BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Just over a week to go until the Wisconsin Football Spring Game on April 21 and a number of players are looking to make an impression during the final days 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, defensive backs and now turns his attention to the Badgers' running backs.
NOTES & NOTABLES
STARTING TAILBACK VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN IN THE COTTON BOWL: Corey Clement
LETTERWINNERS LOST (2): Clement (43 games, 14 starts), Dare Ogunbowale (49, 10)
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING: Taiwan Deal (16, 3), Bradrick Shaw (11, 1).
FULLBACKS RETURNING: Austin Ramesh (27, 12), Alec Ingold (24, 0)
LEADING RUSHERS: Clement (314 rushes for 1,375 yards, 15 TDs), Ogubowale (91 for 506, 5), Shaw (88 for 457, 5), Deal (32 for 164, 0), Ramesh (17 for 58, 3), Ingold (18 for 44, 2)
FROM RUNNING QB TO RUNNER
Operating out of a spread formation, mini-pistol, triple-option, Garrett Groshek was a dual-threat quarterback who passed for 2,398 yards (41 touchdowns) and rushed for 1,432 yards (16 TDs) in leading Amherst High School to the 2015 Wisconsin Division 5 state championship. Groshek was subsequently named the Offensive Player of the Year in the state. The Badgers extended a walk-on invitation to Groshek as a quarterback, but he switched to tailback before the start of spring practice.
"We just got done with a workout," said the 5-foot-11, 210-pound Groshek, "and Coach (Paul) Chryst came up to me and told me that third down running back might be the best spot for me. I could tell that he thought it was absolutely the right place, so I immediately thought it was the right place. I really had no questions about it. I was just excited to get started. And it has been fun this spring and a little different. It's not as easy mentally going from quarterback to running back as someone might think."
UW running backs coach John Settle has been encouraged by the early results. "He has some natural ability," Settle said. "He's a guy who wants to be successful. He's a gym rat. He's up here (in the office) on days off. He'll come in and do extra drills. He'll watch NFL tapes of running backs and that type of thing. He wants to learn how to play the running back position and I like where he's headed. The progress he has made from day one to now is big time. It's all a credit to his work ethic."
As far as what Groshek offers as an apprentice tailback, Settle said, "He's not afraid. He actually runs with a lot more power than I thought being a quarterback. His confidence is picking up to where now he's understanding the system and he's seeing holes and playing faster."
Groshek was a two-way player at Amherst, also starting as a defensive back/linebacker. "I pretty much played every position growing up," he said. "Two years ago, I would line up on the scout team offensive line if we needed somebody for walk-throughs just because we didn't have enough guys. As long as I'm on a football field, I feel like I'm at the right place. I like to think I'm a tough kid. We'll find out as we keep going. I'm pretty much hitting the re-start button as far as learning the game."
Sam Brodner is going through many of the same growing pains. The 5-10, 225-pound Brodner is a scholarship redshirt freshman from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he led Glenbard West to a 14-0 record and the 2015 Class 7A state title. "Me and Sam have a couple of classes together and we're both trying to figure it out," said Groshek. "We bang questions off each other and it just helps each of us learn quicker."
The competition has helped both players, according to Settle. "Sam has done some good things, he has been very competitive," he said. "Those two guys know they're competing against each other for playing time. We'd like to have someone that we can really count on in third-down situations and nickel package. If they can master our third down stuff, it's an opportunity to get on the field the fastest because they know we've got Bradrick Shaw and Chris James for first and second down."
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH TAIWAN?
Because of an injury, Deal is not practicing this spring. But Settle says that he still looms as a wild card among the tailbacks going into next season. "The one thing that I've liked about him, when he's out here (for practice), he's engaged," Settle said. "It has been kind of fun hearing him coach-up the younger guys. He sees things and gives them pointers. He understands the protections and the run game and how it's supposed to look. My hope, when he comes back, is that he should have all the confidence in the world. That was the one thing with the ankle injury, it kept nagging him last season. Now that it's fixed, hopefully he'll compete for a role in the fall."
INGOLD IN THE PLANS
After making the transition from linebacker to running back as a freshman in 2015, Ingold is a hybrid tailback/fullback. At least that's how Settle is looking at him. "He's a guy who can play both spots and I kind of like the flexibility that he brings," said Settle. "He does have a lot of ability and he has proven that he can play in every situation. In practice, you'll see him on the field on third down. He's a big body that understands protection schemes. He can pick up the blitz. And he's a 240-pound guy with experience as opposed to a 210-pound guy. We're excited about him. Just like we're excited about Austin (Ramesh, who's injured). He'll be better than he was when he comes back."
QUOTE TO NOTE
On development of James, the Pittsburgh transfer, Settle said, "In the first practice, the first two touches, he fumbled the ball. He was just trying to do too much. He just had to calm down and relax. I think he was out to prove to his teammates and the coaches that he deserved to be here and he was just trying too hard. Since that day, he has been the Chris James that we expected to see with the burst, the acceleration, the elusiveness at the third level — all the those types of things that we saw when we had him at Pitt his freshman year. He's starting to get into a rhythm, so to speak."
NOTE TO QUOTE
Last season, Ingold and Ramesh combined for 35 carries, 102 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. Over his four seasons, former fullback Derek Watt had 13 carries for 60 yards.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING?
Shaw got everybody's attention with a 35-yard touchdown run against Akron. He followed that up by rushing 15 times for 62 yards against Georgia State. Shaw's 21-yard TD dash up the middle against Nebraska was another eye-opener. And he stayed on the radar when he made his first career start against Illinois and had 19 carries for 80 yards. A week later, he had 68 yards and two scores against Purdue. Is the best yet to come? "I feel a lot more comfortable," said Shaw. "I feel like this year I'll be able to get more playing time and I'm looking forward to really showing what I can do."
Shaw, a redshirt sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, came into the spring with a checklist. "I wanted to get stronger, more explosive and physical," he said. "I've been working on all my tools as a running back. Being an every-down back has been my biggest challenge this spring. Pass protections and catching out of the backfield have been areas of my game that I've been working on. Last year, I learned that I have the capability of doing everything Coach Set tells me. I learned I'm able to go out there and compete."
What has Settle learned about Shaw? "He has kind of picked up where he left off last season," he said. "In the scrimmages, especially, he has proven to be hard to tackle. I like the way he's running behind his pads. He looks bigger, but he's only a few pounds heavier (up to 215 from 212). The fact that he's able to run with that authority and the power that he can generate is going to help us."
Noting James is a "little more elusive" runner, Settle suggested that the tandem of Shaw and James has the makings of a unique combination. "It kind of gives you that Thunder and Lightning look," he said.
