Tag: Aron Cruickshank

Grading Wisconsin’s 28-27 Loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their 28-27 loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game?

Grading No. 8 Wisconsin’s 28-27 loss to No. 6 Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game.

Offense: D

Four turnovers.

Simply put Wisconsin beat themselves on offense at times. Four turnovers all occurring in Wisconsin territory was a killer as Oregon turned Wisconsin’s miscues into 21 points.

Wisconsin fumbled the football three times as Jonathan Taylor, Danny Davis, and Anthony Lotti all lost fumbles while Jack Coan threw an interception.

The dagger came when Davis fumbled the football in the fourth quarter on a jet sweep as the fumble was forced by Rose Bowl Defensive MVP Brady Breeze and was recovered by Bryson Young. Oregon only needed one play to take the lead for good as Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert registered a 30-yard rushing touchdown with 7:41 to go in the game.

Davis was also called for an offensive pass interference call on Wisconsin’s last offensive possession of the game, which wiped out a first down catch by Jake Ferguson on third down. Wisconsin’s ensuing offensive play resulted in an incompletion on third and 20 forcing the Badgers to punt the football away with 2:54 to go in the game.

Davis’ 19 yards rushing was second on the team behind Taylor’s 94 yards rushing on 21 carries. Taylor’s 94 yards put him over 2,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season joining Iowa State’s Troy Davis (1995, 1996). Taylor also added 43 yards receiving on two receptions.

Taylor struggled to get into a rhythm on offense as the Ducks defense did well of containing him as he averaged 4.5 yards per carry as his longest rush was 18 yards against the Ducks defense.

With Oregon doing well of keeping contain of Taylor on the ground meant Coan attempted 35 passes, which was a season-high. Overall Coan finished the game 23-for-35 for 186 yards and one touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus.

Two of Coan’s favorite targets were Cephus (7-59-1) and Ferguson (4-44) as the two combined to catch 11 passes for 103 yards. Overall eight players caught a pass for the Badgers as half of the players who caught a pass registered at least three or more receptions.

Wisconsin’s offense at times struggled to get into a rhythm early in the game as the Badgers defense was able to set Wisconsin’s offense up with good field position when Jack Sanborn intercepted a pass giving the Badgers offense the football back at Oregon’s 27-yard line. But Oregon’s defense stepped up and was able to get off the field after three plays forcing for Wisconsin to settle for a field goal to give the Badgers a 10-7 lead. 

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Two Wisconsin Players Named to All-Big Ten Defensive Team

Wisconsin places two defensive players on the All-Big Ten Defensive Teams. Zack Baun OLB, Chris Orr ILB

On Tuesday the Big Ten Conference released its All-Big Ten Defensive Team and special teams conference selections. With how dominant Wisconsin’s defense was this year it was natural that there would be individuals from Wisconsin’s defense to be recognized.

Outisde linebacker Zack Baun was a consensus first-team selection by the media and coaches while inside linebacker Chris Orr was a consensus second-team selection.

Baun and Orr have been two of Wisconsin’s most consistent and dominating defenders as Baun’s 18.5 tackles for loss leads the team. While Orr’s 71 tackles leads the team not to mention Orr and Baun are tied for the team lead in sacks with 11.5.

Safety Eric Burrell, cornerback Faion Hicks, and defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk were consensus honorable mention’s on defense. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Matt Henningsen was an honorable mention by the coaches and sophomore cornerback Rachad Wildgoose was honorable mention by the media.

Sophomore Aron Cruickshank was named a consensus second-team All-Big Ten return specialist. Cruickshank averaged 26.59 yards per return on 17 attempts as his highlight return came against Nebraska when he returned a kick 89 yards for a touchdown.

The Big Ten Conference will announce the offensive team selections on Wednesday.

Notes: Wisconsin Beats Purdue at Home 45-24

Game notes from Wisconsin’s senior day 45-24 victory over Purdue.

MADISON, Wis. – News and notes from UW Athletics after No. 12 Wisconsin’s 45-24 victory over Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.

TEAM NOTES

  • Today’s captains: senior OLB Zack Baun, junior C Tyler Biadasz, senior ILB Chris Orr, junior RB Jonathan Taylor.
  • Wisconsin moved to 9-2 on the season, reaching the 9-win threshold for the 6th time in the last 7 seasons and the 9th time in the last 11 years. Ohio State (9) is the only other Big Ten team more than six 9-win seasons in the last 11 years.
  • Paul Chryst improved to 51-14 (.785) in his fifth season as Wisconsin’s head coach. He is the 5th coach in program history to win 50 games at UW.
  • Under Chryst, Wisconsin is:
    1. 33-10 (.767) in Big Ten Conference play
    2. 24-5 (.828) vs. the Big Ten West Division
    3. 15-3 (.833) in November games
    4. 5-0 vs. Purdue
  • Wisconsin is 51-14 (.785) since the start of the 2015 season. Entering today, only Clemson (66-4, .943), Alabama (64-5, .928), Ohio State (59-6, .908), Oklahoma (55-9, .859) and Georgia (51-14, .785) own higher winning percentages during that 5-year span.
  • UW is 40-11 (.784) in conference play since 2014, when the Big Ten went to its current divisional alignment. Only Ohio State (47-4, .922) has a better league record over that span.
  • The Badgers have won 26 of their last 32 Big Ten games, dating to the 2016 season.
  • Wisconsin finished with a season-high 606 total yards of offense, the team’s highest output since racking up 627 against Nebraska on Nov. 15, 2014. UW has now topped 500 yards in 3 games this season.
  • The Badgers rushed for a season-high 403 yards, their highest total since piling up 417 rushing yards against New Mexico on Sept. 8, 2018. UW’s 403 ground yards are the team’s most since totaling 581 rushing yards vs. Nebraska on Nov. 15, 2014. Saturday marked UW’s 3rd consecutive game with at least 300 rushing yards, and 5th 300-yard outing of the season.
  • UW also posted 203 passing yards, marking the second time this season that the Badgers have totaled at least 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in a game.
  • The Badgers went 9-for-11 on third down, their best mark in a Big Ten game since at least 1997.
  • Wisconsin recorded its 2nd TD drive of at least 90 yards this season with a 9-play, 95-yard march in the 3rd quarter. All 95 yards came on the ground, capped by a 6-yard TD run by Garrett Groshek.
  • UW’s longest scoring drive since an 11-play, 95-yard TD drive vs. Iowa on Sept. 22, 2018.
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Grading Wisconsin’s Victory over Purdue

What grades did Wisconsin earn from their 45-24 senior day victory over Purdue?

Grading No. 14 Wisconsin’s 45-24 win over Purdue.

Offense: C

Wisconsin’s offense certainly had success moving the football down the field against Purdue as they finished the game with 606 yards of total offense on 74 plays.

Despite the 606 yards being the most gained by Wisconsin this season they uncharacteristically struggled to take care of the football as Wisconsin fumbled the football five times losing three and threw one interception.

Although Jonathan Taylor rushed for over 200 yards for a third straight game he was responsible for two of the three lost fumbles while A.J. Taylor was responsible for the other lost fumble. Jack Coan also fumbled the football on a strip-sack and Danny Davis had the other fumble on a jet sweep play.

When Wisconsin was able to hang on to the football they were able to average 8.19 yards per play. In particular, Purdue had no answer for Wisconsin’s rushing attack as the Badgers as a team finished with 403 rushing yards on 55 carries. Taylor was responsible for 222 of those rushing yards on 28 carries, including one run of 51-yards that resulted in a touchdown.

Wisconsin went to the wildcat formation early and often with Garrett Groshek and Aron Cruickshank as the Boilermakers struggled to defend the play. Groshek rushed for a season-high 55 yards on nine carries and had a touchdown. While Cruickshank registered 47 yards on three carries and had Wisconsin’s opening touchdown of the game, which was a 27-yard rush.

Outside of Coan’s interception, he was efficient once again for Wisconsin’s offense as he finished the game 15-for-19 (78.9 percent) for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Coan’s touchdown passes were 18-yards to Jack Dunn and 29-yards to Quintez Cephus.

Six different players for Wisconsin caught one pass as Cephus led the way with five catches for 79 yards. Kendric Pryor was second on the team in both receptions and receiving yards with four and 47 yards respectively.

Coan was able to play an efficient game thanks to the play of Wisconsin’s offensive line as Coan was only sacked once the entire game. The Badgers offensive line did a good job of consistently clearing paths for Wisconsin’s running game to consistently pick up positive yards against Purdue.

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Jonathan Taylor, Aron Cruickshank earn accolades for performances vs. Nebraska

Jonathan Taylor and Aron Cruickshank earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for their performances in Wisconsin’s win over Nebraska.

Jonathan Taylor and Aron Cruickshank each played a critical role in Wisconsin’s 37-21 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday, and both players were rewarded for their efforts by being named Players of the Week by the Big Ten.

Taylor was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week along with Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson after rushing for 204 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries against the Cornhuskers, a performance in which he broke the legendary Herschel Walker’s record for rushing yards in the first three years of a career and passed Archie Griffin for second place on the Big Ten’s all-time rushing list.

This is the fourth time this season that Taylor has earned Player of the Week honors, and the eighth in his career, which ties Drew Brees for the fourth-most in Big Ten history.

Cruickshank earned Special Teams Co-Player of the Week honors along with Northwestern’s Chris Bergin as a result of his jaw-dropping 89-yard kickoff return touchdown in the first quarter against Nebraska. The play provided Wisconsin with a much-needed boost in momentum after the Cornhuskers seized a 7-0 lead following a Badger turnover.

It was the first return touchdown of Cruickshank’s young career, and it likely will not be the last with his blazing speed and playmaking ability. The sophomore has been one of the more dangerous return men in college football this season, leading the Big Ten and sitting at No. 10 nationally with an average of 28.4 yards per return.

Taylor and Cruickshank will look to defend their titles against Purdue in Madison on Saturday.

Grading Wisconsin’s Victory over Nebraska

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their 37-21 victory over Nebraska to retain the Freedom Trophy?

Grading No. 15 Wisconsin’s 37-21 win over Nebraska.

Offense: B

For the third time in his career Jonathan Taylor went over 200 yards rushing against Nebraska as he finished with 204 yards on 25 carries and two rushing touchdowns.

Taylor’s rushing performance against Nebraska puts him past Herschel Walker (5,596 yards) for most rushing yards in a career through his junior year as Taylor now has 5,634 rushing yards in his career.

Taylor’s longest rush of the day against Nebraska was 19 yards and like last week he wasn’t tackled behind the line of scrimmage as he averaged an impressive 8.2 yards per carry.

In total Wisconsin rushed for 320 yards on 45 carries. Despite Danny Davis (3-48) not catching a pass against Nebraska he and Nakia Watson (8-36) combined to rush for 84 yards on 11 carries.

Outside of Wisconsin’s offensive line continuing to get the better push to allow for Wisconsin to consistently pick up positive yards rushing the football as the Badgers only allowed one tackle for loss. In addition, the Badgers made sure Jack Coan stayed clean as he wasn’t sacked for the first time this year.

Coan didn’t turn the football over as it snapped a three game streak of him turning the football over at least once but there were instances where he didn’t always place the football where his intended target could make the catch.

The first example would be on Wisconsin’s opening offensive drive. Coan was able to complete a screen pass to Taylor but he had to reach back and catch it with one hand. Taylor started to cut upfield but never completely secured the football as JoJo Domann was able to force the fumble. Taylor should have done more to protect the football but if Coan is able to place the football more squarely in his chest the Badgers avoid there only turnover of the game. Nebraska was able to cash Taylor’s fumble into seven points.

The second example was on Wisconsin’s last offensive possession of the first half. On 3rd and goal at Nebraska’s six Coan attempted a pass to A.J. Taylor but the throw was behind him making it a difficult catch.

Overall Coan finished the game 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) for 162 yards and a touchdown. Coan’s touchdown throw was to A.J. Taylor for 55 yards, eclipsing the previous season long pass of 52 yards, which occurred last week against Iowa from Coan to Quintez Cephus. Coan was able to complete passes to seven different players while A.J. Taylor’s 65 yards led the team Kendric Pryor (30 yards) and Quintez Cephus (23 yards) each caught three passes.

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First half takeaways Badgers vs. Cornhuskers

Some of the biggest keys to Wisconsin’s first half lead in Lincoln

At the break, the No. 14 Badgers led the unranked Huskers on the road, 27-14.

Some of the keys of the first half were Wisconsin’s success on special teams, the play of Jack Coan, and the Badgers’ early lack of rushing defense allowing scores to the opponent.

Special Teams

The third phase of football, often an unsung hero, played a major part to Wisconsin’s success in the first half.

Trailing 7-0 after having a fumble on their first offensive possession, Wisconsin had its first kick off return touchdown in four years, courtesy of speedy wide receiver and kick returner Aron Cruickshank.

In addition to this incredible return, kicker Collin Larsh made two field goals to add on to the Badgers’ lead.

Not always a positive for Wisconsin teams, the Badgers’ special teams looked awesome in the first two quarters.

Jack Coan

Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan played a very solid, in-control half for the Badgers, throwing for 128 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers.

The numbers don’t jump off the page, but Coan had a beautiful throw to Quintez Cephus on a fourth down, delivered a strike to AJ Taylor for a long touchdown, and simpy looked in command of the Badgers’ offense.

In a game against a lesser opponent and in possession of the lead, that’s all Coan really needs to do for Wisconsin to win the game.

Rushing defense

In a mostly positive first half, one major downside to the Badgers’ play was that of the rushing defense.

Nebraska rushed for two scores, and a whopping 151 yards on the ground in the first half.

Against a stout Wisconsin defense, that is very impressive from the Huskers, and a bad look for the Badgers, especially when thinking about the five missed tackles that could have prevented long runs of 27 yards and 26 yards, respectively, and hopefully something for the Badgers’ defense to improve in the second half.