BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When the Wisconsin football team opened spring camp last month, tailback and outside linebacker were seen as areas of strength.
On offense, seniors Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale and sophomore Taiwan Deal topped the depth chart and their strengths — Clement as a slashing game-breaker; Ogunbowale as a shifty target out of the backfield; Deal as a between-the-tackles hammer — translated to a dynamic trio.
On defense, elite senior Vince Biegel and junior T.J. Watt sat atop the marquee at outside linebacker with junior Jack Cichy, currently listed as an inside 'backer, as another high-grade option off the edge.
But when the Badgers closed out the spring session on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium — Team Abbrederis held off Team Schobert 28-22 before a sun-kissed crowd of 9,181 — those two positions appeared noticeably richer.
UW head coach Paul Chryst said many of his players maximized their developmental opportunities during spring practice, but none more so than redshirt freshman tailback Bradrick Shaw and junior outside linebacker Garret Dooley.
Shaw, from Birmingham, Alabama, showed that he a better grasp of the offense and flashed some power and speed during the 15 spring practices.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Shaw said he spent the spring trying to get a better read on pass protections and to overcome the idea that he had to break off a long run every time he touched the ball.
"I messed up a lot in spring camp, but I did really good as well," he said. "That helped me out a lot."
Shaw said he was surprised to hear that he'd been singled out by Chryst.
"A lot of guys stepped up and did really good this spring," Shaw said. "I was impressed by a lot of guys — like (wide receiver) George Rushing and (quarterback) Alex Hornibrook — so for him to single me out is an honor. I'm happy for that."
Shaw and Deal got a lot of reps as Chryst sought to limit the wear and tear on his two veterans.
"Bradrick and Tawain were able to take advantage of a lot of work this spring," Chryst said. "Both the young backs did some good things this spring."
Asked if Shaw could carve out some meaningful snaps behind Clement, Ogunbowale and Deal, Chryst referred to last season when Clement and Deal missed important chunks of the season due to injuries.
"You hope we're deeper than we were last year," Chryst said.
Shaw, a highly regarded recruit out of Hoover High School, believes he can push for playing time despite the crowded depth chart above him.
"I think I can," he said. "Anything is possible."
Dooley, from Rochester, Illinois, is making up for time lost due to redshirting and an injury the last two seasons.
Chryst said Dooley "had a great winter conditioning period and he was able to stack it with, I thought, a really good, productive spring.
"He's a guy that's finding his spot. I've talked a lot about Vince. We've talked about T.J. We know that (Cichy) has played the outside spot.
"But Dools put himself in a position where he was cutting loose and playing. That'll be big for us."
Listed at 6-3 and 245 pounds, Dooley was coming off an injury last spring, so everything he did felt measured and mechanical.
"Last spring, basically the No. 1 thing was 'Don't mess up on this play,'" he said. "Now that I've been in the system for a whole year, now I know where the play is and I can play fast. I know exactly what I'm doing, so I can just go out there and play."
Dooley said working alongside Joe Schobert, the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2015, and Biegel, who resisted the temptation to opt for the NFL draft as an underclassman, exposed him to "experts" at the position and he's "just trying to take full advantage of every opportunity I get."
"I think learning from people like Vince and Joe, and then people coming up like T.J. (Watt), playing behind them and learning from what they're doing has definitely improved my game and I'm just going to keep making strides to get as much playing time as possible."
Chryst said Dooley made some big leaps during winter conditioning and that carried over to the field.
"I know what we're doing and I know the game a lot better now," Dooley said. "This spring I was able to just go out and play some ball."
Last season UW outside linebackers coach Tim Tibesar had a platoon of four — Jesse Hayes and Cichy were used to spell Biegel and Schobert — and Chryst said he'd like to do that again.
Dooley, he said, has "put himself into the conversation for that."
In addition, Chryst said Dooley has given himself a chance to see action on multiple special teams.
"I think he can make an impact," Chryst said.
"Basically, I'm here for the team," Dooley said. "I'm willing to do anything possible to make the team successful.
"Special teams are obviously a big component of football games. You can change an entire game just by one play on special teams.
"If I can impact things that way, I'm going to give 100-percent effort."
