Tag: Chimere Dike

LOOK: Badgers updated depth chart ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl

Wisconsin’s updated depth chart for bowl game

The Badgers football team is set to face LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 1 and they have released an updated depth chart. With the departures of many of the team’s starters from their 7-5 regular season, including running back Braelon Allen (NFL Draft) and linebacker Jordan Turner (transferred to Michigan State), some new players will get a shot.

Notably, true freshman wide receiver Trech Kekahuna will get his first shot to start, helping replace wideouts Chimere Dike (transferred to Florida) and Skyler Bell (in transfer portal).

Jake Renfro will replace Tanor Bortolini (NFL Draft) at starting center for the first time this year after transferring to Wisconsin from Cincinnati before the season.

The Badgers have won three bowl games in a row and they’ll look to make it four straight against the Tigers.

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Wisconsin WR who played with Mertz joins Gators via transfer portal

Amidst the din of early signing day, the Gators got themselves a veteran presence for the wide receiver corps.

Wednesday was a big day for Florida football on the prep recruiting front with the opening of the early signing period, but the Gators also added a player to its 2024 roster from the transfer portal as well.

Former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver [autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag], a four-year senior originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin, completed his portal journey from the north to the south landing in Gainesville with Billy Napier and Co.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound pass-catcher’s best seasons came when he was still playing with now-UF quarterback Graham Mertz. Dike caught 47 passes for 689 yards with 6 touchdowns for the Badgers in 2022 and 78 catches for 1,150 yards with 8 touchdowns in three seasons alongside Mertz.

Dike struggled in 2023 due in part to a leg injury that sidelined him for three games. He totaled 19 catches for 328 yards and a score before entering the portal at the beginning of December.

He has one more season of eligibility remaining. Dike will be among the oldest players in Florida’s otherwise very young receiver room and hopefully he can bring his experience to the table.

Ostensibly, the receiver will be filling the shoes of stand-out pass-catcher Ricky Pearsall, whose eligibility expired this past season. Eugene Wilson III, Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell will also be working hard to fill the void as well.

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Former Wisconsin WR reunites with his former quarterback at an SEC power

Former Wisconsin WR reunites with former Badger QB at SEC power

Former Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike committed to Florida earlier today. He entered the transfer portal earlier this month, and now reunites with former Badger quarterback Graham Mertz.

Dike and Mertz played together at Wisconsin from 2020-2022, with Mertz transferring to Florida before last season. The two connected for 78 receptions, 1150 yards and eight touchdowns in those three seasons.

The two will look to help turn around a Florida team that went 5-7 in 2023 and missed a bowl game. It will not be an easy feat, however, as the Gators have games against Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State on the schedule.

Wisconsin moves into 2024 with a wide receiver group led by Will Pauling, C.J. Williams and Quincy Burroughs. There will be some heavy lifting required to fill the veteran role left open by Dike’s departure.

Two of Wisconsin’s starting wide receivers have entered the transfer portal

Two of Wisconsin’s starting wide receivers have entered the transfer portal

Wisconsin is losing some of its top players from the last few seasons.

Both starting wide receivers Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell announced their intentions to enter the portal earlier today, leaving what was a crowded wide receiver room no longer as full.

Dike’s announcement is a bit of a surprise as a senior leader and one of the program’s best wideouts over the last several years. He will finish his Wisconsin career with 44 games played over four seasons, 97 receptions, 1478 yards, nine touchdowns, 14 carries, 99 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Bell, on the other hand, had his snap counts greatly diminished this season with the arrivals of several transfer wide receivers. His Wisconsin career will finish with 26 games played over three seasons, 69 receptions, 755 receiving yards, six touchdowns, 13 carries and 160 rushing yards.

Wisconsin will now move into 2024 with Dike, Bell and Keontez Lewis — the team’s three leading wide receivers in 2022 — all gone from the team. Will Pauling, C.J. Williams and others will now need to step up to lead the room.

Wisconsin versus Northwestern football series history

Will Badgers avoid three-game losing streak?

The Badgers football team (5-4) will host Northwestern (4-5) on Saturday at Camp Randall at 2:30PM. The two programs have faced each other 104 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin owning a 61-38-5 overall record against their Big Ten foe.

Over the last 10 matchups, the Badgers have gone 6-4, but they have won the last two matchups including last year, when they took down the Wildcats 42-7.

The most notable storyline for the contest is the fact that the Badgers are coming in with a two-game losing streak and they’ll look to avoid dropping three in a row for the first time since 2020.

Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin squad could be without leading rusher Braelon Allen (leg) and wide receiver Chimere Dike (leg) for second straight contest.

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Badgers wide receiver in top 30 in the nation in YPC

Dike in nation’s top 30 WRs

The Badgers were off this weekend after beating Purdue 38-17 to improve to 3-1 last weekend, but wide receiver Chimere Dike entered Week 5 in the top 30 in the nation in yards per catch.

Through Wisconsin’s first four games, Dike has reeled in 11 catches for 228 yards, which is 20.73 yards per catch. That number puts him at the 29th highest average reception in the country.

Dike hasn’t quite had his first breakout game of the 2023 campaign yet with his season-high four catches and 75 receiving yards coming in Week 2 versus Washington State while his only touchdown was Week 1 versus Buffalo.

He’ll look to tally his first 100-yard contest next Saturday (Oct. 7) versus Rutgers at Camp Randall at 11AM on Peacock.

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CHECK IT OUT: Best pics from Badgers 35-14 win over Georgia Southern

Best pics from Badgers’ 35-14 win over Georgia Southern

The Badgers football team hosted Georgia Southern for a non-conference matchup on Saturday at Camp Randall, defeating the Eagles 35-14. Although the score may suggest that Wisconsin ran away with the game from the start, that was not the case.

The score was knotted up at 7-7 going into halftime before the Badgers turned it around after going down 14-7 early in the second half. The best performance of the game was by Wisconsin’s defense, who forced six total turnovers, five interceptions and a fumble.

Offensively, quarterback Tanner Mordecai went 19/30 for 236 passing yards while turning seven carries into 36 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Running back Braelon Allen produced 94 yards on 12 carries while scoring twice on the ground. His backfield mate Chez Mellusi also added 61 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Here are some of the best pictures from the game:

CHECK IT OUT: Best pics from Badgers 38-17 win over Buffalo

Successful first game at Camp Randall for Luke Fickell

The Badgers football team won their 2023 opener Saturday versus Buffalo, defeating the Bulls 38-17 at Camp Randall in the official start of the Luke Fickell era in Madison.

After a slow start in the first half, Wisconsin came alive down the stretch outscoring Buffalo 24-7 in the second half. The running backs in particular put on a show for their home crowd.

Chez Mellusi sprinted through the whole Buffalo defense for an 89-yard score with just under nine minutes in the third quarter, igniting the audience after a relatively slow stretch for the Badgers offense.

Braelon Allen later added two rushing scores of his own and on the day, Allen ran for 141 yards on 17 carries. Combined with Mellusi’s 157 yards and two touchdowns, the running backs had 298 yards and four scores.

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai had a solid day as well, completing 24 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, though he did also have two balls intercepted on the day.

Here are some of the best images from Wisconsin’s victory:

Wisconsin fans react to Tanner Mordecai’s first touchdown pass as a Badger

Wisconsin fans react as Mordecai tosses a bomb to Dike

It was a lackluster first half for Wisconsin until a six-play, 55-yard drive that took just over two minutes ended with a touchdown. The Badgers went into the half against Buffalo up 14-10 thanks to Tanner Mordecai’s elusiveness on third down and a strike to Chimere Dike that gave Wisconsin the lead back.

Shortly after throwing an interception, Mordecai responded by showing off his legs on third down before finding Dike on a 29-yard dart that finally unleashed the air raid offense.

Here is a look at how Badger fans reacted to Mordecai’s first touchdown pass as the Wisconsin starting quarterback:

WATCH: Chimere Dike is mic’d up at practice

The Badger captain wears the mic in practice

Wisconsin’s “(Wi)red” series comes with a bit of added juice this week because there is a football game to be played on Saturday.

This week, the Badgers put the mic on a recently selected captain in veteran wide receiver Chimere Dike. From Will Pauling’s socks that looked like they were fresh out of YMCA soccer to a number of grabs in practice, there were some good moments from Dike’s segment.

Alongside a new-look wide receiver room, Dike and the Badgers will be in action on Saturday against Buffalo. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT from Camp Randall Stadium.