Tag: Jackson Acker

Badger Countdown: Number 34 may slot in as change of pace back in 2023

The 2023 CFB season is quickly approaching and the Badgers are now 34 days away from their season opener versus Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The 2023 college football season is quickly approaching and the Badgers are now 34 days away from their season opener versus Buffalo on Sept. 2. With Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi getting most the backfield hype, redshirt sophomore Jackson Acker, who wears 34 on his jersey, could be the next in line for touches.

Over two seasons as a member of the Badgers, Acker has produced six carries for 34 yards and score while reeling in five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown as well over 12 games. Those numbers may not be incredibly noteworthy, but with both Isaac Guerendo (Louisville) and Julius Davis (Montana State) transferring away, he may operate as Wisconsin’s change of pace option at running back.

Acker mostly operated as the team’s fullback in 2022, but his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame will likely be utilized in multiple ways this season.

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Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive players from the win over Maryland

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s victory over Maryland, according to Pro Football Focus:

Madison, Wis. –  It took until early November, but the Wisconsin Badgers finally did it; they won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

In less than ideal playing conditions, interim head coach Jim Leonhard and the Wisconsin Badgers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) jumped out to an early lead over Maryland and never looked back, winning 23-10 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Wisconsin out-gained Maryland in total yardage, dominated in the running game, and took care of the football en route to a beatdown of the visiting Terrapins. 

Coming out of the bye week, Bobby Engram’s offense had to get one-dimensional, registering 355 total yards (77 passing, 278 rushing) on 5.5 yards per play.

The one-two punch of Bralon Allen and Isaac Guerendo, each topped 100-plus yards rushing and found paydirt against Maryland – hard to ask for more than that on a rainy day at Camp Randall.

Following Saturday’s win, the Badgers are now 4-0 all-time against the Terrapins, including 3-0 at Camp Randall Stadium.

Here’s a look at the five highest-graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s victory over Maryland, according to Pro Football Focus.

Predicting Wisconsin football’s superlatives for the 2022 season

BadgersWire forecasts our expected superlatives for Wisconsin during the 2022 college football season:

Madison, Wis. – An underwhelming 9-4 season where Wisconsin football failed to win the Big Ten West for the second straight year led to wholesale changes along the coaching staff this offseason. 

With fall camp in full swing and Wisconsin’s season opener against the Illinois State Redbirds just around the corner, the Badgers, who are the Big Ten West favorites in 2022, will have a much different look this fall. 

UW hired new offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, who joins the program after eight seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He’ll attempt to reinvigorate a sputtering Wisconsin offense and is working to make opponents defend the entire field in 2022. 

On defense, Jim Leonhard lost eight preferred starters from last season’s top-ranked defense. However, the cupboards in Madison are far from bare, and a new batch of players is hungry to uphold the program’s standard of excellence. 

With the season opener just around the corner, I decided to follow in the footsteps of former BadgersWire great Ben Kenney and explore my expected superlatives for Wisconsin during the 2022 college football season.

Two ruled out, four listed as questionable for Wisconsin’s contest at Minnesota

Two ruled out, four listed as questionable for Wisconsin’s contest at Minnesota

Wisconsin released its status report for Saturday’s battle with Minnesota for Paul Bunyan’s Axe earlier today.

The report sees Wisconsin mostly healthy at key positions heading into the contest, which is good news after the team battled through cluster injuries at both tight end and running back.

Also of note: star inside linebacker Leo Chenal left Saturday’s contest but returned after missing only a series. He is not listed on the team’s injury report.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 12 — Wisconsin gets one step closer

Here is Wisconsin’s full Monday status report for the Minnesota game:

  • Players listed as OUT: wide receiver A.J. Abbott, tight end Hayden Rucci
  • Players listed as questionable: running back Jackson Acker, defensive end Rodas Johnson, outside linebacker Spencer Lytle, inside linebacker Jordan Turner

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

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Wisconsin 2021 RB signee Jackson Acker stars on the track for Verona

The future Badger had an excellent Monday night on the track

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It was a record-setting weekend on the track for multi-sport star and Wisconsin 2022 RB signee Jackson Acker. Just before beginning his Badger career, the Verona High School star set a school record in the discus on Monday night.

In a meet at Middleton, Acker threw the discus 207 feet, 6 inches. He also took home the shot put win, throwing it 58 feet, 5 inches. That was slightly below his school record from earlier this season in the shot put of 59 feet, 3.75 inches.

The three-star RB is part of a loaded 2021 class, specifically at the running back position.

Wisconsin class of 2021 signee Jackson Acker shatters a Verona discus record

Wisconsin football commits aren’t only setting records and earning accolades on the high school football field. Class of 2021 signee Jackson

Wisconsin football commits aren’t only setting records and earning accolades on the high school football field.

Class of 2021 signee Jackson Acker just set a mark in discus, breaking a 27-year-old school record.

Acker is the No. 5 recruit in the state of Wisconsin in the class of 2021 and the No. 38-ranked athlete.

Related: WATCH: Wisconsin signee Jackson Acker rips a 70-yard TD run vs. Middleton

The future Badger tore it up at the running back position at Verona High School. With his athletic profile and the number of backs in the Wisconsin program, though, Acker could end up switching positions when he arrives in Madison.

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

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2021 Wisconsin football position preview: Running backs and fullbacks

The Wisconsin football program took the field for spring practice last week, doing so for the first time since the 2019 offseason. There are

The Wisconsin football program took the field for spring practice last week, doing so for the first time since the 2019 offseason.

As head coach Paul Chryst noted in a press conference, it was the first spring practice for 44 players on the roster. Yes, 44.

There are a lot of worthy questions to ask about the 2021 Wisconsin Badgers, especially after a 4-3 2020 campaign that saw inconsistent play from multiple positions.

This spring we’re out to answer those questions and provide clarity on what the team will look like when they take the field in September.

So for the first edition of BadgersWire’s spring position previews, here is a breakdown of the running back and fullback positions:

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