Coaches Corner: Nagy can appreciate O-line’s versatility
October 23, 2015 | Football, Mike Lucas
Badgers grad assistant played seemingly every position as part of ultra-successful unit
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. -- Midway through training camp, Michael Deiter moved from right guard to left guard, a more familiar side of the formation for Wisconsin's redshirt freshman who played left tackle in high school.
After starting the first six games at left guard, Deiter then replaced an injured Dan Voltz and started at center against Purdue. The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Deiter played center the past two springs.
"I don't think of Deiter as a freshman anymore," said graduate assistant coach Bill Nagy. "Just how he handles himself - and how the older guys kind of take to him - he's more of a leader now."
If anybody can appreciate Deiter's versatility to perform effectively at multiple positions, it would be Nagy, who was cast in a similar role along the UW offensive line as a senior in 2010.
Nagy started the first four games at right guard while Kevin Zeitler was recovering from an ankle injury. When Zeitler returned, Nagy was utilized as a third tight end in short yardage situations.
After Peter Konz re-aggravated an ankle injury, Nagy took over as Wisconsin's starting center even though he had limited experience at the position.
At the end of the season, the Badgers had six O-linemen receive All-Big Ten recognition. Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt were first-team picks. Konz, Zeitler, Nagy and Rick Wagner were honorable mention.
"It was just a crazy year - it was the next-man-up mentality," said Nagy, a native of Hudson, Ohio, 40 minutes outside of Cleveland. "It was a cool group to be a part of."
Consider: the Badgers were so deep on the offensive line in 2010 that center/guard Travis Frederick, who had started four games a year earlier as a true freshman, was redshirted.
"That explains how much talent we had when a first-rounder, a Pro Bowler, redshirted his second year here," Nagy said of Frederick. "That speaks volumes to the program and coaching staff."
All seven players were drafted and started in the NFL. Frederick (Dallas), Zeitler (Cincinnati) and Wagner (Baltimore) are still holding down starting assignments. Konz is a free agent after playing three years in Atlanta.
Nagy talks on a regular basis with Moffitt, who's still looking to get back in the league. Nagy and Moffitt were UW roommates, along with Green Bay quarterback Scott Tolzien, also a close friend.
In the 2011 draft, defensive end J.J. Watt and Carimi went in the first round; tight end Lance Kendricks in the second; Moffitt in the third; and Nagy in the seventh and final round to Dallas.
Nagy was the 252nd pick, two shy of Mr. Irrelevant. "I was very thankful the Cowboys took a chance on me," he said, "being that it was the lockout year and kind of a weird year to come out."
As it turned out, he was relevant immediately, starting four games as a rookie with the Cowboys before fracturing his ankle against the New England Patriots. That ended his season in October.
The following year, he suffered a high ankle sprain the first practice of camp. That necessitated another surgery. The Cowboys waived Nagy with the idea of putting him on injured reserve.
But the Detroit Lions claimed him in August of 2012. Even though he was still rehabbing, they felt that he had shown enough promise to help them at either guard or center - once healthy.
Therein was the problem. Nagy never got back to 100 percent and was released in July of 2013.
"That's what eventually ended my career, the ankle injuries," he said. "It wasn't hard to fess up to it when you couldn't physically do it. It wasn't like I wasn't good enough. Physically, it wasn't there."
It was not the worst adversity that he had to deal with. Before the start of his junior year at Wisconsin, he was riding his moped back to his apartment after summer conditioning at Camp Randall.
At the Park and Dayton intersection, he got run over by a car that blew through a red light. Nagy sustained wrist and foot injuries (torn ligaments in his arch). He appeared in only two games that year.
"I often wonder about that," he admitted. "You wonder what it could have been ... but at the same time you realize how fortunate you are (to escape more serious injuries from the crash)."
Although he managed in business management, Nagy wanted to coach and Paul Chryst, then at Pittsburgh, gave him that shot last year to join Ross Kolodziej's strength and conditioning staff.
"Honestly, it kind of fell into my hands with the injuries that I had," he said. "At the time, I was rehabbing to continue to play - but I couldn't pass a physical and I was pretty banged up."
Nagy worked as a graduate assistant in the weight room. When Chryst left Pittsburgh for the Wisconsin, he brought along Kolodziej and Nagy, among others.
"Obviously, it was hard to pass up the opportunity coming back here," said Nagy, who got married last March to Jessa Benson, a former UW volleyball player. A baby girl is on the way.
"It hasn't been an easy lifestyle for the past few months. But I enjoy the guys I work with - it's not even like coming to work - with all the guys in the weight room and all of my former teammates."
The Wisconsin offensive line was expected to be a work in progress because of the graduation losses. But compounding the inexperience has been a lack of depth due to a rash of injuries.
"There are growing pains like anything else but their potential is really endless," Nagy said of the redshirt freshmen who have been called upon not only to play but to start.
"They're a good group of guys, too, and they like working. I think back to where I was as a true freshman or going into my second year, and these guys are so far ahead, it's unbelievable."
Deiter has seven starts. Micah Kapoi, playing both right and left guard, has five. Jacob Maxwell started one game at right tackle; Beau Benzschawel has started the last two after missing nearly all of training camp and the first five weeks of the season with an injury. Kapoi, Maxwell and Benzschawel are all redshirt freshmen.
"You're talking about a guy," Nagy said of Benzschawel, "who had maybe three padded practices before his first start at Nebraska.
"That's insane. And he's a guy that keeps getting better every day.
"That's what is cool about this young group. You see them grow each practice and each week. Sometimes with older guys it takes time to break old habits. These guys are so raw with everything."
Because of their youth, they've needed direction which has been provided by the returning starters, Tyler Marz and Dan Voltz. "They're doing everything we ask of them and more," Nagy said.
Walker Williams, a redshirt junior, has been the X-factor as a starting guard or backup tackle. Williams has filled a void with Hayden Biegel (four starts) out and Ray Ball sidelined since August.
A year ago, the Badgers shredded the Illinois defense with their running game - rushing 47 times for 401 yards (8.5 average) and five touchdowns in a 38-28 win at Camp Randall Stadium.
Melvin Gordon had 175 yards and Corey Clement had 164, including a 72-yard score. Quarterbacks Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy combined to complete 10 of 18 passes for 97 yards.
They didn't have to throw because Illinois missed tackles and couldn't stop the run. But the Illini are vastly improved in every statistical category, which has factored into their 4-2 record.
Through six games in 2014, they giving up 482.2 yards per game and 35.5 points.
Through six games this year, they're allowing 332.5 yards per game and 19.7 points.
The Illini rank No. 4 nationally in third-down conversion defense (.223).
The Badgers, by comparison, rank No. 55 in third-down conversion offense (.409).
"As a defensive front, they're very, very talented," Nagy said. "There have been some individuals that we've faced that have been pretty good.
"But they have talent across the board. With the way they finish and the intensity they play with, you can tell they enjoying playing. They're similar to Iowa."
Illinois defensive end Jihad Ward (6-6, 295) is the fourth-leading tackler on the team with 33. He had 11 against the Hawkeyes, including nine solos. He has patterned his game after Julius Peppers.
The nose guard is the aptly named Jarrod "Chunky" Clements (6-3, 290), who's second on the team in TFLs and first in quarterback hurries.
The top playmaker is Dawaune Smoot (6-3, 270) who's on pace to tie Simeon Rice's school record of 23 TFLs in a season. Smoot has 11.5, and five of the team's six sacks. He also favors Peppers.
"As a whole," Nagy concluded, "these guys are one of the biggest challenges we've had."
