[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]As the offense broke the huddle to methodically set for another play, an unfamiliar sound sliced through the air.

"Defense unite. Woo, woo, woo!"

Throughout spring the creative minds of Wisconsin's defense have come up with various chants to inspire its ranks and harass the offense.

At last Saturday's scrimmage, it was the heckling of linebackers DeAndre Levy and Jonathan Casillas that rang out amid the bone-jarring hits and sounds of the game.

"Kaye, where's your Rose Bowl ring at?" they called out to fifth-year senior offensive lineman Danny Kaye, one of the oldest players on the team.

Of the spectacle of seeing the 6-foot-8, 327-pound Kaye turn his massive frame toward the defense's sideline while the rest of the offense was preparing to start the play, strong safety Aubrey Pleasant, who also gets in on the fun, had a hearty laugh.

"I have no idea what was going on," Pleasant joked. "It's just all fun and games."

"That's just a tradition, getting on Danny every practice," the instigator Levy added. "It's fun. Shaughnessy actually came up with the Rose Bowl thing, but me and Casillas kind of vocalized it."

Inspired by the movie "300," defensive tackle Jason Chapman began using the defense unite chant about the midway point of spring practice.

It has stuck ever since.

"It's just something, anything to all get us together to tell us 'Let's get back onto the field, let's get our mind right' because there are times that you can be on the sidelines a little low and you need to get back out there," Pleasant said. "When I think about it, it picks up the offense too. It works on both ends.

"But we have to keep that fire to get past them."

More than the individual chants, rants and smack talk handed out by both sides of the ball — distinctly heard from the mouths of the more "flamboyant" defense — is an underlying force that acts as a magnet to unify individuals and mold them into a team.

There is togetherness in laughter, in jokes.

It's what Chapman's chant is all about.

"We get each other fired up and it's something that gets us all going," free safety Shane Carter said. "I think we tend to play better whenever we're excited and things, so I mean it's not a bunch of false rah-hah, but at the same time just letting people know that we're excited to be out there."

And beyond that it conveys leadership.

"I think it's a way to show guys that we can be in front," Levy said. "Trash-talking is part of the game, but they see that we're confident enough to go over there and get in another guy's face, and that shows the other guy that we have the confidence to lead."

As typically is the case, the spring game Saturday will be dominated by the cardinal team — which is why the white's points count as double — and the defense. It will also be dominated by strong personalities, smack and chants.

So as spring ball concludes Saturday with the final tick of the Camp Randall clock, the team's progress will continue to move forward, united as one.

Practice notes:

Dustin Sherer continued to play well, completing numerous passes to various receivers. However, much of it was against the second unit, and he did not often check down. Donovan and Evridge played sporadically, as has been the norm all spring. Part of the problem was that the receivers weren't always on the same page, or they fell down while running their routes. … The candidates for punt returner have been trimmed to five: Jack Ikegwuonu, Luke Swan, Maurice Moore, Niles Brinkley and Marcus Randle El, who is nursing an injury. … P.J. Hill and Andy Crooks wore green jerseys and participated in a few workouts Thursday. The two are recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. … Cornerback Allen Langford was back in practice after missing time with an ankle injury and seemed to suffer no adverse effects. And with wide receiver Xavier Harris out (illness), Moore has received many of the reps with the second unit. He dropped several balls, and for that, did several sets of pushups throughout practice. … ESPN showed up to film part of Thursday's practice. … Saturday's spring scrimmage is slated to begin at 3 p.m.