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Fans get first look at UW
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Also by Derek Zetlin:
- Fans get first look at UW (April 18, 2008)
- Too much of a good thing? (April 16, 2008)
- Madison in need of baseball team (April 16, 2008)
- Keys to Badgers' football success (April 9, 2008)
- Injured starters give chance to reserves (April 7, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Spring Game back at Camp Randall following hiatus (April 21, 2006)
- No spring football game in 2004 (January 19, 2004)
- Badgers carefully commence spring ball (March 10, 2003)
- Stocco injures ankle before returning (April 13, 2006)
- Wisconsin football relishes Saturday of firsts (April 3, 2006)
by Derek Zetlin
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Wisconsin football team has had 14 practices this spring. Fourteen times they’ve suited up and showed their coaches what they can bring to the table come fall.
No. 15 will be a little different.
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. the Badgers will walk onto the field of Camp Randall Stadium for the final time this spring. This time, it will be in front of thousands of fans for the annual spring football game.
“I’m excited. It’s fun,” fullback Chris Pressley said. “But it’s just another practice to get better. Obviously a lot of fans are going to be there, but really we look at it as the last time we have pads on before camp. It’s fun for our family and fans to see what we’ve been working on. It’s something just to get us a head start.
“I just want to go out there and be sound, be consistent,” Pressley continued. “This is the last look the coaches are going to get, so I got to keep a fresh taste in their mouths. We just got to go out and execute and play football and have fun with it.”
For senior quarterback Allan Evridge, this is the last go-around for his collegiate career. He knows that all eyes will be on his No. 4 as Badger fans will be anxious to see what the new signal caller has to offer.
“Any time you get out there and play with the guys, it’s fun,” Evridge said. “Hopefully the weather holds up, and we get a lot of fans out there. It will be the culmination of a long, nice spring.”
“I just want to go out there, take it as another advantage to get more repetitions with the offense, trying to get the timing with the guys, just continue to improve and get better — that’s my ultimate goal. Take advantage of every rep I can get and get as much under my belt as I can before fall.”
That said, there should be plenty of excitement on the field Saturday.
“[Our talents don’t] mean anything unless we go out and use it,” Pressley said. “Right now it looks good on paper, but until we go out there and do what everyone’s expecting us to do, it doesn’t mean anything, so we’ve just got to stay humble and realize that this is what we got, but we’ve got to get better.”
Although the players are excited to showcase their talents in front of the Badger faithful, the coaches are looking at Saturday’s game as just another practice.
“The spring game is only one of 15 practices,” offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. “My expectations are that they’re better in practice 15 than they were in practice 14 and right down the line. The spring game is not a big deal. The big deal is that it’s one more chance to practice and get better.”
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 1:41pm):
Fukedome
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