5 thoughts after Wisconsin football's 9th fall camp practice
The Badgers returned to the field exactly three weeks away from their Sept. 6 season opener. Here's what stood out.
MADISON, Wis. — A pair of running backs who started their University of Wisconsin football careers as walk-ons certainly got their fair share of carries this weekend.
That included facing the first-team defense.
Senior Abu Sama III and junior Darrion Dupree carried the rock with the first-team offense Sunday, but Bryan Jackson II, Juju Pope or Nate Palmer didn’t participate in 11-on-11 periods. That allowed redshirt sophomore Mason Lane and sophomore Harrison Bortolotti to jump in with the second-team unit in addition to third-team reps.
Coach Luke Fickell and his staff had their first-team offense against the second-team defense towards the end of practice, and vice versa with the 1s on defense against the interchangeable quarterback duo of Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins and the second-team offense.
Lane (at a listed 6 foot 1 and 220 pounds) and Bortolotti (5-9, 202) are solid, physical backs, and both didn’t look out of place Sunday with their second- and third-team carries. Bortolotti has also shown during fall camps that he possesses a burst of speed with his compact frame that can get him past the first level of the defense, and as previously noted earlier Sunday, he’s also had some verbal exchanges with some defenders over the first eight practices.
Here are four more takeaways and thoughts from Sunday’s practice. Now’s the perfect time to take advantage of Badger Observer’s new deal where fans can get ALL the coverage from Big Ten football media days, fall camp, recruiting and much more for $2 a month or $20/year!
