5 Standouts From Wisconsin's Fall Camp Scrimmage

Everybody had a chance to play during Wisconsin’s Sunday scrimmage to wrap up fall camp. Entering the day, I was hoping to see sustained drives from the offense, and opportunistic plays from the defense.

There were no turnovers forced, which is obviously a plus for the offense, but it didn’t mean that the defense didn’t have a strong day at every level.

On what truly felt like a back-and-forth day between the offense and defense, here are five players who stood out:

Colton Joseph

All eyes are on Joseph, and for good reason, but I think that’s led to some unrealistic expectations at certain points. On a day where his likely top-target Eugene Hilton was held out of live action, for what feels like precautionary reasons, I thought he had a nice finish to camp.

From the jump, he was extremely accurate throwing underneath and taking what the defense was giving him. He made throws from the pocket, under pressure, on the run and all over the field. The one thing I would’ve liked to see is a few downfield shots, but I’m going to assume Hilton will be the primary target of that type of play, so I’m not reading too much into it today.

Joseph just missed Malachi Coleman in the end zone on what would’ve been the play of the day for the first-team offense, but there wasn’t a ton of action down the field otherwise. Still, by completing passes underneath, and having just one throw late that was nearly intercepted, I left the scrimmage encouraged by his ability to play smart.

His running ability also became a weapon for the first team on Sunday. Whether it was on designed runs or taking off when nothing was open, he flashed the running ability that made him sought after this offseason, adding to a quality day.

Wisconsin's Colton Joseph. | Christian Borman

Junior Poyser

Poyser has been a guy that’s flown under the radar during camp, with Sebastian Cheeks, Nicolas Clayton, Charles Perkins and others eating up a lot of headlines in the front seven. The Buffalo transfer was dominant on Sunday, showing the depth in E.J. Whitlow’s room.

In the second drive of the day for first-team units, Poyser got to Joseph in the backfield, and notched a sack that pushed the offense back five yards, eventually forcing a field goal. In a later drive, he and Bryce West got home to Joseph for what was likely a second sack for Poyser, forcing another field goal.

Perkins and Hammond Russell are the expected starters, but Poyser will have plenty of opportunities this season and build serious momentum to end camp.

Shamar Rigby

Rigby was undoubtedly Joseph's top target on Sunday, and he answered the call. On the first drive of the day, Rigby was the intended target on back-to-back incompletions, before reeling in a catch to convert on a third-and-long.

In the last drive of the day for the ones working the entire length of the field, Rigby was on the receiving end of another third-and-long conversion, then reeled in a second-consecutive reception on first down for a solid gain.

He’ll be one of the primary vertical threats in this offense based on what we’ve seen during camp, and while that didn’t come into play today, seeing Rigby working all over the field and being available for Joseph in big situations is another sign of his growth. Rigby is healthy and contributing in a big way.

Cairo Skanes

Marvin Burks was back practicing yesterday after missing Friday’s practice, but it was Cairo Skanes who played with the starting defense on Sunday. Burks appeared available but was likely held out of live action as a precaution.

Skanes has received praise from both Mike Tressel and Jack Cooper throughout camp, and made the most of his opportunity with the ones on Sunday.

The secondary as a whole held up well in coverage, and kept things in front of them essentially all day long. Bates came up with one of the highlight plays for the group when he broke up a pass in the end zone on the first drive of the day. The stop set the tone for what was a good day in the red zone for the defense.

His lanky frame and abilities in coverage have become apparent as camp has progressed, and while it will be Matt Jung and Burks starting in the secondary, Skanes looks ready for a role of some sort.

Darrion Dupree

After the scrimmage, Luke Fickell said the staff didn’t feel a need to see much Abu Sama today, which meant a surplus of opportunities for Dupree. It was a day that seemed to have emphasis on the passing game, but the veteran running back was productive.

It wasn’t until a little bit later in the day that Dupree got his first carry, but he had a decent day on the ground, picking up a couple first downs and breaking free through a big hole on a third down. He continued to show improvement as a pass blocker, and swung out of the backfield in the receiving game.

Joseph took advantage of Dupree’s sure hands in the flat on multiple occasions, and while they weren’t highlight plays, they helped set up more manageable third downs, which will be a key for this offense.

All signs point to Sama being the No. 1 in the room, but Dupree will absolutely have a key role as a change-of-pace and receiving back.

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