Badgers hoping an improved culture will help them bounce back from a disappointing season
Strength coach Brady Collins organized an offseason contest in which he asked players to send him a photo whenever they went out with a teammate. Players were awarded points for each photo they sent, with a prize going to the position group with the highest score.
The Badgers said those types of activities helped make them much closer than they were a year ago.
'At the start, it sounds kind of silly, but then you get into it, and it's kind of like a game,' outside linebacker Aaron Witt said. 'Then it becomes natural. It went from forcing yourself to hang out with your teammates to actually wanting to be around them.'
Wisconsin knew it had to improve its culture after going 5-7 last year for its first losing season since 2001, snapping what had been the longest active streak of bowl appearances by any Power Four team.
This isn't quite what Wisconsin expected when it hired Luke Fickell, who went 53-10 with one College Football Playoff appearance in his final five seasons at Cincinnati. The Badgers' chemistry lessons continue Tuesday when they continue a Fickell tradition and open preseason camp by spending 1 1/2 weeks at Platteville, Wisconsin, about 70 miles from campus
'Last year, I think a lot of guys kind of just gave up near the end of the season,' linebacker Christian Alliegro said. 'Guys weren't really close together and picking each other up. I think the big thing this offseason was getting the guys together and hanging out.'
As it prepares to open the season Aug. 30 against Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin is relying heavily on several players who weren't part of last year's struggles.
The projected starting quarterback is Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. Davis Heinzen, who started 36 consecutive games at Central Michigan, is likely to take over as the first-team left tackle after Kevin Heywood tore his anterior cruciate ligament in spring practice. Tennessee-Martin transfer Charles Perkins had an impressive spring and should boost a defense that allowed the second-most yards rushing per game of any Big Ten team last season.
But the Badgers also will need their returning players to remember what went wrong last year and to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Wisconsin ended the 2024 season by losing five straight games for the first time since 1991. During that skid, the Badgers lost their three trophy games to Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota by a combined margin of 110-42.
'Every week we started to believe in ourselves a little less,' outside linebacker Darryl Peterson said. 'As a leader, you take that upon yourself to make sure that doesn't happen again.'
The Badgers are confident that won't happen again because they know one another so much better. Older players were hanging out with younger players this offseason. The guys on offense spent more time interacting with their counterparts on defense.
They believe it will make a difference.
'The best teams in football are the closest teams,' offensive lineman Joe Brunner said. 'They might not be the most talented, but the closest teams are what create success on the football field because you trust one another. I don't think I've ever been this close to defensive guys on the team, and that's pretty special.'
Of course, it's easy to say that now. The true test will come the first time the Badgers encounter adversity on the field this fall.
Witt was asked Monday how he knows Wisconsin has corrected everything that went wrong a year ago.
'You don't,' Witt said. 'That's the thing. You've got to play the games. Everybody's going to stand in front of the camera and tell you we did this different, we're tougher, we're this, we're bigger, we're faster. But you'll see it on tape. We'll see it when games start.'
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
Ohio State coach Ryan Day clear on what he needs from QBs vying to replace Will Howard
FILE - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day looks on before the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File) JK flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A year after camp knee injury, former starter Derion Kendrick fights for a role with the Rams
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year after Derion Kendrick tore his knee ligament in the first practice of training camp, the Los Angeles Rams' former starting cornerback is fighting to reclaim a prominent role on a defense that was forced to move on without him. Kendrick didn't grind through a year of rehab to give up now — not even after the Rams waived him last month and brought him back at a lower salary. He could have gone elsewhere, but Kendrick says he was determined to continue what he started in Los Angeles. 'I love the people here,' Kendrick said Wednesday. 'I've built so many relationships in this organization, and I've got so much love for it. And I know the playbook like the back of my hand, so I wouldn't want to be nowhere else, for real.' Although the former sixth-round pick started 18 games over his first two seasons, Kendrick knows he has to compete for a roster spot this summer, let alone his former job. Kendrick has been working mostly with the Rams' second-team defense in camp. Starters Darious Williams and Cobie Durant are back for LA, and veteran Ahkello Witherspoon still occupies the role he seized last season after Kendrick's injury. The Rams also have praised Emmanuel Forbes, the former Commanders first-round selection picked up on waivers late last season. 'Just being a competitor, I always want to be the first one going out there,' he said. 'But right now, I'm just stacking my days, getting better each day.' Kendrick has still made enough plays to earn praise from coach Sean McVay and his staff. 'He's handled himself really well,' McVay said. 'He's got great instincts and a great concept trigger. He's worked really hard. You see the amount of time and effort that goes into getting yourself back, and he's even stronger than before. He's really smart and understands what's going on big-picture. His teammates love him. He just loves the game, and I've been really pleased with the steps that he's taken.' Winning at every level Kendrick has been a prolific winner throughout an impressive football career slowed only by off-field setbacks. He won two state titles as a high school quarterback in South Carolina, and he famously won College Football Playoff championships at both Clemson and Georgia. In between, he was dismissed by the Tigers for disciplinary issues shortly before he was arrested in 2021 when police found him asleep in his car with a gun. Kendrick started six games as a Rams rookie, and he had an even larger role in 2023 before he was arrested in an early-morning traffic stop hours after a game. He spent nearly three days in custody and faced two misdemeanor gun charges. Kendrick's role and playing time shrank on a playoff-bound team. He returned to training camp eager for a fresh start, only to injure his knee immediately and miss out on the Rams' unlikely NFC West title and playoff run. 'I've never had an injury like this in my career, so having people around me that have been through it and let me know how I need to go about it, they helped me through this past year to keep my head down and keep working,' he said. Seizing the controller Mindful of his own past, Kendrick also changed his life off the field. 'I'm trying not to be outside as much,' he said with a grin. 'I game a lot now. (NBA) 2K, Call of Duty. So I try to stay in the house with gaming, and then if I'm not on the game with my kids, then I'm with my other immediate family. Pretty chill.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Rams waived Kendrick before minicamp, only to re-sign him four days later at a lower salary than he would have made under the performance escalators in his original deal. Kendrick said the coaches already told him they wanted him back before the move, and he readily agreed. Kendrick said he finally felt 100% confident in his injury recovery a few weeks before training camp. Heading into a vital month of preseason play for his career, he still knows exactly where he wants to go. 'One of my goals is All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those type of things, and then my goal other than the personal accolades is just to win the Super Bowl,' Kendrick said. 'Finish out my wins throughout my career. I won at the high school level. I won at the college level. Now it's time to finish it out at the professional level, win that Super Bowl — and then for myself, just going to get that gold jacket.' ___ AP NFL:
Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Canada News.Net
Orioles eke out Game 2 win, sweep DH against Jays
(Photo credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images) Adley Rutschman, in his second day back from the injury list, hit a run-scoring double to break an eighth-inning tie as the host Baltimore Orioles pulled off a doubleheader sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, winning 3-2 in the nightcap on Tuesday. Ramon Laureano had two singles and a walk for Baltimore, which made good use of three extra-base hits. In the eighth, Gunnar Henderson hit a one-out double and scored on Rutschman's double. The last-place Orioles have won the first three games of the series, which ends Wednesday afternoon, and have captured five consecutive games overall. Baltimore notched a 16-4 victory in the doubleheader opener after prevailing 11-4 in the series opener on Monday. The American League East-leading Blue Jays took their third loss in a row. Between games of the doubleheader, the teams made a trade, with reliever Serathony Dominguez going to the Blue Jays from the Orioles, who are in a sell-off mode. Dominguez pitched a scoreless seventh inning against his now-former team. The Orioles called upon Corbin Martin, who was the winning pitcher in relief Monday night, to work the ninth for his first career save. He faced a threat, though. Martin hit the leadoff batter and issued a walk before Myles Straw's sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third. Martin struck out Nathan Lukes looking, then fanned Bo Bichette swinging on a full-count pitch to end the game. Andrew Kittredge (2-2) was the winning pitcher after throwing one shutout inning. Orioles rookie starter Brandon Young, who is winless in five decisions, had a strong outing. He worked a career-high six innings and limited Toronto to two runs on six hits. Young issued two walks and struck out six. Eric Lauer gave the Blue Jays five innings in a starting role, permitting two runs while yielding five hits and one walk. He whiffed four. Jeff Hoffman (6-4) gave up one run in his lone inning. After the Orioles racked up five sacrifice flies in the first game, three of the first four runs scored between the two teams in the nightcap came on plays that didn't involve a hit. The lone run-producing hit across the game's first seven innings came from Ryan O'Hearn's fourth-inning triple. That was followed in the same frame by Ramon Urias' RBI groundout.
