BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Four years ago, Joel Stave, then a redshirt freshman, and Joe Brennan, a sophomore, were the only available quarterbacks for spring football practice at Wisconsin. Two other candidates, Curt Phillips and Jon Budmayr, were nursing injuries. So Stave and Brennan combined to take all the snaps.
It worked out extremely well for Stave, who took advantage of the additional reps, especially over the final two weeks of drills, to jump past Brennan, the backup to Russell Wilson the previous season. Brennan kept dropping on the depth chart and eventually transferred.
Stave recently brought this small piece of history to the attention of UW coach Paul Chryst, who wasn't aware since he had left Madison some five months earlier to take over the University of Pittsburgh program.
"But Joel was talking about how nice it was when you're one of only two quarterbacks," Chryst said, "because you know that you're going to get the reps."
The extra work and attention is particularly beneficial in the development of inexperienced signal-callers. At least it was for Stave, who went on to start 41 games and become the school's all-time winningest quarterback (31-10). Chryst is now looking for Stave's replacement.
Not completely unlike what transpired during March and April of 2012, Bart Houston, a fifth-year senior, and Alex Hornibrook, a redshirt freshman, will be the only QBs taking reps when spring drills commence Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
Incoming freshman quarterback Karé Lyles will be sidelined with a hip injury.
"His spring would be as much about learning as anything else," Chryst said of Lyles, an early enrollee from Scottsdale, Arizona. "He can still get a ton of value out of the learning part and then still be ready for fall camp from what I've been told. That's the hope and the plan."
As far as the heightened competition between Houston and Hornibrook, Chryst said, "The truth of it is, both can benefit from having a thousand reps. It's almost ideal with the way spring ball is spaced out — practicing Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
"It's not like a fall camp where you have to monitor the pitch count and an arm may get a little bit tired. You really don't have that here. I'm excited for these two. Like I've told them, 'I'm not worried about who is the starter, I'm not worried about naming one.
"I'm worried about making sure both are ready to play for game one (against LSU)."
Houston and Hornibrook, who's left-handed, offer a contrast in styles and personalities; a West Coast vs. East Coast dynamic. The former is from Dublin, California, and the latter is from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Hornibrook originally committed verbally to Chryst when he was at Pitt and followed him to the UW.
Last October, Houston took over for an injured Stave against Illinois and led the Badgers to a 24-13 victory by completing 22 of 32 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a couple of picks. Chryst figures that he's at his best when he's just cutting it loose and playing the game.
"You don't want to make him robotic; I don't think Bart would work well trying to be a robot," said Chryst. "Alex is different in that he reminds me a little bit of Scott Tolzien in how he approaches it. I've been impressed with his poise and demeanor."
Senior tailback Corey Clement likely will be limited for the spring in a cautionary move given the rash of injuries he endured last year. Clement rushed 19 times for 66 yards in Wisconsin's 23-21 win over USC in the Holiday Bowl, one of just four game appearances in 2015.
Not much went right for Clement, who was injured prior to the season opener against Alabama. After traveling to Germany for sports hernia surgery, he played in only two Big Ten games, Rutgers (11 carries for 115 yards and three touchdowns) and Northwestern (10 for 24 and a score).
With Clement in the shadows, the spotlight will once again be turned on Dare Ogunbowale, who led the Badgers in rushing with 819 yards and seven touchdowns. Ogunbowale, a former defensive back and walk-on from Milwaukee, also was the second-leading receiver with 36 catches for 299 yards.
"When we were looking at it last spring — trying to get to know the team — you're thinking, 'Here's a complementary piece,'" Chryst said of Ogunbowale. "And, all of a sudden, he's asked to be the leading ballcarrier and we're putting so much on his plate. Dare played a ton of reps.
"We were talking about it the other day, you can always learn from the film, but there's nothing like when it's you on the film. You could see sometimes where his eyes weren't where they needed to be. But now he knows why this is something he has to pay attention to.
"He felt it and he lived it."
Not having Clement at full-time status will also leave more carries for Taiwan Deal, a sophomore, and Bradrick Shaw, a redshirt freshman. As Ogunbowale's backup, Deal rushed 117 times for 503 yards, including 147 yards against Hawaii and 90 against Minnesota.
"Taiwan did some very good things for us last year but he was inconsistent; some of it was due to health," Chryst said. "Sometimes a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. There were times where it looked like he knew (what to do) but didn't trust it. The same can be said of Dare."
One of the more intriguing spring experiments will center on senior Leon Jacobs' transition from defense and linebacker to offense and fullback. Jacobs appeared in just four games last season because of a fractured foot. As a senior in high school, he was a very productive tailback.
"Like I talked to Leon about, 'This moves only makes sense if it's good for the team and good for you personally,'" Chryst said. "I'm not so sure that this doesn't open up some doors for him personally that fit him (as a potential NFL player). So I'm excited about it."
On the offensive line, Chryst confirmed that Ryan Ramczyk, a transfer from UW-Stevens Point who sat out per NCAA rules last season, will take over at left tackle with the graduation loss of Tyler Marz. "He maxed out his redshirt year for lack of a better term," Chryst said. "I think you can plug him into that spot."
Beau Benzschawel, a converted tackle, will open the spring at right guard. "I thought the last two games when we did move him to guard, he did some things that helped us — that changed us a little bit," Chryst said. "If Jacob Maxwell continues to grow (at right tackle), it takes some pressure off."
The Badgers will be without senior center Dan Voltz, who's continuing to rehab from ACL surgery. Michael Deiter will thus stay at center, for now. "When Dan does come back," Chryst said, "it will give us a little bit of flexibility. Who emerges at (left) guard? It will kind of play out a little bit."
Chryst is anxious to see how the returning wide receivers, especially Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy, take on more responsibility given their increased experience levels. "Rob and Jazz have to clearly grow from where they left off," he said.
The spring will be a proving ground for Reggie Love, George Rushing and Krenwick Sanders. "Reggie has to find his niche and we have to help him," Chryst said. "We certainly have to develop depth; you don't want to necessarily have to rely on freshmen for it, but there's a chance we could."
Much of the attention on the other side of the ball will be generated by Chryst's two new hires: defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and secondary coach Jim Leonhard, the former UW All-American.
"One of the strengths with Justin," Chryst said, "is that he really wants to know who are these kids, who are these players, and how do you play to their strengths? Instructionally, we might be calling it something different. But there are enough similarities that the guys won't be lined up and doing something that they're unaccustomed to doing.
"Justin spent a lot of time studying Vince Biegel from the standpoint of, 'Who is Vince and what does he do well? And who is Sojourn Shelton and what does he do well? And who is T.J. Edwards?' ... and you can do right down the line. I like when it's driven by people.
"Yet, you do have a foundation, a base (3-4) that won't be foreign to the players."
Chryst cited an example of how different players have different needs.
"What Vince Biegel can get out of the spring is different than it is for T.J. Watt, who just finished his first healthy winter conditioning and played last season and made big plays," Chryst said. "He might need to see more volume of things just to have it feel a little more second-nature.
"For Vince, maybe it's developing that great counter move and getting him out of a comfort zone that helps him grow. I thought he made progress last year in drops and understanding pass coverages.
"One of the things that he wanted to spend a lot of time on this winter was improving his physical strength. He won't get the volume of plays that someone else would. But it doesn't mean that he can't have a great and valuable spring."
The Badgers are strong at linebacker with Biegel, Watt, Edwards, Chris Orr and Jack Cichy, the Most Valuable Player on defense in the Holiday Bowl. Will Cichy be utilized inside or outside?
"We're finalizing now what is the best plan," Chryst said. "You don't want to make a guy a jack-of-all-trades (no pun intended), therefore he can't master any. He's got some natural football instincts that make us a better defense and sometimes that's being inside and sometimes that's being outside.
"I think it's fair to him because he can handle it mentally."
The secondary will feature the freshest look with just one returning starter, Shelton at corner. Natrell Jamerson and Derrick Tindal saw action in some of the different defensive schemes, the nickel and dime packages. "That gave them some great experience," Chryst said.
At safety, Leo Musso and D'Cota Dixon got some meaningful reps, while freshman Arrington Farrar saw considerable action on special teams. "I don't feel necessarily like we have to find the starters in the spring," he said of the auditioning DBs. "But you have to find the guys who have a chance."
Asked about Leonhard's presence on the practice field, Chryst grinned at the thought of having a 10-year NFL vet on hand and said, "Boy, I'm excited for our players."
Reminded that Leonhard, the least experienced coach, has inherited the least experienced position group, Chryst said, "On paper, it's just that. But I don't feel like he's a rookie."
On the defensive line, the Badgers will have to absorb the loss of Arthur Goldberg (14 career starts), who has given up football because of a head injury. Likewise, offensive lineman Walker Williams has been forced to do the same thing. Williams started seven games last season.
Wisconsin returns a strong nucleus on the D-line with Chikwe Obasih, Conor Sheehy and Alec James. "We have a leadership council," Chryst said, "and these three players were all voted on it. Those are the three that they look up to. That's the neat thing about this group, they're a close group."
By the end of the spring, Chryst is hoping to get closer to some answers.
"I want our guys to get accustomed to the new nuances of the defense," he said, "and our coaches (Wilcox and Leonhard) to get a feel for our guys. You want to have a great direction on where you're going in the secondary.
"You have to replace an All-American (Joe Schobert) at linebacker but you know the names in the pool. You have a pretty good idea because guys have experience. And we're settling in a little bit on two things: 'Who are those guys, and, are they in the right spots?'"
Spring football signals the start of the "smiling" season for Chryst, who smiles a lot when he gets to do what he loves the most about his job ... coach. "It's our job," he said, "to make sure the main focus of the spring is on the growth and development of our players."
He wouldn't have it any other way.
