Tag: Danny Davis

Wisconsin Announces the Hiring of Wide Receiver Coach Alvis Whitted

Wisconsin on Wednesday announced the hiring of wide receiver coach Alvis Whitted

Wisconsin on Wednesday announced the hiring of Alvis Whitted who will replace Ted Gilmore as the Badgers wide receiver coach.

Gilmore was hired away by former Badger player now the head coach at Michigan State Mel Tucker to be the position coach for the Spartans tight ends in February.

Whitted doesn’t have to move far to Madison as he served as the Green Bay Packers wide receiver coach during the 2019 season.

Prior to coaching the Packers, he was the wide receivers coach for Colorado State from 2012 to 2018. During his time with the Rams, he coached Rashard Higgins and Michael Gallup as both players were finalists for the Biletnikoff Award in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

Whitted was a wide receiver himself as he played for North Carolina State before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round in the 1998 NFL Draft. Whitted played nine seasons in the NFL with the Jaguars and for the Oakland Raiders as he was a part of the Raiders Super Bowl XXXVII team, which lost to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers.

Whitted first job in coaching was with Millsaps College in 2010 and after spending a year at Millsaps college he became the Offensive quality controls coach at UCLA in 2011 before being named the wide receiver coach at Colorado State in 2012.

Whitted will take over an experienced wide receiver room as between Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis, Jack Dunn, and Adam Krumholz the four wide receivers have all played in at least 30 career games and have started a combined 36 games.

Wisconsin will begin spring practice on March 10th.

 

 

Projecting Wisconsin’s 2020 Spring Special Teams Depth Chart

What will Wisconsin’s 2020 spring depth chart for specialists look like when the Badgers start spring practice?

Wisconsin’s special teams in 2020 will see a complete overhaul mostly because of graduation as the Badgers lose their top two punters in Anthony Lotti and Connor Allen, in addition to kickoff specialist Zach Hintze as all three graduated. Wisconsin also lost kickoff returner Aron Cruickshank as he transferred to Rutgers. In total Wisconsin only returns three starters from last year’s special teams unit in Collin Larsh who handled PAT’s and field goals, long snapper Adam Bay, and punt returner, Jack Dunn.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we project what the spring depth chart on special teams will look like when the Badgers open up spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Punter: 1. Conor Schlichting

Conor Schlichting who will be a redshirt junior next season has yet to register a punt in a game for Wisconsin. The Madison native will be the only punter on Wisconsin’s roster when spring practice opens up. The Badgers did sign Jack Van Dyke who could possibly challenge Schlichting at punter but Van Dyke won’t be on campus until the summer.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Place Kicker: 1. Collin Larsh 2. Joe Stoll

Larsh handled PAT’s and field goals for the majority of last season and with him going 12-for-18 on his field goal attempts he once again will be favored to handle both duties in 2020. Stoll from Wooster High School in Ohio will be a freshman as consistency will be key in whether or not Stoll can challenge Larsh for the placekicking duties.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Kickoffs: 1. Collin Larsh 2. Blake Wilcox

Since Paul Chryst has arrived at Wisconsin the Badgers have used one kicker responsible for PAT’s and field goals and another kicker for kickoffs. The Badgers may not elect to use Larsh on kickoffs as special teams coach Chris Haering may want to find a role for Blake Wilcox if he shows over spring that he’s deserving of a role. Wilcox will be a redshirt freshman next season as he was an Under Armour All-American in 2018.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Long Snapper: 1. Adam Bay 2. Peter Bowden

Adam Bay was consistent in his snaps all season and once again will be the Badgers starting long snapper for a fourth straight season. Peter Bowden was one of three true freshmen to appear in the two-deep on the depth chart last season.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Holder: 1. Conor Schlichting 2. Joe Stoll

Connor Allen handled the holder’s duties over the last four seasons. This responsibility won’t be decided in spring as it will be figured out over fall camp. But it will come down to whoever can handle Bay’s snaps and get the ball down quickly in order for Larsh to be able to get off clean and accurate kicks. Spring will be the first important step in creating consistency and chemistry in this area.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Punt Returner: 1. Jack Dunn 2. Danny Davis

Dunn statistically was able to improve as a punt returner from his sophomore season to his junior year. Dunn last year averaged 8.3 yards per return, which was up from the 5.5 yards he averaged as a redshirt sophomore. Dunn has proven to be consistent in this area and has earned the trust of the coaches. Danny Davis only returned six punts a season ago for an average of 7.5 yards per return.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Kickoff Returner: 1. Faion Hicks 2. Stephan Bracey

Wisconsin fans saw what a dynamic return man can do to help an offense as Aron Cruickshank excelled in this area a season ago. With Cruickshank transferring to Rutgers the Badgers will be tasked to find his replacement. Faion Hicks was listed as his backup a season ago but he never returned a kickoff. Haering will try a combination of players over spring and fall camp to try and find the best replacement for Cruickshank.

Projecting Wisconsin’s Spring Offensive Depth Chart

Who is projected to start on offense when the Badgers open spring camp.

Wisconsin’s offense in 2020 will certainly have a different feel to it considering the Badgers lost three key players on the offensive side of the football in running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, and center Tyler Biadasz as all three declared early for the NFL Draft. Despite the departures from those three players, the Badgers do return six offensive starters from 2019.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we project what the spring depth chart on offense will look like when the Badgers open up spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Quarterback: 1. Jack Coan, 2. Graham Mertz, 3. Chase Wolf, 4. Danny Vanden Boom

Jack Coan will open spring football as the projected starter for Wisconsin and until he gives Paul Chryst a reason why he shouldn’t be starting for Wisconsin he’ll remain atop the depth chart throughout spring and when fall camp opens. Graham Mertz is certainly talented enough to challenge Coan for the starting position but the key for Mertz is building off of his first year at Wisconsin and consistently stringing together successful practices. This will be Mertz’s second spring football. Chase Wolf will be competing to be the top backup. Mertz and Wolf were listed as co-backups to Coan last season but if Coan would have had to leave the game due to an injury it would have been Mertz to fill in the place of Coan. Making it an important spring for Wolf to continue to improve upon his quarterback mechanics. Danny Vanden Boom played in three games as a redshirt freshman in 2018 but didn’t appear in a game last season.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Running Back: 1. Garrett Groshek, 2. Nakia Watson, 3. Isaac Guerendo, 4. Brady Schipper, 5. Julius Davis

Highly touted and consensus four-star running back Jalen Berger won’t arrive until this summer. In the meantime, it will be up to Garrett Groshek and Nakia Watson to show they’re capable of filling the giant shoes that are being left behind in two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor. Watson (74-331-2) finished the season with more carries and more rushing yards than Groshek (42-194-2). But Watson over Wisconsin’s last two games didn’t register a carry as he’ll need to show he can take on a larger role in the offense during spring practice. Groshek is trusted by the coaches as he’s the most experienced running back returning as he has shown his capability as a receiver but also holding up in pass blocking too. How Guerendo, Schipper, and Davis figure into the running back picture in 2020 will still be determined but how they play over spring football will go a long way in terms of how many reps they receive once fall camp begins.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Fullback: 1. Mason Stokke, 2. John Chenal, 3. Quan Easterling

Mason Stokke and John Chenal split reps at fullback in 2019 and that should continue unless Stokke or Chenal take complete command over the role as starting fullback. Both had their moments in 2019 where they succeeded but Stokke’s best statistical game came against Minnesota when he registered 14 yards rushing on two carries and had three catches for 30 yards. Quan Easterling redshirted in 2019 but did appear in one game against Illinois due to Stokke missing the game because of an injury.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Wide Receiver: 1. Kendric Pryor, 2. Danny Davis, 3. Jack Dunn, 4. Adam Krumholz, 5. A.J. Abbott, 6. Stephan Bracey

Wisconsin’s depth chart at the wide receiver position figured it would have Cephus and Aron Cruickshank but with Cephus entering the draft and Cruickshank transferring to Rutgers the depth at wide receiver took a hit. But the Badgers still have enough depth to absorb those losses. It helps that Wisconsin returns Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. Between the two Davis finished with more receptions than Pryor (30-to-23) but Pryor finished with 278 receiving yards to Davis’ 250. Both of their roles should expand entering the 2020 season and with more opportunities, the duo should be able to respond. Behind Davis and Pryor will be Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz. Two of Wisconsin’s better run blockers at the wide receiver position. Abbott appeared in seven games a year ago mostly on special teams or in mop-up duty while Bracey redshirted but he did travel with the team for road games at times.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Tight End: 1. Jake Ferguson, 2. Cormac Sampson, 3. Jack Eschenbach 

Ferguson will return as the Badgers top tight end as he has improved over the past two years and that should continue for Ferguson as his 33 receptions for 407 yards ranked second in both categories. Sampson took on a larger role than previously expected for Wisconsin in 2019 as he served as Wisconsin’s blocking tight end and had success as he’ll be projected to fill that role again in 2020. Eschenbach a walk-on is a player the coaches are high on but he’ll need to continue to put it all together. A pair of redshirt freshman Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff will compete for a spot on the depth chart as the duo have important springs ahead of them as they continue to grow into the tight end position.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Offensive Line: LT Cole Van Lanen, LG Josh Seltzner, C Kayden Lyles, RG Logan Bruss, RT Tyler Beach

Wisconsin lost three starters from its 2019 offensive line all coming on the interior in guards David Moorman and Jason Erdman and center Tyler Biadasz. Who ultimately starts along the offensive line when the Badgers open up the season against Indiana won’t be determined until fall camp. As spring will serve as an opportunity for offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to use a variety of different combinations along the offensive line. But what is listed above seems to make the most sense with what Rudolph will roll out to start with and go from there when he tries out different line combinations. Lyles and Seltzner both started four games a season ago at left and right guard respectively. Lyles is capable of sliding over to center and with Bruss being capable of sliding over to guard will allow for Tyler Beach to start at right tackle.

Wisconsin Football Season Review: Wide Receivers

How did the Badgers wide receivers play over the 2019 season?

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s wide receivers from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

The wide receiver unit was bolstered by the return of Quintez Cephus this past season. Cephus’ return to the team was big as he was Wisconsin’s most consistent wide receiver despite missing all of the 2018 season as he finished the season with 59 catches for 901 yards and seven touchdowns as all three led the team. In addition, Cephus caught a pass in every single game this season.

Not to mention as the competition took a rise in the month of November and over the Badgers last two games of the season Cephus was able to elevate his level of play.

In Wisconsin’s last six games he was dominant at times in particular over Wisconsin’s last three games in that stretch he caught a combined 14 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns.

Cephus’ ability to stretch the field over the last part of the season helped make sure opposing defenses couldn’t consistently load the box against Wisconsin’s run game.

The trio of Danny Davis (30-250-1), Kendric Pryor (23-278-0), and A.J. Taylor (23-267-2) caught a combined 76 passes for 795 yards and a combined three touchdowns.

With Cephus having such a productive season meant that Davis’ and Taylor’s numbers took a dip compared to what they posted in 2018. Davis led the team in both receptions (40) and receiving touchdowns (five) while Taylor led Wisconsin in receiving yards with 521 in 2018.

Davis was able to form a good connection with Jack Coan over the course of the 2018 season. In addition, with Coan being named the starter it was fair to expect that the chemistry Coan and Davis developed would carry over to this past season.

But Davis did disappear at times as there were four games where he went without a catch including a three game stretch in November. Compare that to his first two years at Wisconsin when he only had a combined three games where he didn’t register a reception.

Pryor was able to finish the season with 460 yards of total offense as he had 278 receiving yards and had 182 yards rushing to go along with two rushing touchdowns. Pryor was Wisconsin’s most effective wide receiver when it came to the Badgers jet sweep as he averaged 12.8 yards per carry. His longest rush of the season came against Michigan State when he registered a 66-yard rushing touchdown.

After Wisconsin’s big four in Cephus, Davis, Taylor, and Pryor Wisconsin also received contributions from Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz as both played in all 14 games.

Dunn finished the year with five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown he also had two rushing attempts for seven yards and a rushing touchdown. Krumholz caught two passes for 20 yards.

2020 Wisconsin Wide Receivers

Wisconsin was already set to lose Taylor to graduation but following Wisconsin’s appearance in the Rose Bowl Cephus announced he was entering the NFL Draft and sophomore Aron Cruickshank announced he was entering the transfer portal. With Cephus and Cruickshank departing Wisconsin the wide receiver room will look different than previously expected. The Badgers will still have Davis, Pryor, Dunn, and Krumholz as the four will all be seniors. Wisconsin knows what they have in those four as the Badgers will need either A.J. Abbott, Taj Mustapha, Stephan Bracey, or one of the three incoming wide receivers in the 2020 class to step up.

Quintez Cephus Declares for NFL Draft

Wisconsin will be without its top wide receiver Quintez Cephus who declared for the NFL Draft on Monday. Quintez Cephus WR

Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus on Monday announced his decision to forego his final year at Wisconsin and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

Cephus announcement comes three days after it was announced by running back Jonathan Taylor’s decision to declare for the NFL Draft too.

Cephus as a redshirt junior led Wisconsin in all three major receiving categories as he finished the year with 59 receptions for 901 yards and seven touchdowns, which are all career highs. In addition, Cephus’ 59 receptions and 901 receiving yards are the most by a Badger since 2015 when Alex Erickson caught 77 passes for 978 yards.

Cephus who did not play during the 2018 season caught at least two passes in every single game this season. Cephus was big for Wisconsin down the stretch providing a reliable target for Jack Coan. Considering, in five of Wisconsin’s last six games he caught at least five passes and over Wisconsin’s last six games he had 491 yards receiving and caught four touchdown passes.

Wisconsin was already set to lose A.J. Taylor to graduation and without Cephus, the Badgers top two wide receivers entering spring camp will be Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor with Jack Dunn, Adam Krumholz, and Aron Cruickshank, among others behind them.

Between Davis and Pryor the two caught a combined 53 passes for 528 yards this past season as Davis was responsible for the lone receiving touchdown.

Cephus will look to become the first wide receiver drafted from Wisconsin since Jared Abbrederis when he was drafted in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers in 2014.

Cephus finishes his career at Wisconsin with 93 receptions, 1,496 yards, and 13 touchdowns.

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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Here’s the rub: Wisconsin didn’t run a pick play vs Oregon

More on the terrible call against Danny Davis

Poor Danny Davis. He committed a huge fumble. He lost his footing on a pass route. He had a terrible fourth quarter which hurt the Wisconsin Badgers in their 28-27 Rose Bowl loss to the Oregon Ducks. However, Davis was also unfairly flagged for offensive pass interference on a late third-down completion by Jack Coan inside the final four minutes of regulation. If that completion had stood, Wisconsin would have needed only 25 yards to get into long field goal range, and only 35 yards to get in manageable field goal range. The call was a gigantic one, and it was very plainly wrong.

It is something officials do need to look for: pick plays, in which a receiver picks off a defender by actively impeding the defensive player’s progress and obstructing the defender’s lane to the play. Some people still think today that when Clemson beat Alabama in the 2016 season’s national championship game, the Tigers ran a pick play at the goal line on the winning touchdown pass in the final seconds. If you have followed football long enough, you have seen pick-play calls decide games, one being the Notre Dame-Florida State regular-season game from 2014.

You can very plainly see in the video above that the Notre Dame receiver immediately starts driving the Florida State defender up the field, which can be construed as a block on a forward pass caught beyond the line of scrimmage. That is a pick play and pass interference. A receiver can’t bump or shove or initiate contact with the defender in various other ways.

Danny Davis didn’t do that. The Oregon defender jammed him and then held his jersey on or near the shoulders. Davis might have been on the verge of committing a pick play, but the Oregon defender jammed him and prevented a pick from being called. As soon as the Oregon defender initiated contact, the act of picking off the defensive player became an impossibility by rule. Davis was the recipient of contact, not the creator of it.

This was a relatively uncomplicated call, if only because Davis was clearly not the aggressor. Yet, the officials botched it.

“I know a pick play. A pick play is a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no pick play.” If this was a presidential debate, that’s what Wisconsin fans would be saying about that atrocious call near the end of the Rose Bowl.

Grading Wisconsin’s 34-21 Loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their 34-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game?

Grading No. 8 Wisconsin’s 34-21 loss over No. 1 Ohio State.

Offense: C

Wisconsin couldn’t put together two strong halves of football on offense. After registering 294 yards of total offense in the first half against Ohio State’s defense the Buckeyes held the Badgers to 138 yards on 37 offensive plays.

Wisconsin in the first half was able to create a balance as the Badgers rushed for 194 yards and Jack Coan threw for 100 yards. Coan was able to make the plays he needed to in the first half to give the Badgers a chance of pulling the upset leading 21-7 at halftime.

But the same opportunities that were there for Coan in the first half the Buckeyes had an answer for in the second half. Coan was able to consistently connect on quick passes to his wide receivers but with the Buckeyes dropping into zone coverage in the second half the same passing lanes simply weren’t open.

Coan’s go-to target in the passing game was Quintez Cephus who finished the game with seven receptions for 122 yards.

Cephus’ two biggest catches of the game came on the first offensive play, which resulted in a 27-yard gain helping set up Wisconsin’s first touchdown of the game. Cephus also hauled in a 24-yard catch to set up Wisconsin 1st and goal from the 1-yard line. Coan was able to punch the football in on the ensuing offensive play to give Wisconsin a 21-7 lead right before halftime.

Coan finished the game with 232 yards passing on 17-for-33 passing, in addition, he rushed for 27 yards on eight carries and he had two rushing touchdowns. Coan was able to use his mobility to his advantage in the first half as he was able to keep plays alive with his feet and to extend drives.

Jonathan Taylor became the first player this season to rush for over 100 yards as he finished the game with 148 yards on 20 carries and had a 44-yard rushing touchdown. Taylor also registered a 45-yard rush on Wisconsin’s final offensive drive in the first half. If Taylor is stopped for minimal gain the Badgers likely go into halftime up 14-to-7.

But Taylor’s run continued to allow for Wisconsin to play with the same aggression that they played with throughout the first half.

Wisconsin had six different players catch a pass as outside of Cephus having a productive day Danny Davis who hasn’t caught a pass in three straight games was second on the team in both receptions (three) and receiving yards (38).

The Badgers offensive line turned in a better performance in the rematch against Ohio State but in the second half, the Buckeyes started to get the better of Wisconsin’s offensive line. Considering the Buckeyes defense held Wisconsin to 3.7 yards per play.

The Badgers offensive line also allowed eight tackles for loss and two sacks as Chase Young finished the game with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.

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Notes: Wisconsin Beats Nebraska on the Road 37-21

Game notes following Wisconsin’s 37-21 win over Nebraska.

LINCOLN, Neb. – News and notes from UW Athletics after No. 15 Wisconsin’s 37-21 victory over Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

TEAM NOTES

  • Today’s captains: senior OLB Zack Baun, junior C Tyler Biadasz, senior ILB Chris Orr, junior RB Jonathan Taylor.
  • Paul Chryst improved to 50-14 (.781) in his fifth season as Wisconsin’s head coach, becoming the 5th coach in program history to win 50 games at UW.
  • Under Chryst, Wisconsin is:
    1. 32-10 (.762) in Big Ten Conference play
    2. 23-5 (.821) vs. the Big Ten West Division
    3. 14-3 (.824) in November games
    4. 18-6 (.750) in road games
    5. 5-0 vs. Nebraska, including a 3-0 mark in Lincoln
  • Wisconsin is 50-14 (.781) since the start of the 2015 season. Entering today, only Clemson (65-4, .942), Alabama (63-5, .926), Ohio State (57-6, .905), Oklahoma (54-9, .857) and Georgia (50-14, .781) own higher winning percentages during that 5-year span.
  • UW is 39-11 (.780) in conference play since 2014, when the Big Ten went to its current divisional alignment. Only Ohio State (45-4, .918) has a better league record over that span.
  • The Badgers have won 25 of their last 31 Big Ten games, dating to the 2016 season.
  • The Badgers have won 21 of their last 23 games with a rivalry trophy on the line (vs. Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska) since 2010.
  • Wisconsin racked up 482 total yards, its secondhighest total in Big Ten play this season, trailing on the 487 yards the Badgers piled up against Michigan.
  • UW ran for 320 yards, marking the 4th time the Badgers have eclipsed the 300-yard threshold this season.
  • The Badgers owned a 9:00 edge in time of possession (34:40 to 25:20). UW entered the game leading the nation in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 36:51.
  • Wisconsin finished with 4.0 sacks on the day, without surrendering any. This marks the 6th time this season that the Badgers have posted at least 4.0 sacks in a game.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • Junior RB Jonathan Taylor ran the ball 25 times for 204 yards with 2 TDs. He also added 2 catches for 11 yards.
  • Taylor now has 5,634 yards for his career, passing two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin for 2nd place on the Big Ten’s all-time rushing list.
  • Taylor’s 5,634 yards are the most ever by an FBS player through his junior season.
  • Taylor recorded the 30th 100-yard rushing game of his career. Only Ron Dayne (33) has recorded more as a Badger.
  • Taylor rushed for at least 200 yards for the 11th time in his career, matching USC’s Marcus Allen for the 3rd-most 200-yard games in FBS history. Only Ron Dayne (14, 1996-99) and Texas’ Ricky Williams (12, 1995-98) have recorded more.
  • Taylor is the first Badger to rush for 200 yards against a single opponent 3 times. He also had 249 yards vs. Nebraska in 2017 and 221 yards vs. the Huskers in 2018, giving him 674 career rushing yards (224.7 yards per game) and 7 career touchdowns vs. the Huskers.
  • Now with 21 touchdowns, Taylor is the 5th player in school history to score at least 20 touchdowns in a season, joining Montee Ball (2011, 12), Melvin Gordon (2014), Brian Calhoun (2005) and Ron Dayne (1996, 99).
  • Taylor now has 46 career rushing touchdowns, moving past James White (45) and Melvin Gordon (45) for third on UW’s career list.
  • Junior QB Jack Coan went 13-for-21 for 162 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs for a 142.4 QB rating.
  • Coan connected with A.J. Taylor on a career-long 55-yard pass that went for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.
  • That passed served as the longest completion of Coan’s career and the longest TD pass at Wisconsin since Joel Stave and Jared Abbrederis connected on a 63-yard touchdown pass against Northwestern (Oct. 12, 2013).
  • Sophomore WR Aron Cruickshank scored an 89-yard kickoff return touchdown in the 1st quarter, the first return TD of his career, and the first for the Badgers since Natrell Jamerson’s 98-yard kick return TD at Maryland on Nov. 7, 2015.
  • Senior WR A.J. Taylor hauled in 2 catches for 65 yards and scored the 10th receiving touchdown of his career on a career-long 55-yard reception in the 2nd quarter.
  • Junior WR Danny Davis carried the ball 3 times for 48 yards, both of which represent career highs.
  • Redshirt freshman S Reggie Pearson tallied a career-high 10 tackles, surpassing his previous high of 5 tackles.
  • Senior ILB Chris Orr recorded his 10th sack of the year on Nebraska’s first offensive series, moving him into a tie for 8th on UW’s single-season list.
  • Senior OLB Zack Baun recorded 2.0 sacks — his 2nd multi-sack game of the season and the 3rd of his career — and has 9.5 on the season.
  • Senior OLB Tyler Johnson posted his first sack of the season and the second of his career. He also tallied 3 tackles, the second-highest mark of his career.
  • Junior S Eric Burrell finished with 6 tackles and forced his second fumble of the season and the fourth of his career.
  • Sophomore ILB Jack Sanborn snared his second INT of the season, intercepting Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez in the second quarter.
  • Sophomore K Collin Larsh was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, matching his career high. He also connected on 3 FGs at Illinois earlier this season.