It's scrimmage number one of camp today and lucky for everyone involved the scrimmage will be open to the public. It's your first chance to take a glimpse at what this team looks like after one week of camp and it's also the first time this fall that the players will be under major pressure.
According to head coach Gary Andersen the QB's won't be fully hit, but you can expect them to be touched at the least. So, it should be as close to a real game as possible against each other and in the midst of fall camp as well.
So, as you get ready to line up and rush Gate 1 as it opens at 3pm central time we thought we'd give you a look at a few things you should pay attention to while in attendance here in our "Scrimmage Primer."
1. Safety battle – Most have never seen Leo Musso play a single down of football in a college uniform and chances are unless you are a high school football junkie you never have seen this guy play a game of football period. Well, he's stuck with the No. 1 defense at safety opposite Dez Southward. However, this will be his first big test of camp and it appears that Michael Caputo and Nate Hammon have stepped things up over the last few practices. The importance of having a steady hand at this safety position can't be understated because UW would love to be able to unleash Southward and play him closer to the line of scrimmage. However, that can only happen with a trustworthy person next to him throughout camp. It's a good sign that Musso hasn't lost that role with the No. 1's, but what happens inside Camp Randall on Monday will go a long way one way or the other.
2.QB battle – For some it's the only thing they'll be watching, but for us this battle just isn't as make or break as the safety position because of what that position needs to do to free up everyone else around them. That said, the QB battle will be interesting to say the least. It appears most writers out there share the same opinion – this thing is still wide open. That means a stand out performance in the scrimmage today can help one or two gain separation (even though it sounds like McEvoy is 3rd in the battle and the other two are ahead). For me, it also means a chance to test a theory I have and that's that Stave plays better with a crowd than he practices and for me that's something you can't teach.
3. Right Guard battle – Apparently things aren't as settled as one would've thought at right guard with Zac Matthias and Kyle Costigan are locked in a big battle for the right to start next to Dan Voltz and Rob Havenstein. These two battled hard last year as well and nothing has changed a year later. The sooner this is settled the better for an offensive line that needs to gel thanks to players in three new spots on this team.
4. Blitzing defense – I've been hearing a lot about the inability of the offensive line to stop the various new blitzing packages the Badgers have put down on the field this first week in camp. It will be interesting and something you, the fan in attendance, should watch for. Remember, we never saw anything close to the full package in the spring and they are just starting to build on that foundation. Take some time from watching the other battles going on to watch how different this defense actually is and how much more athletic this group is than you have been programmed to believe by the national media.
5. Can you believe the hype? – Names like Rob Wheelwright, Sojourn Shelton, and Corey Clement have been really hyped over the first week of camp and while they have flashed the question is can they do it with the eyes of Badger nation on them. Wheelwright is doing some good things and appears to be the best future option in the vertical passing game, however he is still somewhat raw and a lot of what he's been doing has been against the younger and less experienced defensive backs. Clement is going to be important in the offense no matter what as the third running back and this will be a lot of people's first glimpse of him. Shelton is confident and he backed it up in the spring. He appears to be doing that again this fall and if you saw him his spring you'll be surprised by what he looks like now – the guy went to work in the weight room to say the least.
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