cautiously eased through the fall as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, while it was unclear why Smith left practice. He spent most of the latter portion of practice standing on the sideline without a helmet in his hands.

Practice Highlights:

• Quarterback Russell Wilson and running back James White have had several nice connections in the passing game, and that continued Wednesday when White hauled in a perfectly led pass from Wilson down the right sideline.
• As long as quarterback Jon Budmayr sits out practice (elbow soreness), Joe Brennan will be Wilson’s backup. Brennan has shown signs of marked improvement this spring, though he was very up-and-down Wednesday morning. Early in practice, Brennan showed impressive touch when he connected with wide receiver Isaiah Williams approximately 20 yards down the field. Brennan floated the ball in between three or four defenders and hit Williams right on target. Later, however, several of Brennan’s passes fell short of their intended receivers.
• With Smith spending most of practice on the sidelines, Marcus Cromartie manned the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Antonio Fenelus. Cromartie, who has made clear his desire to be a starter, held his own against the likes of Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Duckworth Wednesday.
• Speaking of Abbrederis, he continues to impress the coaching staff this fall. With Toon out, Abbrederis has made the most of his reps as the team’s top wide receiver. Wednesday, his blocking downfield and in the running game stood out, though. Abbrederis finished every play, and by the end of practice, coaches were singling him out with frequency.
• Johnson recorded an interception after Henry deflected a pass from Wilson over the middle of the field. The deflection went up in the air a little bit and found Johnson with ease.
• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Connor Cummins likely will have to continue to fight for playing time, but he has impressed so far in camp with his pass-catching abilities. Wednesday morning he got several first-team reps, along with redshirt sophomore Jeff Duckworth and freshman Kenzel Doe. Cummins also had a nice catch on a comeback route later in practice. Wilson threw the pass to Cummins’ back foot, and the young receiver held on with cornerback Peniel Jean right on his back.