Out of spring: Wisconsin

In our "Out of Spring" series, Orange and Blue News takes a look at spring football for the Illini's 2018 opponents.

Next up, we take a look at the Wisconsin Badgers. The Illini travel to Madison on October 20 to take on Wisconsin, the reining champions of the Big Ten West Division.

Last season, the Badgers just missed the College Football Playoffs, starting the season 12-0 before losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Wisconsin defeated Miami-Fla 34-24 in the Orange Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll and No. 6 in the coaches poll.

Wisconsin defeated Illinois 24-10 last season in Champaign. Star freshman running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 73 yards, but he left the game with an injury late in the second quarter and did not return. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook completed 10-19 passes for 135 yards.

The Badgers annual spring game was schedule for April 13, but it was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Orange and Blue News spoke to John Veldhuis from BadgerBlitz.com to get the lowdown on Wisconsin coming out of spring football. Follow John Veldhuis on Twitter @JohnVeldhuis. Follow Wisconsin Badgers football @BadgerFootball.

What were some of the major story-lines coming out of spring football this year?

John Veldhuis: I don't think we saw a lot that we didn't already expect during the spring. The Badgers had several players who sat out for most or all of spring camp to rehab their various injuries, so it was a good time for them to get some of their younger players some consistent reps.

I think the biggest narrative we saw develop in the spring had to do with their sudden depth at wide receiver. The Badgers have always been a run-first team since they returned to relevance in the early 90s, and they will continue to be a run-first team in 2018. But the Badgers have the most depth at wide receiver that I can remember seeing - and a few more interesting players at tight end.

It makes you think that the Badgers could have one of their best offensive seasons in the last few years, providing that key players like quarterback Alex Hornibrook and running back Jonathan Taylor stay healthy.

Wisconsin is coming off a huge season in 2017. Who are some key players who return, and who stood out the most this spring?

JV: Offensively the Badgers are bringing back a whole host of players from last year's group, including Hornibrook - who will be a third-year starter this year - and Taylor, who is coming off of a stellar freshman season. They're also bringing back their entire offensive line, although there might be a shuffle in the starting lineup, and four capable wide receivers in Quintez Cephus, A.J. Taylor, Danny Davis, and Kendric Pryor.

A lot of those guys didn't get a ton of work during the spring as they continued their rehab, but I did like what A.J. Taylor was able to do with the number of reps he got while so many wide receivers were hurt. Quintez Cephus will probably be the team's No. 1 wide receiver this year, but Taylor could become a big threat in the middle of the field if he works on his consistency.

Defensively the Badgers are bringing back most of their linebackers, but there's a youth movement underway on the defensive line and in the secondary. The line has a few experienced back-ups who are stepping in to larger roles, so the question there is more about the unit's depth than if they can hold their own during the games. But the Badgers will return just one starter from last year's defensive backfield and will be playing with several inexperienced cornerbacks.

Younger guys like Madison Cone and Caesar Williams flashed during practice this spring, but we'll have to wait and see if they have what it takes to keep the defense playing at a high level.

The defense in particular lost some talent from that great unit. Who are some new names among returning players to look for to replace the graduated senior starters?

JV: The Badgers seem to have found a new starter at free safety in Scott Nelson, a redshirt freshman from Michigan who was the defensive scout team player of the year in 2017. Nelson will start opposite D'Cota Dixon in the backfield, and his hard work in following Dixon around for a season really seemed to pay off during spring. Nelson has good instincts and can make some big hits over the middle, and I think he will slide right in to that open starting spot in the fall.

The Badgers are still looking for a solid starter at outside linebacker who can play opposite Andrew Van Ginkel, who excelled as the team's No. 3 pass rusher last year and is ready for a larger role in his senior season. If they can find a nice complement to Van Ginkel in the fall I think their defense will be able to play well in 2018 - maybe not quite as well as last year, but well enough to get the job done.

Were there any newcomers who stood out this spring? Other break-out performers?

JV: The biggest spring star was incoming freshman wide receiver Aron Cruickshank, who enrolled early to take part in spring camp. He flashed throughout camp with his speed, and has put himself in position to compete for playing time in 2018. With so many older wide receivers also competing for reps he might have to earn his way on to the field on special teams as a returner first, but I expect he will become a playmaking deep threat for the Badgers before long.

The Badgers have won two straight Big Ten West titles. Based on what you saw this spring, what are some keys to a three-peat for Wisconsin?

JV: The Badgers need to keep their offense generally healthy, because I think the ceiling on this group is really high at the moment. They could push towards averaging 40 points per game if everything breaks the right way - and if they can identify their best offensive line combination and run with it. They need to keep Jonathan Taylor playing well in his sophomore season, and I think adding some pass catching ability to his game is going to keep defenses on their toes.

And if the new faces throughout Wisconsin's defense can step up and give the team some solid seasons I think that will be enough for them to head back to Indianapolis - but it's really going to be a full-team effort on that side of the ball. They know they have a high bar to try and meet this year, but I think the players have the right mindset for stepping to some big shoes. The pieces are there for another special season for the Badgers, but they still have a few things that need to break their way if they want to get over the hump and win a Big Ten title.