As redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook dropped back to pass on the final play of overtime, he looked to his right hoping to find an open receiver. One of the players that Hornibrook was looking to find was junior wide receiver Jazz Peavy. While Hornibrook was sacked on the play, it was no coincidence he was looking to his big-play slot receiver on arguably the most important play of UW’s season. Though the Badgers couldn’t complete the major upset against No. 2 Ohio State Saturday night, junior wide receiver Jazz Peavy stepped up and led UW during the contest, and was subsequently the team’s most valuable player.
Although Peavy’s 76 receiving yards and 70 rushing yards did not lead the team in either category, his combined success in both the passing and running game placed him second on the team with 146 all-purpose yards. Additionally, not only was his impressive 11.7 yards per rush far and away the highest mark for any of the Badgers, but his success on the end around allowed the Badgers to march down the field whenever the rest of the running game faltered. Peavy also contributed to the team’s near-upset when he scored the first touchdown of the game in the opening quarter, giving the Badgers an early 10-0 lead over the Buckeyes.
Despite the fact that this was easily Peavy’s best game of the season, he showed signs of explosiveness earlier this season. On the season, Peavy has 281 receiving yards and an average of around 13 rushing yards per game as well.
Against Ohio State, Peavy seemed to put together the entirety of his skill set, dominating the game and giving the Badgers a boost at crucial junctures. A solid contributor week-in and week-out, Peavy took it up a notch under the bright lights of Camp Randall against one of the best teams in the country Saturday night. If you are not used to the name Jazz Peavy, get used to hearing it, because with the way he has been performing this season, great things are yet to come from him and the Badgers.
