The final day of fall camp is nearly upon us, and Wisconsin will use practice No. 15 as a scrimmage. To be determined what that looks like, but it’ll be the best chance we’ve had to see all three phases in game-like scenarios. 

Saturday’s penultimate practice was a light one which highlighted a few of the position battles that remain ongoing, but for the most part, through the good, bad and ugly of camp, we got answers on the major questions we entered with. 

On the final day of camp, and final practice before official Notre Dame prep begins for the team, here’s a few things I want to see in the scrimmage:

No injuries

Yes, the scrimmage will be the best chance for game-like opportunities, but at most positions, the staff knows who’s going to play on gamedays, so every nick and bruise should be treated with caution. This team has had enough injury news already throughout camp, and losing someone on the final day would be brutal.

It’s unfortunate we’ve yet to see Emerson Mandell, barely seen Kevin Heywood and seen numerous players in-and-out of team drills, but at this point, one practice isn’t going to override an entire camp, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Too much of the last few seasons feels unknown for Wisconsin due to injuries, so getting through the scrimmage as healthy as it started should be priority No. 1.

Sustained drives from the offense

The offense has absolutely had its moments throughout camp, and explosive play potential is there. But, it’s also had days like the one it had on Tuesday in front of fans where it looked lost.

It’s the end of camp, the defense has seen a lot of what the offense has to offer, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mike Tressel’s unit is winning, but in tomorrow’s scrimmage, I’d like to see proof of life from the offense. 

I don’t expect Colton Joseph to lead the unit down the field and score on every possession, but avoiding three-and-outs, and moving the ball with some consistency is necessary for me to feel optimistic about Sept. 6 at Lambeau.

Getting Heywood and Mandell healthy will help, but between Abu Sama, Darrion Dupree and Joseph, Jeff Grimes needs to establish the run to generate manageable throws for Joseph. If that happens, things open up to test the defense vertically.

Forced turnovers from the defense

Seeing the offense sustain drives would be a sigh of relief. The defense forcing turnovers is something I’ve grown to expect during camp. Still, I’d like to see Tressel’s group flip the field in game-like scenarios.

The chains aren’t moving day-in and day-out of camp, but in tomorrow’s scrimmage, they will be. I look forward to seeing how this defense reacts to specific down-and-distance scenarios. It’s forced plenty of turnovers in each practice, but making sure that those gambles for the football come at the appropriate times is important, and we’ll have a chance to evaluate that tomorrow.

Tressel wants his group to be opportunistic, and it certainly has been, but seeing it do so, while playing situational football, is something I’ll be watching for on Sunday.

Special teams success

Gavin Lahm has had his ups and downs, but other than him, we haven’t seen a ton of special teams. I expect to see more from the specialists during Sunday’s scrimmage. Consistency from Lahm and ensuring you don’t leave any points on the field is the top priority for the special teams units, but I’m also hoping to see more of Sean West, specifically in cahoots with the offense. 

As I said earlier, I’m not expecting scores on every drive from this offense, but I would walk away encouraged if it could at least pick up a first down or two every drive, putting West in position to flip the field. 

This team is going to rely on the defense more than the offense in my opinion, so getting to a point where West can pin opponents deep, and making teams beat your defense with a long field feels like a recipe for success in 2026. 

Hopefully tomorrow’s situational football presents more opportunities to see the special teams put points on the board, or at the very least, set up the defense in favorable situations.