Tag: Jonathan Taylor

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.

 

Who earned game balls from Wisconsin’s 37-21 victory against Nebraska?

Handing out game balls from Wisconsin’s 37-21 victory over Nebraska. Jonathan Taylor RB, Reggie Pearson S, Zack Baun OLB

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LINCOLN, Neb. – There were many contributors to Wisconsin’s 37-21 win over Nebraska on Saturday, but these were the three key players to the Badgers’ victory over the Cornhuskers.

Jonathan Taylor

Taylor’s success against Nebraska continued on Saturday as for the third time in his career he rushed for over 200 yards as he finished the game with 204 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. In his career, Taylor rushed for 674 yards on 74 carries and seven touchdowns. Taylor didn’t bust a long rush against Nebraska as his longest gain was 19 yards but he still averaged an impressive 8.2 yards per carry. Taylor’s first touchdown of the day in the second quarter put Wisconsin up 24-14 allowing the Badgers to play with a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Reggie Pearson

Pearson had to exit the game briefly with a right arm injury but he was able to return to the game. With Nebraska threatening to cut Wisconsin’s lead to 37-27 in the fourth quarter Pearson was able to make the critical defensive play of the game when he stopped Wyatt Mazour at Wisconsin’s 1-yard line on a fourth and goal play. Pearson finished the game with a team leading 10 tackles.

Zack Baun

Adrian Martinez was able to get out of the pocket and pick up positive yards at times with his feet as he finished the game with 89 yards rushing on 16 carries and one touchdown. But Baun did register two sacks his second multi-sack game this season and third in his career. Baun’s second sack of the day was big as it resulted in a 20-yard loss. Martinez on Nebraska’s opening offensive possession in the second half was able to get the Cornhuskers to Wisconsin’s 24-yard line. On first and 10 with Martinez dropping back to pass Baun’s sack set up 2nd and 30 at Wisconsin’s 44-yard line. Although Martinez was able to get the 20-yards back on Nebraska’s next two plays it forced the Cornhuskers to settle for a field goal from 41-yards, which they missed. That missed field goal by Nebraska allowed for Wisconsin to go on a 9-play, 76-yard touchdown drive as Taylor capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown run.

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.

Wisconsin-Nebraska odds: Cornhuskers big underdogs at home

Previewing Saturday’s Wisconsin Badgers at Nebraska Cornhuskers college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Wisconsin Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten West) and Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5, 2-4) square off in Lincoln Saturday at noon p.m. ET, as the home side is looking to spring the upset and keep its faint postseason hopes alive.

We analyze the Wisconsin-Nebraska odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Wisconsin at Nebraska: Three things you need to know

1. After opening the season 5-1 against the spread, the Badgers are 0-3 ATS across the past three. The Badgers allowed just 29 total points over their first six, but have yielded 84 total points in the past three.

2. Badgers RB Jonathan Taylor continues to chug along, posting a Big Ten-best 1,259 rushing yards with 19 total touchdowns. He leads Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins for the conference title by 59 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Despite allowing 84 total points over the past three, the Badgers are still third in the nation in total yards allowed (233.3) and passing yards allowed (147.0) per game. They’re also seventh in the country with just 12.6 PPG allowed.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Wisconsin at Nebraska: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 2:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 13

Moneyline (ML)

The last time the Badgers (-910) faced off against the Cornhuskers (+445) they were 41-24 winners in Madison back on Oct. 6, 2018. You can expect similar results in this one, as the Huskers just seem to be stuck in neutral. While the Badgers ‘should’ win, remember the Illini game. They fell hard in Champaign when favored by 30.5 points, proving nothing is a guarantee. Avoid the ML when it is more than -160 or -170.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Wisconsin to win would return a profit of $1.10.

Against the Spread (ATS)

WISCONSIN (-14.5, -106) should come in focused and with a legit chance at a spot in the Big Ten title game should Minnesota slip up in its battle for Floyd of Rosedale at Iowa, as well as its battle Nov. 30 in the Twin Cities vs. these Badgers.

Nebraska (+14.5, -115) shouldn’t offer up much resistance here. While Wisconsin’s 2-5 ATS mark in the past seven road games and 1-4 ATS mark in the past five Big Ten tilts is worrisome, let me quell your concerns. The Huskers are 0-6 ATS in the past six league games and 0-5 ATS in the past five vs. winning sides.

Over/Under (O/U)

The total (50.5) is going to be a close shave, and I really have no lean one way or the other. Wisconsin can pile up the points, but its strength is on the ground which tends to lead to Under results. The Under is 5-1 in the Badgers past six on the road, but the Over is 13-5-1 in the Cornhuskers past 19 inside the Big Ten.

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Wisconsin at Nebraska: Breakdown with Prediction

What does Wisconsin need to do in order to beat Nebraska on the road? Jonathan Taylor RB, Jack Coan QB, Zack Baun LB, Noah Burks LB

Wisconsin has always been able to successfully run the football against Nebraska and on Saturday that shouldn’t change. Considering Nebraska’s rush defense in the Big Ten ranks toward the bottom as they’re allowing 219.5 yards over Big Ten play and have allowed an average of 5.3 yards per carry.

The Badgers will rely heavily on Jonathan Taylor to have success against the Cornhuskers rush defense. In two career games against Nebraska Taylor has averaged 235 yards on an average of 24.5 carries and has five combined touchdowns.

Wisconsin’s offensive line should be able to get the better push against Nebraska’s defensive line to make sure Taylor doesn’t get tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

Taylor has caught a pass in every game this year but has only caught three passes over the last three games. With the success Taylor has had against Nebraska he should be more involved in the passing game than he has over the last three weeks.

Jack Coan is going to need to limit his mistakes and make sure he doesn’t kill any offensive drives. If Coan can generate a rhythm against Nebraska’s secondary, which is allowing 201.5 passing yards in addition to Taylor’s success on the ground the Badgers should develop a balance on offense.

Defensively, it comes down to Wisconsin’s defense ability to contain Adrian Martinez.

Wisconsin will need to keep him in the pocket in order to make sure he can’t extend plays with his feet. It starts with Zack Baun and Noah Burks keeping contain and taking him down when they have a chance as Martinez’s 399 rushing yards leads the team.

One of Martinez’s favorite targets is JD Spielman as his 689 receiving yards leads the team. True freshman wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is questionable for the game. If Robinson can’t go it will take away one of the Cornhuskers more consistent players on offense as he has 453 receiving yards and has rushed for 326 yards.

In the end, Wisconsin is able to contain Martinez enough and is able to limit his impact and prevent him from consistently connecting with Spielman through the air. In addition, thanks to Taylor’s ability to effectively rush the football the Badgers win 31-to-21.

 

What are the Five Keys to a Wisconsin Victory over Nebraska?

What are the five keys to a Wisconsin victory when the Badgers travel to play Nebraska.

Entering the season, Nebraska was the favorite to represent the west division in the Big Ten championship game. The season for the Cornhuskers hasn’t gone as planned, as they are currently on a three game losing streak and have lost four of the past five games. Nebraska will look to get back on track against Wisconsin following their bye week.

Here are the five keys for a Wisconsin victory over the Cornhuskers:

1) Keeping containment of Adrian Martinez 

Martinez has been able to hurt teams multiple ways, whether that’s through the air or with his legs as he’s averaging 270.1 yards of total offense. In particular, Wisconsin can’t allow for Martinez to get out of the pocket and be able to extend plays, making it important that the combination of Zack Baun and Noah Burks are able to play well in space to avoid allowing Martinez to break a tackle. Wisconsin’s ability to slow Martinez down by either sacking him or keeping him contained will help Wisconsin’s defense control the game.

2) Jonathan Taylor’s success on the ground

Nebraska’s rush defense has struggled over conference play, as they’re allowing teams to rush for an average of 219.5 yards per game. In two career games against Nebraska, Taylor has rushed for over 200 yards both times and has registered five combined touchdowns. Taylor should consistently pick up positive yards against Nebraska’s defense considering the Cornhuskers are allowing 5.3 yards per carry, which will allow for Wisconsin to be able to effectively move the football down the field.

3) Limiting JD Spielman

Wan’Dale Robinson is questionable heading into the game against Wisconsin. If Robinson can’t go, it will make Spielman an even bigger target for Martinez. Specifically, Spielman has been able to make big plays in the passing game, averaging 19.6 yards per reception and in six different games he has caught at least one pass of 40 yards or more. In order for Wisconsin’s defense to succeed, they can’t allow for Spielman and Martinez to create chunk plays through the air.

4) The play of Wisconsin’s fourth down defense 

Nebraska’s field goal kicking has been shaky this year, as the Cornhuskers have used four different kickers this year as they’ve gone a combined 7-for-14. Meaning if Nebraska is facing a fourth and manageable in Wisconsin territory, they’re likely going to go for it. Wisconsin’s defense on fourth down is allowing their opponents to convert on 70 percent (7-for-10) of their fourth down tries.

5) Winning field position

Anthony Lotti has been up and down this year and in order to limit Nebraska’s offense, it will be important for him to consistently get good punts off. Lotti has attempted 35 punts this season with 14 of them landing inside the 20-yard line. Lotti’s ability to pin punts inside the 20 and make Nebraska have to work with a long field will assist Wisconsin’s defense in hopes that it will lead to a short defensive drive for the Badgers on that side of the field.

Who are Three Offensive Players to Watch when Wisconsin Travels to Nebraska?

Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska. Quintez Cephus WR, Cole Van Lanen LT, Jack Coan QB

Here are three offensive players for the Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska.

1) Quintez Cephus WR

Cephus had a productive game for Wisconsin against Iowa as he caught five passes for the second time over the last three games. On the year Cephus has caught 32 passes for 504 yards both career highs. Cephus will look to continue to add to those numbers when Wisconsin plays Nebraska as the Cornhuskers are allowing an average of 201.5 passing yards per game. Cephus will have his opportunities to have success against the Cornhuskers secondary as it will be up to him creating that separation and possibly helping stretch the field too.

2) Cole Van Lanen LT

Wisconsin will rely on the running game to help control the time of possession but that won’t happen if Wisconsin doesn’t have success along the line of scrimmage. Wisconsin’s offensive line will have a chance of accomplishing that due to the Cornhuskers allowing 219.5 rushing yards over conference play, which ranks 13th. The Badgers will run toward Van Lanen’s side at times making it important that Van Lanen consistently gets the better leverage and creating rushing lanes to allow for Jonathan Taylor to have success.

3) Jack Coan QB

Coan was up and down against Iowa and in order for the Badgers to stop their two game road losing streak, Coan will need to deliver a more consistent performance. Coan had two turnovers in Wisconsin’s win over Iowa extending his streak of at least one turnover in three straight games. Nebraska has registered five interceptions over conference play. Coan can’t kill offensive drives by turning the football over and allow Adrian Martinez a chance of creating something for the Cornhuskers offense that’s averaging 402 yards of total offense over Big Ten play.