ByteVibes

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Wisconsin offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. acknowledges that he’d feel “very comfortable” if any lineman in his two-deep played in a game. The problem, if you want to call it one, is that there’s no way 10 offensive linemen would ever be used in a rotation. But determining who to play and when is part of Bicknell’s ongoing evaluation process.

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“You’d love to get to eight,” Bicknell said after a recent Badgers practice at UW-Platteville. “Seven is good. Six might be right where we’re at right now. We’ll see.”

Wisconsin’s first-team offensive line during the first week of preseason practices has consisted of Jack Nelson at left tackle, Joe Huber at left guard, Tanor Bortolini at center, Michael Furtney at right guard and Riley Mahlman at right tackle. The only instance in which that has changed came when Trey Wedig replaced Huber at left guard in order for Huber to take snaps with the second-team offense at center. Wedig otherwise has worked as the second-team right tackle.

Where things become interesting is what happens if and when center Jake Renfro demonstrates he is ready for a full workload. Renfro, a first-team All-AAC performer for Cincinnati in 2021, opened the spring as the No. 1 center but suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. He has spent all his time this preseason as the second-team center in an effort to ramp back up with an aim on reclaiming a starting role, and he said Saturday that he “felt great.”

Before Renfro got hurt, Bortolini worked at left guard while Huber was a reserve. That could ultimately be the route Wisconsin goes, although Huber has given Bicknell a lot to consider.

“He can probably play five positions,” Bicknell said. “His best position may be guard. He’s kind of taking one for the team because I was determined to make sure that we had centers. Now we’ve got to start to get him playing some more guard. But to me that’s his biggest asset is his versatility.”

The most likely members of a rotation coming off the bench would appear to be Huber and Wedig, both of whom have considerable experience. Huber was the starting right tackle for Cincinnati last season and finished with the best run-blocking grade on the team, per Pro Football Focus. Wedig has played in 22 career games, with eight starts last season at three different positions: five at right tackle, two at right guard and one at left guard. Second-teamers Nolan Rucci (left tackle), Joe Brunner (left guard) and JP Benzschawel (right guard) all were four- or five-star high school prospects who have yet to break through into the top group.

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Bicknell said there would be varying degrees to how much he rotates his linemen. Some may just take one series off per half. Others may split snaps in close to a 50-50 ratio with a teammate. But Bicknell has said the Badgers are going to need reinforcements this season because of the pace at which the team now plays.

That pace — and how the offensive line reacts to it — has been among the biggest concerns for Badgers fans, no matter who is on the field. For although the offseason focus was on the influx of talent at quarterback and wide receiver, the success of the offense will be dictated by the performance of the line and how mentally and physically conditioned it is for an Air Raid spread approach.

“We do want to play fast and there’s a point where we’re tired and we’ve got to believe they’re more tired and we’ve got to push through that,” Bicknell said. “That’s kind of what fall camp is all about. It’s a tough grind for these guys right now. But also this is where you win the games.”

Furtney cited a line from Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, who stressed the importance of grit during an episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” last year by telling his team it needed to tread water as long as it takes to bury an opponent.

“Treading water is difficult for everybody,” Furtney said. “But once you do it for a long enough time, your mindset shifts. You get in better shape. We truly believe that no other defense is going to be able to hang at that tempo with us for a long period of time. So that’s going to be a real benefit.”

Early returns seem to indicate the offensive line has adjusted well from a conditioning standpoint, with minimal mental mistakes when it comes to false start penalties or off-target shotgun snaps, which were an issue in the spring. Bicknell has emphasized the importance of being great at all the little details that don’t require talent: recognizing any pre-snap adjustments, proper footwork at the snap or how to sell a block on a screen pass.

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But the transition to the Air Raid has also generated questions about how effectively the offensive line can run block and what will change in pass blocking. The scheme calls for wider splits, which means linemen set up farther apart from each other. The idea is that it increases the distance that defensive linemen have to run to reach the passer while widening passing lanes for the quarterback. Furtney said it also means the linemen won’t be stepping on each other and have more room to block.

Bicknell said he is teaching his players to initiate contact with defenders in pass-setting situations, which is something he learned while coaching in the NFL. Defensive lineman Rodas Johnson said the offensive line’s new pass-blocking approach hasn’t given him the space he wants to work a move, which can be frustrating for a playmaker up front.

Bicknell noted he discussed pointers with former Wisconsin offensive lineman Casey Rabach, who had a 10-year pro career and is now a member of the Badgers’ recruiting staff. Bicknell is optimistic his approach will slow edge rushers and give the quarterback space to step into throws or successfully run the ball on a draw or when flushed.

“If you’re just letting them take it to you in the NFL, as you guys know, it can just look like somebody storming the castle or something,” Bicknell said. “My biggest thing is I want to be aggressive. I want to take it to them. I want to get them before they get going.

“Those great defensive ends, if we cut down the angle on them and get our hands on them, that’s better than me sitting back and letting them get a head of steam and doing some kind of crazy move. The whole thing for us is pocket integrity. I want to go dictate to them, interrupt anything they’re thinking about doing.”

Meanwhile, the Badgers say they expect to be as physical as ever in the run game, even if they’re operating in a different way without a fullback and with more pass-catching options. Wisconsin’s offensive line has opened its share of massive holes for running backs this preseason in an attack that keeps defenders guessing while spreading them out. The caveat is that it’s difficult in practice to determine the success of a running play when defenders aren’t live tackling the ball carrier. But running back Braelon Allen burst through a huge seam Monday night and was 20 yards downfield before he leveled a safety at midfield.

“I think they’ve adjusted very well to the offense,” Bicknell said. “People act like it’s totally different. We’re still double-teaming to the backside backer. We’re still pulling and kicking out ends. It is a physical offense. It is a physical run game. For us, it doesn’t change.”

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Furtney, who is in his sixth fall camp at Wisconsin, said he has no doubt the Badgers can be dominant run blockers with Allen and Chez Mellusi carrying the ball. That has been an edict from Bicknell, offensive coordinator Phil Longo and head coach Luke Fickell.

“It’s not like Coach Fick or Coach Longo or Coach Bicknell came in and said, ‘Let’s play softer,’” Furtney said. “If anything, it’s been the opposite. They love the aggression. Just because we’re not using as many guys to block in the run doesn’t mean we’re going to be any less physical. Just because we’re going to be using one tight end and five linemen to block for a play, we’re still going to do it at the same intensity.”

The countdown to Wisconsin’s season opener against Buffalo is on. Players say they can’t wait to showcase what they’ve been working on and prove the offensive line can be the force that fans expect.

“It’s going to be fun,” Renfro said. “Just watch out. Yes, it’s a new scheme and it’s a whole new offense, but these dudes are ready to play. We’re all ready to play. Whether it be pass blocking, run blocking, we’re ready to do it. Everyone is super far advanced from what I’ve seen, and we’re ready to get back on Sept. 2 and play some ball.”

(Photo of Tanor Bortolini and Jack Nelson: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

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