Tag: Big Ten football

Can Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi accomplish a rare UW rushing feat in 2022?

Can a refined Badgers offense and the dynamic talents of Allen and Mellusi create the first 1,000-yard rushing duo since 2013?

The University of Wisconsin, better known as RBU, hasn’t had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season since Melvin Gordon and James White did it back in 2013.

So, It’s been nearly a decade since a pair of Badgers running backs hit the 1,000-yard milestone in the same season; it’s also never happened at UW during the Paul Chryst era.

The only other UW RB pairing to achieve this feat was James White and John clay, who did it back in 2010. Had Montee Ball accumulated four more rushing yards, they would have had three 1,000-yard rushers that season.

It might be a long shot, but Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi of the Wisconsin Badgers have a legitimate chance to end UW’s drought and become just the third RB tandem in school history to run for 1,000 yards apiece.

In 2021, Allen, a Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin native, was a Freshman All-American and second-team All-Big Ten member after amassing 1,268 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground last season on 6.8 YPC.

The 6-foot-2, 238-pound wrecking ball became just the fourth UW true freshman RB to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing plateau, joining Ron Dayne, Jonathan Taylor, and James White. He’s one of the best RBs in America and should be a lock to surpass last season’s rushing total as the offense’s focal point.

As for Mellusi, In nine games, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound RB carried the ball 173 times for 815 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught an additional seven passes for 66 yards, totaling 881 yards from scrimmage.

He opened 2021 as Wisconsin’s starting RB before suffering a non-contact knee injury in November against Rutgers – forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.

Had the Clemson transfer not gotten hurt, there is a genuine possibility the duo could have achieved this feat last season.

The Badgers are in a fortunate position; they essentially have two No. 1 backs that makeup one of college football’s best duos in 2022.

It would take an incredible season from both backs, no doubt. Still, the Badgers have begun re-shaping their offense under first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, and the Wisconsin backfield could be the biggest beneficiaries.

If both backs stay healthy, can get off to a hot start against their weak non-conference schedule, and the run-blocking improves marginally in 2022, they’ll have a real chance.

Can a refined Badgers offense and the dynamic talents of Allen and Mellusi create the first 1,000-yard rushing duo since 2013? I think yes.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin, Nevada join list of Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2022 home sellouts

With Nevada and Wisconsin joining the list, four of Iowa’s seven-game home slate are now officially sellouts.

It’s now looking like just a matter of time before the entirety of Iowa’s 2022 home slate turns into sellouts. Two more home dates inside Kinnick Stadium were added to the list of preseason sellouts for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The official Iowa football account announced on Friday that both the Wisconsin and Nevada home games were officially sellouts. Iowa welcomes in Nevada on Sept. 17 for a night game during the Hawkeyes’ “Gold Game & Family Weekend.” The final nonconference tilt of 2022 for the Hawkeyes is set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

Meanwhile, Iowa’s second-to-last home game is against Wisconsin on Nov. 12 for the Hawkeyes’ “Military Appreciation Black Out Game.” At least going in, the date against the Badgers appears to be one of the most important games all season long in the Big Ten West.

Iowa lost last season in Madison, Wis., 27-7, losing three fumbles and registering just 156 total yards of offense. The last time the Badgers were in Iowa City, though, Iowa handed Wisconsin a 28-7 setback as Hawkeyes quarterback Spencer Petras had 211 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes.

Earlier this week, Iowa announced that both the Iowa State home game on Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. on the Big Ten Network and the Michigan home game on Oct. 1 were sellouts.

With Nevada and Wisconsin joining the group of 2022 Iowa sellouts, that means that now four of Iowa’s seven-game 2022 home schedule is officially sold out.

If you’re interested in getting a single-game ticket to one of the Hawkeyes’ other home games, you may be running out of time. Hawk Central’s Chad Leistikow noted that Iowa is awfully close to selling out the remainder of its home games, too.

According to Leistikow, there’s just 2,500 tickets left for the South Dakota State home opener on Sept. 3, 500 tickets for homecoming versus Northwestern on Oct. 29 and 1,100 tickets for Senior Day versus Nebraska on Nov. 25.

The South Dakota State home opener is set for an 11 a.m. kickoff on FS1, Northwestern will be a 2 p.m. kickoff and Nebraska will kickoff at 3 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2022 schedule breakdown: Nebraska

What players do Iowa fans need to know about for the Hawkeyes’ regular-season finale against the Cornhuskers from inside Kinnick Stadium?

Here it is, the last game of the season! Hopefully, Iowa is standing at an 11-0 record with upsets over Ohio State and Michigan and the Cornhuskers represent their last stop before the Big Ten Championship… and then the national championship. Whether or not this is indeed the reality (we can certainly hope), Nebraska is a heck of a game to end the season on.

The Cornhuskers are an extremely interesting team with how they are portrayed in the media. Many have called Nebraska the greatest three-win team in college football history and suggesting that they were much better than their 2021 record suggested. If a few possessions swung the other way, Nebraska could have finished as one of the best teams in the conference!

At the end of the day, though, the Cornhuskers were still a 3-9 team last year, and coach Scott Frost is on the hottest of hot seats. As many have pointed out, Nebraska is a tough out. They gave multiple top teams a tough fight last year, including both Michigan and Michigan State. They feature a sturdy defense and hope the offense takes a step forward in 2022.

Badgers C Joe Tippmann Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List

Badgers C Joe Tippmann named to prestigious preseason watch list:

On Friday, the 2022 Rimington Trophy Watch List was announced, a list that included Wisconsin Badgers lineman Joe Tippmann. 

The Rimington Trophy is given annually to the nation’s top center in college football. 

Last season, Tippmann, an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten lineman, was the sixth highest graded starting center in the country, according to PFF.

In 687 snaps at C, the Indiana native allowed four pressures and zero sacks all season.

Per PFF, The 6-foot-6, 320-pound C finished last season as Wisconsin’s second highest-graded offensive lineman (85.1). He also finished with the second-best run-blocking grade (85.0) and the best pass-blocking grade on the team (76.7).

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Where does Wisconsin land in Phil Steele’s preseason Top 40 poll?

Where do the Badgers fall in the preseason Top 40?

An annual tradition of every college football preseason is digging into Phil Steele’s guides and rankings.

In this season’s edition of Steele’s Top 40 poll, the Badgers fall near the middle of the pack, but lead all Big Ten West squads. Leading the way for the Big Ten are a pair of preseason top-five teams in Michigan and Ohio State. The Wolverines will look to recreate the magic of a 2021 College Football Playoff run, while the Buckeyes will look to get back on track spurred by a comeback win at the Rose Bowl.

Here is a complete look at Steele’s preseason poll, and what he had to say about Wisconsin:

Everything Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz had to say about the Hawkeyes’ SWARM collective

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz was on hand for the SWARM collective news conference. Here’s what Ferentz had to say.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was on hand for the news conference unveiling SWARM, the newest collective supporting Hawkeye student-athletes.

Naturally, he had plenty of nice things to say about SWARM CEO Brad Heinrichs, executive vice president and COO Scott Brickman and vice president of events and engagement Jayne Oswald.

Here’s everything that Ferentz had to say about how it will impact his football program going forward on the day SWARM was officially unveiled.

‘It’s a sign of the times’: Kirk Ferentz shares thoughts on the Big Ten’s USC, UCLA additions

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz said “it’s a sign of the times” that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are joining the Big Ten.

As Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was meeting with the media discussing the brand new Iowa Swarm Collective, the topic of Big Ten expansion naturally came up.

With Hawk Central and other Iowa reporters in attendance, Ferentz dove into his thoughts on the Big Ten adding both the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins beginning with the 2024-25 college athletics season.

“Yeah, it’s a sign of the times. Just it’s one more reminder that tradition, the sense or concept of tradition is kind of getting minimalized I think in college athletics. Pretty much everything’s driven by TV. There are a lot of things I can’t tell you after 23 years. How the NCAA works, all that stuff. One thing I have observed is if TV wants something, it’s probably going to happen. I’m not saying TV encouraged this. I’m just suggesting that there’s some certainly, I’m sure that’s part on the minds of the people who joined the conference, but it puts us in a better, stronger position,” Ferentz said.

Again, as Ferentz stood and discussed what this new Iowa Swarm Collective would mean for his program going forward, the conversation circled back into USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“It’s really not a matter of do we like this or did we want this? It’s just a matter of that’s a reality of college football, college athletics. Just like it’s a reality that USC and UCLA are going to be in the Big Ten in two years, so whether you like that, whatever your opinion may be, the bigger picture is it’s going to be. It’s just part of the times that we’re navigating through right now,” Ferentz said of Iowa Swarm Collective and USC and UCLA joining the league.

Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery was in attendance for the Iowa Swarm Collective announcement as well and shared his thoughts on USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“Obviously, a credit to Kevin Warren for getting two of the most prestigious programs in the country to come to our league. I think anything that benefits the league is a good thing,” McCaffery said of the pair joining.

He didn’t seem too concerned with future setups of the Big Ten Tournament either.

“You know, I think there’s always a solution you can find for any situation like that. You know, we can make it work, scheduling wise,” McCaffery said.

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Hawkeyes in Hollywood: A recap of the University of Iowa in famous movies and TV shows

Contrary to what you might think, the University of Iowa has been well represented in television and movies. Here are the best examples.

When you think of Iowa, you don’t really think of Hollywood. The Hawkeyes aren’t the flashiest university around and not really the team you picture when you hear “marketability.”

While Iowa has a very strong local fanbase, they certainly aren’t the national superpower that teams like Alabama, Ohio State, or Notre Dame are. You would be surprised, though, just how well represented the University of Iowa has been in movies and television. Here’s a look back at some of the best and wackiest examples of the Iowa Hawkeyes in pop culture.

Tipico Sportsbook Releases Win Totals for Each Big Ten Team in 2022

Tipico Sportsbook recently released their win totals for each Big Ten team for the upcoming 2022 college football season:

Don’t worry, Big Ten football fans; we will officially have college football back in our lives in just over a month.

As one of the nation’s premier conferences in college football, the Big Ten has sent a team to the College Football Playoff in six of the eight years since its conception.

Only Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State have made the College Football Playoff thus far – with the Buckeyes being the last B1G program to win the National Championship.

With fall camps just around the corner, oddsmakers are working tirelessly to project how teams across the country will perform in terms of wins and losses.

Tipico Sportsbook recently released their projected win totals for each Big Ten program, other than Rutgers, ahead of the 2022 college football season.  

Below is a compiled list of projected win totals for every Big Ten Football program according to the experts at TipicoSportsbook:

Eason: ‘People come to Clemson because it’s Clemson’

Clemson’s DT coach Nick Eason on conference realignment.

Clemson’s media day opened Tuesday, allowing us to get an idea of what the Clemson program will look like heading into the 2022 season.

Something that has been hanging over the heads of the entire college football landscape is conference realignment and what is next for teams such as the Tigers. When asked about conference realignment, Clemson defensive tackle coach Nick Eason didn’t seem too worried about the topic and how it will affect Clemson’s recruiting.

“I don’t care if we were in the Big Ten, people come to Clemson because it’s Clemson,” Eason said. “That’s what coach Swinney said the other day and I think that resonated with me pretty strongly. People go to Clemson because it’s Clemson and people go to Alabama because it’s Alabama.”

With this being the first recruiting cycle involving NIL, there was a lot of concern as to how Clemson football would be able to respond and keep up with the rest of the top dogs in the sport. The addition of NIL, along with conference realignment, makes the ACC look like a less than ideal situation to be a part of.

Yet, Eason and the guys at the forefront of recruiting don’t seem to be having any issues. According to 247Sports, Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class currently ranks fourth in the nation, headlined by two five-star recruits in QB Christopher Vizzina and DL Peter Woods

“Here, at Clemson, our culture, our program and what we have to offer speaks for itself,” Eason said. “I don’t really care what conference we’re in, we’re still going to be Clemson. It matters to some but for us in the building we don’t care. However it plays out, we just have to be the best version of ourselves.”

Eason and the Clemson staff will continue to work in recruiting and showing people why Clemson is a program they want to be a part of.

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