Nearly eight months removed from their last game, the Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) looked the part of a rusty team in the first half of their 59-10 win versus the Utah State Aggies (0-1) on Friday night.
The Aggies stunned Camp Randall by jumping out to a 10-0 lead with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter, as senior running back LaJuan Hunt punched in a 12-yard score on the ground.
With the Badgers’ floundering offense failing to catch balls in the air and find holes in the running game, the score remained the same until a chaotic 72-second period before halftime saw Wisconsin deadlock the score at 10-10.
Redshirt sophomore running back Bradrick Shaw capped off a 15-play, 79 yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, before Rafael Gaglianone kicked a 29-yard field goal following a T.J. Edwards interception.
The Badgers took that momentum into the second half, as redshirt senior tight end Troy Fumagalli caught a 23-yard touchdown just two minutes into the period. Another tight end, redshirt junior Zander Neuville, found the end zone following a D’Cota Dixon interception, putting Wisconsin up 24-10 and easing the minds of the Badger faithful.
The Badgers then added five more touchdowns, including a 99-yard interception return by redshirt senior safety Joe Ferguson, en route to their first victory of the season.
In his first game as the team’s unquestioned starting quarterback, redshirt sophomore Alex Hornibrook finished with 244 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The team’s rushing attack looked potent as well, with Shaw and true freshman Jonathan Taylor each finishing with one touchdown and more than 83 yards a piece.
Check back at http://www.dailycardinal.com/section/sports soon for a full recap.
