What a different game we saw last Saturday! Playing against the New Mexico State Aggies got Wisconsin on a new level, compared to the Washington State Cougars game. The Badgers handily won 66-7 on Saturday to pick up their second win of the season.
The Badgers had a great start, as senior running back Isaac Guerendo took the opening kickoff and ran 50 yards to put the Badgers at midfield. In the first few minutes of the game, Wisconsin had a good field position. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin’s star running back, finished the drive with a 39-yard touchdown run to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead.
Photo Cred: Bucky’s 5th Quarter
Wisconsin’s defense held back New Mexico State and got the ball back after forcing a punt. Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz started throwing the ball after not throwing it on the Badger’s first drive. He easily connected a couple of passes with tight end Hayden Rucci. Mertz missed wide receiver Chimere Dike’s hands on a third down and two, which forced Wisconsin to punt near the 50-yard line.
Camp Randall Stadium erupted when redshirt freshman cornerback Ricardo Hallman intercepted the ball with one hand! Definitely one of the top plays of the game. The way he was able to catch the ball and then control it for a fair interception says something about his athletic ability and his awareness of the ball.
Photo Cred: Bucky’s 5th Quarter
The leader of the Aggies defense, linebacker Chris Ojoh, sacked Mertz on a third down. Allen missed a crucial block during the play. The score was still a 7-0 Badgers lead going into the second quarter. We saw a lot of great runs during the third quarter.
The Aggies offense was limited to only 100 total yards in the first half, and two of their throws were intercepted by Wisconsin’s defense.
Allen rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. He is one of Wisconsin’s biggest offensive assets, which showed in this game on Saturday. Other than Allen’s three touchdowns, wide receiver Skyler Bell had two touchdown receptions and Guerendo had two rushing touchdowns. Running back Chez Mellusi and wide receiver Keontez Lewis capped things off with a touchdown apiece.
Photo Cred: Bucky’s 5th Quarter
The Badgers offense was on fire on Saturday, with 595 total yards on offense. 335 yards came through the air and 260 yards were on the ground. Graham Mertz’s stats were exponentially better this time around. He came out during the third quarter once Wisconsin was up 49-0. He finished 12/15 with 251 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
The Aggies were the clear underdogs during this game, and Wisconsin dominated them from start to finish.
The MVP of the game was Braelon Allen, who was a major player in the win. The three-touchdown performance for Allen matched a career-high, and he’s only a sophomore! Even though he looks like a senior!
Photo Cred: Wisconsin Badgers
The Aggies could have picked up more yardage, but they were flagged seven times for 68 yards in the loss.
Wisconsin travels to Ohio State this Saturday, which will be the Badgers’ first road game of the season. A lot of pressure is on them to perform against Ohio State, one of Wisconsin’s all-time rival schools.
Photo Cred: Wisconsin Badgers
If Mertz can continue making plays and finding his receivers’ hands, I think that Wisconsin has a good shot at putting some points on the scoreboard. I also think that Wisconsin’s cornerbacks are having consistently good games and doing a great job at covering the ball. We need to see an aggressive and strong defense, as well as a creative offense. If the Badgers can work like a unified front this Saturday, especially after coming off such a huge win, I think they have a shot at beating Ohio State.
Photo Cred: ESPN
