Wisconsin Badgers football fans witnessed a commanding victory against Rutgers last Saturday that had several asking, “are we back?”
In yet another high-scoring win, the Wisconsin Badgers put up 549 total yards against Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the first time since 2010 that the team has forked out over 500 yards in consecutive Big Ten games.
It was a successful day for both the Wisconsin offense and defense.
Running back Tawee Walker rushed for a career-high 198 yards on 24 carries, bringing in three touchdowns for the team.
Walker has proven to be a key component of the Wisconsin offense, especially following the news of star running back Chez Mellusi stepping away for the rest of the season.
Walker’s three touchdowns against Rutgers added to his impressive resume for the season, marking eight rushing touchdowns in the last three games, the first Badger to do so since Melvin Gordon scored nine in 2014.
But Walker wasn’t the only running back to have a successful day.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Christopher Kuhagen reported that Cade Yacamelli recorded 72 yards over four carries. Freshman Dillon Dupree also held his own, completing 10 carries over 26 yards, resulting in his first career touchdown, noted Kuhagen.
But all that success in the running back game would not have been possible without the steadied confidence of Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke.
Locke completed 71.4% of his passes for the day and asserted the Badgers to a touchdown in the first drive of the game.
In a post-game press conference, Fickell expressed the growth he’s witnessed from his quarterback and his team’s belief in Locke.
“There was definitely a wind factor out there today and his ability to not let that bother him, his ability to continue to grow, his ability to have the confidence to do the things on a daily basis, not just on Saturday,” Fickell said. “The guys around him, you can see and sense and feel the confidence that they’re growing in him as well.”
Saturday’s early scoring confirmed the Badgers have “now scored touchdowns on 3-of-6 game-opening drives at the halfway mark of the regular season,” as reported by Wisconsin Athletics.
But it wasn’t just the offense that shined in Saturday’s blowout win for the Badgers. Before kickoff, Rutgers’ defending Big Ten rushing champion Kyle Monangai was the talk of the game.
But the Wisconsin back line refused to let Monangai have any real impact for the Scarlet Knights, limiting the Rutgers running back to 72 yards. Prior to this matchup, Monangai was averaging 133.4 yards per game.
Another key component of this victory for the Badgers was the special teams performances.
“It was going to be one of those days, not expecting a lot of wind, but wind was going to be a factor in some of the things you had to do, whether it was kickoffs or even punts,” Fickell said in an Oct. 14 press conference. “Our ability to be dominant in some of those phases is something they [Rutgers] prided themselves on as well.”
In the end, despite missed field goal opportunities from both programs, it was the Badgers who showcased their affinity for special teams plays.
Early in the second quarter, Wisconsin punter Atticus Bertrams layed out an almost perfect kick, getting the ball down to Rutgers’ two-yard line.
Near the middle of the third quarter, Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler knocked a hit on a Rutgers wide receiver that helped knock the ball back into the Badgers’ possession.
The Badgers are set to face off against Northwestern in Evanston this Saturday before preparing to take on the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions at Camp Randall on Oct. 26.
But Fickell isn't concerned with that right now. Instead, he’s focusing on continuing to encourage this Wisconsin program to foster the culture that playing in the cardinal red and white has always been associated with.
“These guys have leadership. They have a pride about what it is that they’re doing — not just the name on the back of their jersey but the name on the front of their jersey, it doesn’t go unnoticed,” Fickell said. “They continue to step up, they know we have a long way to go, they know there’s a mountain to climb. But if you don’t take steps, you’re never going to get there.”
