August 6, 2018 at 1:09 p.m.
Defense defines Hodag Family Day
Defense defines Hodag Family Day
Hodag fans got their first glimpse of that work Saturday and the defense stole the show for most of the annual Green vs. White intrasquad practice, part of Hodag Football Family Day at Mike Webster Stadium.
The defense pitched a shutout during the first 30-minute varsity session, with the squad divided evenly, talent-wise, between the Green and White teams.
Much of what the UW-Oshkosh coaches stressed during a camp in Rhinelander back in June dealt with subtle tweaks, particularly in alignment and communication. Coach Chris Ferge said he saw his players making those adjustments on Saturday.
"I saw what I expected," he said. "Offense is a lot harder to get going than defense, but we have spent a lot of time on our defense and I saw that our defense came alive. It didn't matter who was out there, their technique was good. They were lining up the right way. They were communicating. Our tackling (form) looks pretty decent so far. Even though we couldn't tackle, they still looked like they were in a position (to make tackles)."
Under WIAA regulations, the team could not practice in full pads or do live tackling during the practice, but Ferge said Saturday morning's practice was as close to simulating a game as the team could do just four days into practice.
"It's different than a practice," he said. "There's a lot more pressure for the kids out on the field with all the people here watching. It gives us a real experience to get ready for a game, get ready for a scrimmage next week."
The offense began to show some life in the second session, especially once the majority of presumptive starters were put on the same side of the ball.
Junior Drake Martin, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season, got the offense going with a 15-yard run on the opening drive of the second session and finished off the possession with a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle.
Two possessions later, Martin busted off a 40-yard run around right end, setting up a 20-yard pass from senior quarterback Brock Lieder to junior running back Peyton Erickson on a wheel route out of the backfield.
Lieder would find the end zone one more time on the final play of the practice, chucking a long pass down the left sideline to Sam Tjugum for a 41-yard score.
Lieder finished the scrimmage 11 of 17 for 107 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Martin had 104 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and Erikson was the team's leading receiver with four catches for 54 yards and a score.
"Offensively, we will get our guys in the right spots," Ferge said. "They will understand what they maybe didn't think was important enough and they'll shore that up. We're in good shape. We have athletes and we have the linemen to get the job done. We're going to be able to run the ball. We have a quarterback who can run. We have receivers that can make plays. It's just about getting it all together."
Despite the offensive highlights late, most of the day belonged to the defense, which generated four turnovers on the day and held the offense to only a couple of first downs during the opening session. The biggest highlight defensively came during a two-minute drill in the second session when sophomore Quinn Lamers undercut a deep pass intended for Tjugum and made an interception.
Lieder quarterbacked the green team and took the vast majority of the snaps for a team seeking to replace two-year starter Logan Freund. Lamers and junior Nathan Kempf split reps at quarterback for the white team. Kempf was 2 for 3 passing for 15 yards while Lamers was 0 for 2.
Junior Seth Stafford was the second leading rusher for the Hodags on the day, rushing eight times for 15 yards.
Practice perseverance
So far, so good through the first week of practice, according to Ferge. Strong attendance in the team's offseason program appears to have given the team a leg up, especially with a condensed practice schedule ahead of the season opener Aug. 17 at home against Prescott.
"I'm very happy with the kids," Ferge said. "They've been hustling a lot. They've been listening well, been very coachable. A lot of very good points with the kids so far and everything's been going very well."
Even Mother Nature couldn't slow down the Hodags during the first week of practice. The team practiced through the rain on Wednesday and was still able to get its work done Friday afternoon, despite having to spend a portion of practice indoor due to thunderstorms.
"We practiced inside for a little bit, warmed up, did some tackling with team D then we got out quick and did a bigger version of team D. Then our offense was outside. We're going to get outside if at all possible and we did that," Ferge said.
Up next
The Hodags are back at home Friday for a dress rehearsal, hosting a four-team scrimmage at Mike Webster Stadium. Lakeland, Northland Pines and Three Lakes are the other teams scheduled to participate.
"We're very lucky to be able to do this," Ferge said. " We have two situations - we're going to be at home today and then be at home for a scrimmage - before we get a home game against Prescott and we've got to be able to take advantage of this."
Friday's scrimmage gets underway at 10 a.m.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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