and Shelton Johnson), the secondary is in the
process of a makeover that has entailed converting Reggie Mitchell (No. 26) from corner
to safety. Mitchell, a cousin of New York Jets
cornerback Darrelle Revis, was an option
quarterback at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh. He's no Revis; no Fletcher, either. But
Mitchell, who was sidelined last season after
tweaking his knee, has gotten some valuable
reps this spring which should accelerate his
growth.
3-4 SCHEME ADDS UP BIG FOR 3 OR 4:
In transitioning from a 4-3 defensive alignment to a 3-4, the Badgers have created some
fresh opportunities for unproven players who
are seemingly better fits at outside linebacker
within the new system. The short list includes
Vince Biegel (No. 47), Joe Schobert (No. 42),
Jesse Hayes (No. 41) and Nick Hill (No. 52).
With the exception of Schobert, a converted
safety, the others have dealt with injuries.
Biegel is the son of a former BYU linebacker
(Rocky Biegel), Hayes is the son of a former
Badgers assistant (Jay Hayes, the D-line coach
with the Cincinnati Bengals). In 13 games last
year, Utah State's pressure defense resulted in
42 quarterback sacks -- only five teams in the
country had more (Stanford, Arizona State,
Tulsa, USC, South Carolina). By comparison,
the UW had 30 sacks in 14 games.
Joe Schobert
DAVID STLUKA
STEEL CITY CONNECTION, II: One of the
elite defensive backs to have ever played at
Wisconsin was an option quarterback in high
school, and there's a very good chance that
nobody will ever come close to matching the
productivity of cornerback Jamar Fletcher,
a game-breaker. With the graduation loss of
three starters (Marcus Cromartie, Devin Smith
DAVID STLUKA
2012 FLASHBACK: Melvin Gordon had 30
carries for 159 yards and one touchdown in
sparking the Cardinal team to a 21-10 victory
over the White squad in last year's Spring
Game at Camp Randall Stadium. Gordon got a
chance to show off his running skills because
Montee Ball was held out of the scrimmage as
a precaution and James White was rehabbing
an injury. Quarterback Joel Stave completed
14-of-25 passes for 135 yards. Isaiah Williams,
now a safety, had five catches for 53 yards
and Chase Hammond had four for 48 and a
touchdown. Defensive tackle Beau Allen and
linebacker A.J Fenton each finished with 3
TFLs. During rapid-fire kicking, Kyle French
converted on 8 of 10 field goal attempts.
Jesse Hayes
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