All but four Big Ten teams wrapped up spring practice on Saturday, and we're looking at what happened with each squad. If you missed them, check out what we learned from spring games at Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska.
Wisconsin completed its second spring under coach Gary Andersen with the spring game Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers held a controlled scrimmage for a half and then began a game with several notables sitting out (including quarterback Joel Stave and running backs Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement). The Cardinal team ended up recording a 6-0 win against the White team, thanks to two Jack Russell field goals, before an announced crowd of 8,204.
Check out more coverage of the game here and here and here.
Star of the game: Fullback Austin Ramesh. There weren't many standouts in the game portion of the day, but Ramesh capitalized on his opportunity with both Gordon and Clement out. He recorded 71 yards on 12 carries and added a 4-yard reception for the victorious Cardinal team.
How it went down: The controlled scrimmage featured more offensive highlights than the actual game, as quarterback Tanner McEvoy connected with wideout Kenzel Doe on a 27-yard touchdown pass and both McEvoy and Clement added rushing touchdowns. The defenses dominated the actual game portion, as the White squad recorded only 49 net yards (35 pass, 14 rush) while the Cardinal had just 54 pass yards.
McEvoy completed 4 of 10 pass attempts with no touchdowns or interceptions in the game, but both he and Andersen were pleased with his performance throughout the spring. Andersen said afterward that McEvoy and Stave will receive the bulk of the first-team reps in preseason camp. It doesn't appear Bart Houston is in Wisconsin's future plans, but Houston doesn't plan to transfer.
The offense still needs a lot of work, especially in the pass game, but one takeaway from the spring is that McEvoy is in prime position to push Stave for the starting job.
"He walks up to the huddle, he looks more comfortable," Andersen said of McEvoy. "The football team is more comfortable around him, similar to how they were with Joel walking in and saying, 'Hey, this guy can get it done for us.'"
Defensive notables Saturday included safety Austin Hudson, an early enrollee who capped a solid spring with five tackles. Two young ends, Alec James and Chikwe Obasih, both showed promise during the scrimmage/game. Cornerback Sojourn Shelton had two tackles and two pass breakups.
Wisconsin fans shouldn't draw too much from Saturday given the injuries and other limitations. But this Badger team is much more of a work in progress than last season's senior-laden squad. A critical summer awaits.