MADISON -- Anyone can have an off day.
That seemed to be the case for Wisconsin starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai on Thursday during spring practice at Camp Randall Stadium Thursday morning.
Mordecai’s first pass in team drills was what would have been a pick-six to cornerback Ricardo Hallman, who jumped the route C.J. Williams was running.
Mordecai also – unfortunately for him – found Hallman twice more during practice. During a red zone drill, Mordecai was flushed out of the pocket and tried to find Chimre Dike on the left side of the end zone but underthrew him and into the arms of Hallman.
The final Mordecai-to-Hallman connection came in the two-minute drill when the sixth-year SMU transfer forced the ball into coverage.
Post-practice, Mordecai and offensive coordinator Phil Longo had an extended conversation on the field, ostensibly about protecting the football.
Head coach Luke Fickell spoke to reporters after practice, as has been his weekly Thursday custom, emphasizing how important winning the turnover battle is.
“There’s no doubt,” Fickell began. “There’s a lot of things we’re going to be able to hammer upon (from) this. When you do a turnover in the red zone, it’s not just the points. It is an incredible momentum shift…for one side it is unbelievable and for the other it is deflating.
“That is why we have to have competitive situations. We’ve got to put them in that and see how they handle it and see how they respond.”
Wisconsin will hold its public event, “The Launch” on Saturday. Already more than 21,000 tickets have been registered for. To get your free tickets, log on to UWBadgers.com.
To listen to Doug Russell’s latest Camp Confidential Podcast, click the link below:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/9808967/camp-confidential-4-20-2023