Tag: Badgers

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo is shown during the second quarter of their game Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Purdue 52-6.

Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator Phil Longo

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo on Sunday, one day after a 16-13 home loss to top-ranked Oregon.

The Badgers are tied for 97th nationally in scoring offense at 23.9 points per game and 91st in total offense (363.1 yards per game).

“This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said in a news release. “After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team.

“I appreciate Phil’s commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success.”

Longo, 56, served as offensive coordinator for 23 games after spending four seasons (2019-22) in the same position at North Carolina. He also spent two seasons (2017-18) as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss.

Fickell didn’t immediately announce a new offensive coordinator.

Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) has averaged just 12 points during a three-game slide. The Badgers have scored 13 of fewer points four times this season.

Starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke sustained a season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 and Braedyn Locke has battled consistency issues.

Locke passed for 359 yards in a 52-6 rout of Purdue but passed for just 96 yards against Oregon. Two weeks earlier, he threw for 137 yards in a 42-10 loss to Iowa before the team’s bye.

Overall, Locke has completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 1,514 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Badgers visit Nebraska on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Bulldogs running back Chez Mellusi (1) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Wisconsin RB Chez Mellusi ‘stepping away from team’ to heal from injuries

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Wisconsin announced Thursday that running back Chez Mellusi is taking time away from the team to help his body recover from injuries.

Mellusi leads the Badgers (2-2) in rushing yards (232), carries (56) and touchdowns (three, tied with Tawee Walker). He used his medical redshirt last season, when he fractured his fibula against Purdue in Week 4.

“We want to let people know that Chez is going to be stepping away from the team for now and working to get his body healthy,” Wisonsin’s statement read. “He’s endured many injuries and has worked extremely hard to be able to play this year, but his body hasn’t responded the way he expected. We’re here to support Chez in any way we can and hope he’ll be back on the football field again one day.”

Mellusi played two years for Clemson before transferring to the Badgers in 2021, when he had career highs in rushing yards (815), carries (173) and touchdowns (five). He has rushed for 2,254 yards and 20 touchdowns in 47 games in his career, adding two receiving TDs.

This is another blow to the Badgers’ offense, which lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a torn ACL on Sept. 16 in a loss to Alabama. Wisconsin will host Purdue on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters stands on the field during warm ups before a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

After firing offensive coordinator, Purdue looks to right ship at Wisconsin

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After consecutive blowout losses vs. ranked opponents, Wisconsin hopes to bounce back against visiting Purdue on Saturday in a matchup of Big Ten teams looking to get their season back on track in Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) is coming off a 38-21 loss in their conference opener at 11th-ranked USC — a game in which the Badgers were outscored 28-0 in a disastrous second half.

Purdue (1-3, 0-1) lost its third straight game on Saturday, 28-10 at home against Nebraska. The next day, offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was fired. Offensive analyst Jason Simmons will take over play-calling duties, coach Ryan Walters said Monday.

“I believe that we have a better team than we have been showing the last three weeks,” Walters said. “There is a lot of football still to be played. We’ve played a quarter of the games, and I felt like if I didn’t do anything right now, it would be kind of like waving a white flag on the season.”

Purdue opened with a 49-0 rout of Indiana State, then was hammered 66-7 by No. 14 Notre Dame and lost at Oregon State, 38-21. After a scoreless first half against Nebraska, Purdue went up 3-0, only to see the Cornhuskers respond with 28 straight points.

For its part, Wisconsin opened with unimpressive victories over Western Michigan and South Dakota, then was trounced at home by now top-ranked Alabama 42-10.

Against USC, the Badgers opened the second-half floodgates with a muffed punt that set up a touchdown. The Trojans punctuated the comeback with a pick-six off Braedyn Locke.

Wisconsin’s defense couldn’t get off the field against the Trojans, who were 11 of 17 on third-down conversions and dominated time of possession, 40:07 to 19:53.

Locke, a redshirt sophomore, has taken over for Tyler Van Dyke, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama. Locke, who started three games last season in place of injured Tanner Mordecai, completed 13 of 26 passes for 180 yards against USC with one touchdown and one interception.

Chez Mellusi leads the ground game with 232 yards at 4.1 per carry with three touchdowns.

“We’re just not to the point right now where if we’re not playing well defensively, well, that’s OK because our offense is going outscore them,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Monday. “And if we’re not playing well offensively, our defense will go out there and we’ll shut them out. We’re just not to that point.”

The Boilermakers have averaged just 12.7 points over their last three games. Hudson Card has completed 65.9 percent of his passes at 156.8 yards per game with seven touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

Devin Mockobee is Purdue’s leading rusher with 317 yards on 49 carries. Purdue managed just 50 yards on the ground vs. Nebraska, averaging a paltry 1.6 per carry.

Wisconsin has won 17 straight vs. the Boilermakers. Purdue’s last win was at Camp Randall in Madison, a 26-23 victory in 2003. The Badgers won last season at Purdue, 38-17.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No. 13 USC outscores Wisconsin 28-0 in second half to claim first Big Ten victory

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Miller Moss threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth as No. 13 Southern California stormed back from a 21-10 halftime deficit to record its first-ever Big Ten Conference win with a 38-21 decision over visiting Wisconsin on Saturday in Los Angeles.

USC (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) trailed by two scores at intermission for the second time in as many weeks. Unlike its conference-opening loss at Michigan last Saturday, the Trojans successfully completed their second-half rally in the program’s first home Big Ten game.

Moss ignited the comeback in the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown strike to Ja’Kobi Lane, the second scoring connection between the quarterback and receiver on the afternoon. They also hooked up less than three minutes into the game on a 32-yard pass play.

The Trojans took the lead later in the third when Moss hit Duce Robinson for an eight-yard score. Moss tacked on another score from seven yards out on a 4th-and-1 play to give USC a two-score lead.

A dominant second half for the USC defense culminated when linebacker Mason Cobb put an exclamation point on the Trojans victory, returning an interception of Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke’s pass 55 yards for a touchdown.

Locke was 13-of-26 for 180 yards with a touchdown and the interception in his first start. He was replacing Tyler Van Dyke, who sustained a torn ACL in Wisconsin’s Sept. 14 loss to Alabama.

Locke’s touchdown was a 63-yard play to Vinny Anthony II early in the first quarter. The Badgers (2-2, 0-1) added two more touchdowns in the first half on a pair of Tawee Walker carries, the first on an 18-yard carry after Wisconsin recovered a muffed punt deep in USC territory.

Walker scored again from four yards out to give the Badgers their two-score lead. Wisconsin had an opportunity to push the advantage to three scores before halftime when Austin Brown killed a Trojans drive with a sack of Moss, forcing a fumble.

The Badgers moved into USC territory with a little more than a minute to go before the break, but could not capitalize.

Walker finished with 55 yards rushing to lead Wisconsin. Woody Marks carried for 63 for USC.

Lane hauled in 10 receptions for 105 yards. Moss went 30-of-45 for 308 yards.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Report: Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke (knee) out for year

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Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered a right knee injury Saturday that will keep him out for the rest of the season, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Monday.

Van Dyke, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Miami, was hurt on a third-down scramble on the seventh play of the game during the Badgers’ 42-10 loss to visiting Alabama.

After a visit to the medical tent, Van Dyke was carted to the locker room and reappeared during the second half with crutches and a knee brace.

Braedyn Locke played the rest of the game and figures to be the No. 1 quarterback for Wisconsin going forward.

Van Dyke completed 43 of 68 passes for 422 yards and one touchdown while adding a rushing touchdown in parts of three games this season. In four years at Miami, Van Dyke threw for 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions over 32 games.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) runs for a touchdown against South Florida Bulls defensive lineman Rico Watson III (34) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

No. 4 Alabama prepares for road challenge at uneven Wisconsin

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The degree of difficulty jumps exponentially for undefeated Wisconsin when fourth-ranked Alabama rolls into Camp Randall Stadium for a marquee nonconference matchup Saturday in Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin (2-0) has been unimpressive in two victories. In its opener, the Badgers rallied from a 14-13 fourth-quarter deficit for a 28-14 win over Western Michigan, which in turn was pounded 56-0 by No. 3 Ohio State last week.

Wisconsin then held off FCS opponent South Dakota 27-13 last Saturday after letting the Coyotes close within 17-13 midway through the third quarter.

“Not that the first two games weren’t the start of the season, but we knew this was going to be the opportunity and point in time when we really, really got to see where we are and who we are,” Badgers coach Luke Fickell said Monday.

Alabama (2-0) opened the Kalen DeBoer era with a 63-0 rout at home over Western Kentucky before pulling away with 28 fourth-quarter points for a 42-16 home victory over South Florida.

The Crimson Tide, one of six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top seven this week, are averaging 496.5 yards per game while allowing 227.0. Alabama has seven touchdowns in nine red-zone opportunities, while opponents have just one TD in six trips inside the red zone.

Jamarion Miller has averaged 9.7 yards per carry with 194 yards on 20 attempts and two touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. Justice Haynes has rushed for 143 yards and two scores, averaging 8.9 per carry.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has completed 24 of 36 passes for 399 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also has run for 81 yards and four touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide will travel to Madison for the first time in 96 years, and DeBoer said his team is embracing the opportunity to play in front of a raucous opposing crowd.

“You know, that hostile environment and taking it on, and knowing that it’s kind of you vs. everyone there,” the first-year Alabama coach said Monday. “I think our guys are looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to improving on this last week.”

Each team will be down a linebacker during the first half on Saturday. The Crimson Tide’s Justin Jefferson and the Badgers’ Jake Chaney each were ejected for targeting in their respective previous games.

Redshirt senior Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, completed 17 of 27 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown for Wisconsin last Saturday. Through two games, Van Dyke has completed 38 of 63 passes (60.3 percent) for 406 yards with one score and no interceptions.

With Tawee Walker out injured, reserve running back Cade Yacamelli had a team-high 73 yards on eight carries for the Badgers against South Dakota. Sixth-year senior Chez Mellusi leads Wisconsin with 134 yards at 3.8 per carry and three touchdowns.

The Badgers have scored on 8 of 10 red-zone possessions, including five touchdowns. Opponents are 4-for-4 in the red zone with two touchdowns.

Alabama and Wisconsin have not played since 2015, when the Crimson Tide won 35-17 at Arlington, Texas. Alabama’s only trip to Madison was in 1928, when the Badgers won 15-0.

Fickell was the head coach at Cincinnati when his fourth-ranked Bearcats lost to the top-ranked Crimson Tide 27-6 in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in 2021.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Chez Mellusi (1) rushes for a touchdown during the first quarter against the South Dakota Coyotes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Chez Mellusi (2 TDs), Wisconsin put away South Dakota

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Tyler Van Dyke completed 17 of 27 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown and Chez Mellusi ran for 60 yards and two scores Saturday to help Wisconsin to a 27-13 victory over South Dakota in Madison, Wis.

The Badgers, who are off to their first 2-0 start since 2020, improved their nonconference home record over the last 10 seasons to 18-2. They will face their toughest test of the season next Saturday when they host No. 4 Alabama.

After trailing 17-3 at halftime, the Football Championship Subdivision Coyotes (1-1) started the second half by driving 75 yards in four plays. On Keondray Jones-Logan’s first carry of the game he sprinted 35 yards for a touchdown to cut it to 17-10.

South Dakota had an opportunity to tie the game when Wisconsin’s Vinny Anthony II fumbled the ball on a punt return and Nyle Dickel recovered at the Badgers’ 8-yard line.

Two plays later, Wisconsin’s Jake Chaney was ejected for targeting Javion Phelps, giving the Coyotes the ball at the Badgers 4. But after losing 11 yards on the next three plays, the Coyotes had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Will Leyland with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Wisconsin’s Nathaniel Vakos answered with a 50-yard field goal minutes later to push the cushion to 20-13. Mellusi, starting in place of Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker who did not play, sealed the win with a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:41 left. The drive was kept alive when South Dakota’s Dennis Shorter was ejected for targeting Mellusi on a pass play.

Aidan Bouman, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 114 yards, was unable to drive the Coyotes past their own 39-yard line the rest of the game.

The Badgers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on the opening drive as Mellusi ran 9 yards up the middle for a touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Van Dyke increased the margin to 14-0 when he faked a run and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Williams, who was wide open.

The Coyotes drove into Wisconsin territory three times in the first half but could only muster Leyland’s 25-yard field goal with 7:14 left in the second quarter. Wisconsin followed with a 13-play drive that culminated with Vakos’ 24-yard field goal seven seconds before halftime.

–Field Level Media

Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi (1) finds a hole in the Western Michigan defense during the second quarter of their game Friday, August 30, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

After comeback win, Wisconsin preps for FCS South Dakota

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Wisconsin will have to focus on improvement without looking past visiting South Dakota in a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon.

With two touchdowns, Wisconsin overcame an early fourth-quarter deficit for a 28-14 victory over visiting underdog Western Michigan in last week’s season opener.

South Dakota, ranked No. 6 in the FCS coaches poll, opened with a 45-3 rout of Northern State, an NCAA Division II school.

After South Dakota, Wisconsin’s degree of difficulty jumps considerably next week when No. 4 Alabama rolls into Camp Randall Stadium.

Wisconsin trailed 14-13 early in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan largely due to red zone inefficiency. The Badgers had a pair of 16-play drives and a pair of 14-play drives on their first four possessions but managed just one touchdown and two field goals.

Redshirt senior Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, completed 21 of 36 passes in his first start for Wisconsin but did not have a touchdown pass, and his longest completion was 17 yards.

The Badgers rushed for 196 yards, averaging 4.3 per carry, but their longest run was 12 yards by reserve Cade Yacamelli. Sixth-year senior Chez Mellusi, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the fourth game last year, had a team-high 74 yards in 19 carries with one touchdown.

“They did a good job at eliminating our ability to make some big plays, defensively,” Wisconsin second-year coach Luke Fickell said Monday. “In the whole game, I think they had three plays of plus-20 yards, and we had zero plays of plus-20 yards.”

South Dakota took control in its opener with three second-quarter touchdowns for a 31-3 halftime lead. The Coyotes outgained Northern State 351-207, including 266 yards on the ground.

Charles Pierre Jr. ran for a career-high 136 yards, averaging 10.5 per carry, with two touchdowns. Travis Theis added 86 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Aidan Bouman completed 9 of 12 passes for 85 yards with one touchdown.

The Coyotes had a 97-yard kickoff return and a 55-yard punt return for touchdowns, and Zeke Mata had a career-long 52-yard field goal.

“You understand you’re going to have to do a lot of things really well to have a chance to win,” South Dakota coach Bob Nielson said Tuesday about Wisconsin. “That’s just the essence of these games.”

Wisconsin is 2-0 since 1975 against South Dakota, winning 59-10 in the last meeting in 2011 in Madison.

“They’ll be physical, they’ll run the football, they’ll take shots, they’re probably going to be in a similar type of game plan to what Western Michigan was,” Fickell said. “And our job is to not allow that to happen.”

–Field Level Media

Pittsburgh head football coach Pat Narduzzi at the 89th Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against UCLA, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Ucla V Pitt Sun Bowl

Pitt, Wisconsin to open 2027 season in Dublin

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Pitt and Wisconsin will play in the 2027 edition of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

The programs on Tuesday jointly announced the game, scheduled for Aug. 28, 2027.

The series began under this branding when Georgia Tech beat Boston College 17-14 in Dublin in 2016.

Northwestern beat Nebraska 31-28 in their 2022 season opener in Dublin, and Notre Dame beat Navy 42-3 there to kick off the current season. Georgia Tech will face Florida State in Dublin in their 2024 season opener.

The Panthers will serve as the home team. Pitt has played on the Emerald Isle once before, beating Rutgers 46-29 in December 1989.

“What an honor it is for our Panthers to receive an invitation to play in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “As a coach, you want the young men in your program to have impactful personal experiences, on and off the field.

“I am grateful our team will have the opportunity to play in this special game against a great opponent like Wisconsin.”

Meanwhile, it will be Wisconsin’s first time playing in Ireland. The Badgers’ only game outside the U.S. came in 1993 in Tokyo, a 41-20 win over Michigan State.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Jackson Acker (34) during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Banged-up Wisconsin tries to keep up in division race, faces Indiana

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Already hampered by injuries on offense, Wisconsin might be missing two more key pieces when it travels to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana on Saturday with hopes of remaining in the Big Ten West race.

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) is coming off a 24-10 home loss to third-ranked Ohio State that dropped the Badgers into a four-way tie atop the West division with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Indiana (2-6, 0-5) lost 33-24 to then-No. 10 Penn State after being tied at 24 with just under three minutes to play. The Hoosiers have to win their last four games to become bowl-eligible.

Already without starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Chez Mellusi, the Badgers suffered two more key injuries vs. the Buckeyes. Leading rusher Braelon Allen suffered a leg injury just before the half and returned to the sideline in a walking boot. Senior wideout Chimere Dike, also the team’s leading punt and kickoff returner, also left with a leg injury.

“Don’t know a whole lot,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “They were out at practice on Sunday. Didn’t do a whole lot, but it’s only Monday. We’ll have to find some things out during the week.”

Redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke, in his second career start, completed 18 of 39 passes for 165 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Ohio State. Redshirt sophomore Jackson Acker had nine carries for 34 yards after Allen went out.

Wisconsin, which was tied 10-10 early in the third quarter against the Buckeyes, managed just 259 yards of total offense.

Indiana outgained the Nittany Lions 349-342 with redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby passing for 269 yards. Sorsby, in his third career start, tossed three touchdown passes, including a 90-yarder and another for 69 yards.

Sorsby, who replaced Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson as the starter, is 58-of-108 passing for 689 yards with six touchdowns and one pick in six games.

“You just want to see whoever takes over to take it and then just start growing, and take the position and run with it,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said Monday. “And I think we’ve seen the last few weeks the growth with Brendan.”

Indiana averages 316.4 yards per game while allowing 363.1. The Hoosiers average 18.6 points per game, while giving up 29.8, each ranking 13th in the 14-team conference.

Indiana won the last meeting between the teams 14-6 at Wisconsin in 2020, snapping the Badgers’ 10-game winning streak vs. the Hoosiers. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 41-19-2.

–Field Level Media