Wisconsin Badgers Fall Camp: Immediate Takeaways From Day 2

Who and what stood out from the second day of fall camp for the Badgers?

Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. catches a pass during practice. | Christian Borman

The Wisconsin football team just finished up day two of fall camp.

While there is only so much you can take away from a practice without pads, there are a few things that caught my eye throughout practice.

Here are some immediate takeaways from day two.

The Intensity is High

Wisconsin LB Mason Posa. | Christian Borman.

Despite just being in shells, there was plenty of pads popping today. The defense is flying around and thudding up the offense every chance they get.

In two days of practice, there have already been two small skirmishes. Today, linebacker Mason Posa popped tight end Grant Stec up the sideline, and offensive lineman Lucas Simmons-Johansson had his tight end's back, getting in the face of Posa. It took a few guys to break up the bodies, but in the end, you love to see the intensity and fight with the players.

The intensity continued throughout practice with a ton of physicality and competition. Definitely a good sign for the start of camp. It will be interesting to see if that level of intensity can be sustained for the next three weeks.

The Defense Wins the Day

Wisconsin LB Mason Posa. | Christian Borman.

Not unusual for the beginning of camp, the defense is outperforming the offense.

Defensively, the Badgers are much faster than they were a year ago. They were all over the offense today, making them work for every yard.

The running game was basically non-existent today with the linebackers filling the gaps and getting into the backfield early and often throughout practice.

Of course, the offense still had some nice pop plays, like a Colton Joseph run up the sideline on a read option, using his speed to get around the edge for a huge gain. Running back Abu Sama found some daylight on a run and got a nice gain out of it as well.

But for the most part, the defense held the offense in check.

The Joseph to Hilton Connection is Real

Wisconsin WRs Eugene Hilton Jr (13) and Shamar Rigby (7). | Christian Borman.

One thing that worked well for the offense today was Joseph throwing to Eugene Hilton Jr. They connected on multiple plays today, including Joseph hitting Hilton on a nice crossing route for a huge gain of about 35 yards before a defender tracked him down.

The pair connected multiple times throughout the day, and it's easy to tell that the sophomore wide receiver is going to be a favorite for Joseph this season.