Spring games — Hooray!

The Big Ten Network is televising conference schools' spring football games (scrimmages) this week as well as offering them free online. My thoughts from the portion of the Wisconsin game I caught and Badger beat reporters:

QB battles always grab the headlines, and it appears the situation remains unresolved. I was most impressed with Scott Tolzien, who led a nice drive that eventually stalled and resulted in a missed field goal.

The kicking game was inconsistent, as the Badgers search for a replacement for NFL-bound Taylor Mehlhaff. The offense stalled several times in the red zone, including a defensive stop where Lance Smith was stood up on 4th and goal at the 1-yard-line. Ken DeBauche's younger brother, Brad, is replacing him at punter. He got off a nice 45-yarder but also shanked another one.

The running game looked great. Redshirt freshman John Clay, a top-5 RB recruit, racked up nearly 100 yards. Of course he's still behind All-American P.J. Hill as well as Lance Smith and Zach Brown. Hopefully the attack will help all the RBs keep their legs fresh, particularly Hill, who was worse for the ware at the end of his freshman year.

Most of the DL sat out with injuries, although senior DE Matt Shaughnessy's broken leg is not as bad as initially feared.

For those wondering about last year's QB, Tyler Donovan, he signed a CFL contract with Edmonton.

The schedule is favorable for Wisconsin. Ohio State, Illinois and Penn State all come to Madison, where they have lost just one game in four years. They have to go to Ann Arbor, but at least it is in September as the Wolverines adjust to new man Rich Rodriguez running the program. They make a trip to the usually dangerous Fresno State in September, and also have a trip to Iowa sandwiched between the Penn State and Illinois road games. Michigan State also seems to have UW's number; the Spartans host the Badgers on Nov. 1.

Early pre-season estimation: 10-2

--Nate Sandstrom