Wisconsin’s offense needed a cleaner day, and Friday morning finally gave Jeff Grimes’ group one. With fall camp winding down, the Badgers put together a practice that featured more good than bad on both sides, capped by situational work that ended in “game-winning” field goals.
The defense still found ways to create turnovers, because that’s been a theme all camp. But this time, it didn’t look like the unit completely owned the day the way it had earlier in the week.
A few players separated themselves in practice No. 13, and several others made enough noise to deserve mention as well.
Chris Brooks Jr. kept doing what reliable veterans do. He may not be the flashiest name in the receiver room, but he keeps showing up.
Friday included a contested catch near the sideline that helped set up a field goal in end-of-game work, plus a play where he got loose deep for what would have been an easy touchdown if Colton Joseph had found him. It was another quietly strong showing.
Matt Jung also made his presence felt without stealing headlines. He read Joseph’s eyes and nearly came away with an interception, then later broke up a downfield throw. He also got into the backfield and disrupted a pass, a useful sign with safeties and middle linebackers spending camp working on pass rushing.
Joseph’s day wasn’t spotless, but it was steadier than some of the other recent offensive performances. He had a few throws he’d probably want back, including the one Jung nearly picked off, but he mostly avoided putting himself in bad spots and connected well enough with several receivers to keep the offense moving.
Kicker Lahm earned a spot among the standouts after Wisconsin’s late-game scenario work. He got five tries from 51, 56, 41, 58 and 40 yards and converted four of them, missing only from 41. In a game, that’s a different conversation entirely, but drilling kicks from almost 60 yards is the kind of thing that jumps off the field.
Freshman wideout Brock may be forcing his way into the conversation for more playing time. His day was the kind that makes coaches take notice. Between 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work, he caught four passes from Ryan Hopkins and drew several more targets, working the middle, the boundary and the deep part of the field.
The best of it may have come on a throw from Deuce Adams, when Brock went up through three defenders, high-pointed the ball and came down with it anyway. That kind of play stands out no matter the setting, and Brock’s growing chemistry with Hopkins looks like one of the more encouraging developments from camp.
In the cornerback room, the focus has mostly been on the battle between Jai’mier Scott and Eric Fletcher, but Dunmore has been building his own case in the background. The freshman had a balanced and productive day. He likely would have had a sack on a blitz, picked off a pass inside the 5-yard line and later broke up a deep ball intended for Brock in the closing situational period.
That sort of performance may not translate into a big role this fall, but Dunmore has looked like a quality long-term defensive back.
Posa continued to show why he’s been one of camp’s most disruptive defenders. With no pads, he had a chance to show more than just his physicality, and he handled it well.
He was in the right spots in coverage, flew across the field to stop a flat route near the line of scrimmage and made his best play when Eugene Hilton caught a pass over the middle. Posa closed fast, stopped Hilton from turning it into a bigger gain and punched the ball loose for a fumble.
That’s not usually how Posa makes his money. His value is more about stopping the run and getting into the backfield. But the turnover piece matters, and it’s another sign his game is growing.
Hilton, meanwhile, kept building on the flashes he’s shown all camp. He’s been a source of highlights, but Friday also reinforced that he’s becoming a more complete receiver.
In one early live period, he shook free as Joseph rolled right and hauled in a tough throw. Later, from inside the five, Joseph found him again in the left corner of the end zone.
Wisconsin clearly needs more than just the occasional highlight from Hilton. The good news is he’s shown he can threaten defenses at the line, in the middle and down the field. Based on what camp has shown so far, he looks like the most likely No. 1 target for Joseph.
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Wisconsin Is Asking One Quarterback To Save Its 2026 Season
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For Joseph, the assignment is bigger than just winning a job. If he settles in quickly, Wisconsin can start talking about more than just getting back to a bowl game and instead chase the kind of upward climb that keeps a coaching staff out of trouble. If he does not, the questions around Fickell and the direction of the program are only going to get louder, which is why this quarterback move carries so much weight before a snap has been taken. [Read more 🡒]