Linebacker Mike Taylor is beginning to show the skills that intrigued the University of Wisconsin staff.
"He is very explosive,"
coach Bret Bielema said Thursday after UW finished its 10th practice of the spring. "Mike is eager. He is anxious. He is sudden."
"He's got incredible acceleration. I think that is going to make him potentially a big playmaker."
Taylor, listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds, is behind in the battle to win playing time at weak-side linebacker because he missed the first seven practices while recovering from a hamstring injury. He redshirted in 2008 largely because he underwent neck surgery before the season.
"Coming out here feels a little rusty trying to get back into it,"
said Taylor, who will be a redshirt freshman in the fall. "Everything is kind of cloudy in my head. It hasn't set into muscle memory yet."
"That's something I have to work on."
Nevertheless, Taylor flashed his mobility in practice Thursday.
On one play, he ran effortlessly down the sideline with tight end Mickey Turner and forced an incompletion because of tight coverage. On another, he used his speed on the blitz to pressure the quarterback. On another, he kept mobile quarterback Curt Phillips from breaking containment.
Bielema also sees a linebacker willing to be physical. The training staff told Taylor to avoid contact during practice Tuesday just as a precaution.
"I had him in a drill and he wouldn't stop making contact,"
Bielema said. "I kept telling him, 'Don't hit anybody.'"
"And he'd just go hit somebody."
Red-zone revenge: UW's defense, which surrendered five touchdowns in six possessions during a red-zone session Saturday, pitched a shutout Thursday.
The offense had four possessions starting from the 18-yard line - two apiece for the No. 1 and No. 2 units - and failed to score each time.
"What we lacked on Saturday was energy,"
defensive end O'Brien Schofield said. "We tried to come out here today and have energy and it sparked everybody. Everybody was on and reading their keys. It was fun out there."
With each stop, the members of the defense let the offensive players know who was in charge.
"You have to,"
Schofield said. "You've got to mess with them a little bit just to get in their heads."
Extra points: Practice on Saturday is scheduled to include another extended scrimmage, though the down and distance won't be scripted. "Right now the intent is to put the ball on the 25 and let them move the ball,"
Bielema said. "We just want to see if we've got guys that can move the football."
. . .
Tailback John Clay (ankle) was held out of practice Thursday with the hope that he can go Saturday. . . .
Wide receiver Nick Toon suffered what appeared to be a strained muscle in his left leg Thursday and was held out for most of practice.
