Young players getting chances
Injuries sideline experienced starters
Madison — With his projected starters at inside linebacker still recovering from injuries, Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has adopted a revolving-door approach during camp.
Aranda is giving just about every inside linebacker on the roster a chance to play with the No. 1 defense.
Saturday featured freshmen Alec Ingold of Bay Port High School and Chris Orr of DeSoto, Texas.
Both players flashed during the first five days of camp and Day 6 was no different.
Orr, 6 feet and 228 pounds, has displayed a knack for getting through the line of scrimmage and dropping runners in the backfield.
He did that again Saturday and dropped tailback Dare Ogunbowale for a loss during a full-team drill.
Ingold has made plays in the backfield and in pass coverage and he showed up in both areas Saturday.
On one play, Ingold came through a gap in the line and dropped Ogunbowale in the backfield. Then he broke up a fourth-down pass to tight end Austin Traylor in the end zone.
“I like the group of young linebackers we have,” head coach Paul Chryst said after practice. “Sometimes they’re making mistakes, but you’re seeing it and trying to work that out of them.
“I think it is a group that’s got good football intelligence. I think they like playing.”
Projected starters Leon Jacobs (toe) and T.J. Edwards (shoulder) remained out. Reserve inside linebacker Keelon Brookins was given the day off after suffering a rib injury Friday.
Brookins made it through practice Friday but only after the trainers applied a tight wrap around his ribs.
The staff probably would prefer to redshirt both Orr and Ingold, but considering the lack of experience and depth at the inside positions nothing can be ruled out.
“We told all the kids: ‘Come ready to compete,’ ” Chryst said when asked about redshirting Orr and Ingold. “You really don’t decide to redshirt until really the end of the year.”
Door opens for Benzschawel: Redshirt sophomore Hayden Biegel, who opened camp as the No. 1 right tackle, did not practice Saturday after suffering a head injury the previous day.
That allowed redshirt freshman Beau Benzschawel to move up to the top unit. With Biegel out indefinitely, Benzschawel will have time to impress the coaches and perhaps lock down the starting job.
“Absolutely an opportunity,” Chryst said, adding Biegel would be evaluated daily. “And that’s one example of many. And we’re going to see it throughout camp.”
Play to the whistle: Sophomore wide receiver George Rushing learned a valuable lesson the hard way Saturday.
After Ogunbowale broke through the line of scrimmage and into the open field, Rushing had the opportunity to throw a downfield block that could have led to a touchdown.
Instead, Rushing stopped competing and Ogunbowale was brought down.
Chryst saw the miscue, sprinted down the field and let Rushing know what he should have done.
“I think it is the difference between maybe a touchdown and not,” Chryst said. “Guys define their own standard and expectation. . . . I thought it was a great teachable moment.”
Extra points: Because of the heat and humidity, UW again practiced on the grass field north of Camp Randall Stadium. According to Ross Kolodziej, head strength and conditioning coach, the temperature near the grass was in the mid-80s. The temperature near the turf inside the stadium was 147 degrees. . . .
Reserve tight end Eric Steffes sat out practice because of an unspecified injury.