BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Eleven days to go until the Wisconsin Football Spring Game on April 21 and UW has begun its fourth week of spring drills.
Leading up to the spring game, UWBadgers.com Senior Writer Mike Lucas will break down the Badgers, position by position. He's tackled the offensive line, inside linebackers, tight ends and now turns his attention to Wisconsin's defensive line.
NOTES & NOTABLES
STARTERS VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN IN THE COTTON BOWL: Olive Sagapolu and Chikwe Obasih
PLAYERS RETURNING WITH STARTING EXPERIENCE: Obasih (31 starts), Conor Sheehy (19), Alec James (12), Sagapolu (9)
PLAYERS RETURNING WITH GAME EXPERIENCE: Billy Hirschfeld (16), Garrett Rand (14)
TACKLE LEADERS: Sheehy 27 (4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks); James 23 (3.5, 3.5); Obasih 22 (1.5, 1.5), Sagapolu 14 (1, 1)
NUMBERS GAME
One of Sagapolu's uncles, Domata Peko, was a defensive lineman and wore No. 94 during his 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During the offseason, Peko signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos. Another uncle, Tupe Peko (Domata's older brother), now retired, was an offensive lineman and wore No. 56 during his three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The Pekos played at Michigan State. Their cousin, Kyle Peko, is a second-year nose tackle with the Broncos. He wears No. 90.
As a freshman and sophomore, Sagapolu wore No. 65. But he has traded that for No. 99. "Going into my junior year, I felt it was time for a change," said Sagapolu. "I asked if I could switch and they gave me the option, 90 or 99. So I chose 99. I was asked if I knew who wore 99 and I said that I did. I know those are big shoes to fill. But I'm going to do the best that I can to wear the number proudly."
J.J. Watt was No. 99.
"I didn't know he (Sagapolu) was 99 until he came out for spring practice," said UW defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield. "It looks good on him — 65 was an offensive lineman's number."
348. That's the more important number to Breckterfield. "He's 348 (pounds). but he's not a sloppy 348," he said. "He moves very well for a guy that big. He's a rare, rare type of player. And I just told him, 'Hey, whatever you feel comfortable with, but if I start seeing you're not moving, I'm going to have a talk with you.' He's very nimble for 348, no doubt. Did you see that one picture of him doing the splits during a timeout at a basketball game? I'm not worried about him. He has been very conscious of what he's eating and he knows that he can't get to 360. If he can keep his weight right here, he's good."
It has become a rite of winter: a group of football players taking part in a scripted routine with the UW dance team at the Kohl Center. Sagapolu has more experience than most in this area. After his senior year of football at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, he joined the cheerleading squad and participated in some national competitions. Sagapolu was limber enough to execute a standing backflip.
"This spring, I'm really trying to focus on my diet and take care of my body," said Sagapolu, who admittedly has some bad eating habits. "I've talked to some of the coaching staff about the proper things to eat. Being a big guy, I love food. I love to eat. I love the late-night binge eating. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to become the greatest player that I can become. Sweets are the toughest thing. I have a real bad sweet tooth. I love me some Oreos. Any type of junk food, I could eat all day."
Sagapolu knows that he must resist such temptations. He's one of the veterans up front now. "Having such great guys ahead of me," he said, listing Obasih, Sheehy and James, "I've looked up to them and how they've been leaders and progressed over the years. I'm really looking forward to playing one last year with them. My goal for the spring is just to be consistent, whether it's working against a scoop block or against the one-on-one stuff. I'm trying to come into every day with a positive mindset."
QUOTE TO NOTE
Although Obasih will not have any contact during spring practice, Breckterfield said, "He'll miss the reps now, but he'll get a bunch back in the fall. He's a guy that has played a lot of football for us. He will be a four-year starter and it will be like riding a bike. I'm not worried about him. He's in all of our meetings this spring and I have him working with the noses during individual periods, so he's kind of into it. He's taking mental reps. It will take only two or three days to knock the rust off."
NOTE TO QUOTE
Breckterfield has been schooling Rand on different techniques. As a true freshman, he was primarily a 0 or 1-technique, a backup nose tackle. "He was living in a small box," Breckterfield said. "I've got to press the reset button because it's a whole new learning curve for him. He's doing some good things. But it's fixing the little things with him while he's going through the progression of learning the 3-technique, the 4, 5 and 7. He's having a good spring. But like I said, it's new and you've got to go through the process. There will be mistakes. We just have to minimize them."
LOUDERMILK TURNING UP THE VOLUME
Everybody in Howard, Kansas (population: 687) knew of Isaiahh Loudermilk. They knew of his strength in dealing with and overcoming a personal adversity — the loss of his cousin (Damon Wilson, 16) and best friend (Reid Russell, 17) in a car accident in May of 2015. They knew of his athletic prowess as an all-state basketball player who averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks as a high school junior. They knew of his dominance on West Elk's eight-man football team. The recruiters knew of him, too. And that's why Loudermilk had options to choose from, including Kansas State, Oregon and Wisconsin.
While redshirting as a freshman last season, Loudermilk got an education on the scout team whenever he was matched against offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, a first-team All-American and a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. "It was eye-opening," Loudermilk said of Ramczyk. "I went against him a few times and he's a special guy. At the same time, I felt like it was a blessing to kind of get the feel for what that real talent is like. Being on the scout team helped me a lot."
The 6-foot-7 Loudermilk weighed 277 last August. He's now up to 302. "The biggest adjustment from high school, I'd say, is the physicality," he said, adding that he towered over most of his prep opponents in the eight-man game, which revolved around quickness and spacing. "I didn't have to make too much contact with people in high school. I was going against people who barely scratched 200. Now I'm against people who are over 300. It steps up the bar. I've spent a lot of time watching the upperclassmen and how they've gone about their business and how they've practiced. So, I'm trying to emulate them."
Breckterfield has been pleased with what he has seen out of Loudermilk. "He's getting better every day," he said. "I've got him running with the twos and I'm trying to get him a whole bunch of reps. He has got a knack for pass rushing. He has got a good feel for that deal. Right now, it's about cleaning up his run defense — his striking, eyes, footwork, hand placement. That's what I'm honing in with him on."
NOKES SEZ
"Coming into the spring, I've been getting the young guys reps, the reps that they never got in the fall. With the older guys, I'm trying to figure out where they can grow … I'm kind of giving them a free reign with the defense as far as alignment and different things that they can do. We'll put it on film and see if it works. I've given them some leeway to play with some stuff."
