Tag: Nakia Watson

PHOTOS: Wisconsin football falls to Washington State 17-14

Photos from Wisconsin football’s 17-14 loss to the Washington State Cougars:

Despite expectations of a comfortable victory, the Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Washington State Cougars in a 17-14 loss on Saturday afternoon. The Badgers struggled to get their offense going on the ground and were forced to rely on quarterback Graham Mertz to get the job done through the air.

Related: Twitter reacts to Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz’s best throw of the season

Mertz had a solid game against the Cougars since they stacked the box to protect against the potent Wisconsin rushing attack led by running back Braelon Allen. The Wisconsin quarterback had two phenomenal touchdown passes early to keep the Badgers ahead at halftime, and he finished the game 18-31 for 227 passing yards.

Unfortunately for Wisconsin, their defensive struggles from the spread offense of the Cougars, and sloppy play in the second half, stopped the Badgers from putting the game away.

Below are photos from Wisconsin football’s upset loss to the Washington State Cougars:

Wisconsin vs. Washington State: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

How to watch the Wisconsin Badgers against the Washington State Cougars on Saturday:

The Wisconsin Badgers play the Washington State Cougars on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Badgers finished off strong in their 38-0 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds last week. Despite having a slow start in the first quarter, the Wisconsin offense was able to dominate Illinois State on the ground and through the air.

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen has a great start in Week 1 with a record-breaking 96-yard touchdown run and will likely keep rolling against the Cougars. One interesting thing to watch for is former Wisconsin RB Nakia Watson will be headlining the backfield for Washington State.

It should be an exciting game to watch as the Badgers will try to keep building momentum against a PAC-12 opponent.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
  • Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Washington State at Wisconsin injury report:

  • Wisconsin QB Chase Wolf: Out
  • Wisconsin OL Tanor Bortolini: Out
  • Wisconsin TE Cam Large: Out
  • Wisconsin OLB Spencer Lytle: Out
  • Wisconsin DE Isaac Townsend: Out
  • Wisconsin OLB Aaron Witt: Out
  • Wisconsin S Hunter Wohler: Out
  • Wisconsin WR Stephan Bracey: Out

Players to watch:

Passing Leaders

  • Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz: 12-14, 219 passing yards and a passing touchdown
  • Washington State QB Cameron Ward: 26-41, 228 passing yards and three passing touchdowns

Rushing Leaders

  • Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen: 14 attempts, 148 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns
  • Washington State RB Nakia Watson: 18 attempts for 117 rushing yards

Receiving Leaders

  • Wisconsin WR Chimere Dike: three receptions, 106 receiving yards and a touchdown
  • Washington State WR Donovan Ollie: seven receptions for 67 receiving yards

 

Where recently-transferred former Badgers stand on their new teams’ depth charts

Where recently-transferred former Badgers stand on their new teams’ depth charts

The addition of former Clemson running back Chez Mellusi was one of the biggest offseason storylines for the Wisconsin Badgers.

But while the team added both Mellusi and former Oregon DE Isaac Townsend to the program, there were also quite a few players who chose to transfer out.

RB Nakia Watson went to Washington State, ILB Malik Reed went to Arizona, S Reggie Pearson went to Texas Tech and more.

Well, now that it’s game week across the college football landscape, here is an update via Bally Sports’ Dave Heller on where several former Badgers stand on their new team’s depth charts:

  • Nakia Watson: Backup running back at Washington State
  • Reggie Pearson: Starting LB/S at Texas Tech
  • Malik Reed: No depth chart, but his head coach said he’ll play
  • Madison Cone: Backup safety at Appalachian State
  • Gabe Lloyd (North Dakota State) and Dante Caputo (Pittsburgh): Not listed on two-deep depth chart

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 RB Jalen Berger named to Doak Walker Award Watch List

Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger was named to the prestigious Doak Walker Award Watch List on Wednesday morning:

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On Wednesday morning, Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger was named to the prestigious Doak Walker Award Watch List. It is awarded to the best running back in college football every season.

Related: Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

Many Badgers fans may be familiar with the Doak Walker Award because Wisconsin running backs have won the award five times. Some notable Wisconsin alumni of the award include two-time winner Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and Ron Dayne. Former Wisconsin running back Nakia Watson was also named to the watch list for the award before last season.

After a promising true freshman season where Berger averaged 6.5 yards per carry, it is no surprise to see high expectations for the sophomore running back with a full offseason under his belt.

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

Rivals links Wisconsin football with former 4-star Clemson RB

In an article by Mike Farrell of Rivals, he links the Wisconsin Badgers with former Clemson running back and 247sports 4-star Chez Mellusi.

In an article released by Mike Farrell of Rivals, Farrell links the Wisconsin Badgers with former Clemson running back and 247Sports four-star recruit Chez Mellusi. Mellusi entered his name into the transfer portal yesterday after spending two years with the Tigers.

Mellusi signed to Clemson in 2019 and rushed for 427 yards in his career on 71 carries. The Naples, Florida, native rushed for only 151 yards in his second season on 27 carries, compared to 276 yards on 44 carries in his freshman season.

Farrell mentioned Purdue, Wisconsin, Liberty, UCF, Louisville and Vanderbilt are pursuing Mellusi, but “right now it is the Badgers that are the most aggressive, and they are certainly attractive to running backs.”

Mellusi would provide key depth alongside Jalen Berger to a Wisconsin backfield that lost Garret Groshek and Nakia Watson this offseason.

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

Former Wisconsin RB Nakia Watson is headed to the Pac-12

The former Badger has a new home

After entering the transfer portal, former Wisconsin RB Nakia Watson announced his next destination via Instagram this afternoon.

The rising junior will be taking his final three years of eligibility (Covid-19 year added) to the Pac-12 next season:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNTHo8THwvx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Watson is headed to Washington State to play for the Cougars. As a Badger, he totaled 53 carries for 191 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 3.6 yards per carry throughout two seasons. Watson was a key part of Wisconsin’s offense in 2020 after coming in to relieve Jonathan Taylor in 2019. 2020, as it was for many Badgers, was a struggle for the sophomore as he averaged nearly a full yard less per carry than he had as a freshman.

It’s a new opportunity for Watson, who showed glimpses of his speed and quickness at Wisconsin, to take over the starting job.

Report: Wisconsin RB Nakia Watson has entered the transfer portal

The Badgers RB has entered the transfer portal

The transfer portal carousel is just beginning for Wisconsin football with the offseason now under way. Badger247’s Josh Schafer reported earlier today that Wisconsin RB Nakia Watson has entered the transfer portal:

After being expected to lead Wisconsin’s RB room in 2020 with the departure of Jonathan Taylor to the NFL, Watson struggled to find his way. The sophomore had 19 carries against Illinois in the opener for 62 yards (3.3 yards per carry), but lost out to freshman Jalen Berger after that.

In each game following the Illinois win, Watson had less carries than Berger.

Watson will have three years of eligibility left wherever he ends up in the fall.

Five key starters for Wisconsin are OUT today against Minnesota

Wisconsin Badgers will be without running back Jalen Berger, wide receivers Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis and more today against Minnesota

The Wisconsin Badger offense has been anything but healthy this season, with starting quarterback Jack Coan going down with a foot injury before the season started, members of the team testing positive for COVID-19, wide receivers Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis missing several weeks and more.

That trend continued today as according to the team’s depth chart they will be without key starters RB Jalen Berger, RB Nakia Watson, WR Danny Davis, LT Cole Van Lanen and WR Kendric Pryor for the second straight week.

Quarterback Graham Mertz will now rely on Chimere Dike and Jack Dunn at wide receiver and Garrett Groshek at running back, a combination that hasn’t worked very well for the last few weeks.

Related: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota: 10 players to watch

One good sign for the Badger offense is this Minnesota defense is nothing close to that of Northwestern, Indiana or Iowa, or even to the unit they had last season.

The game will kick off at 3 p.m. CST and be available on the Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app.

 

Minnesota preview:

Five things the Wisconsin Badgers must do to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe

Minnesota team preview

What Minnesota HC P.J. Fleck is saying about Wisconsin before the game

HC Paul Chryst gives an update on the status of WRs Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis

Film room: The good, the bad and the questionable from Graham Mertz’s performance against Iowa

Wisconsin is a big favorite according to BetMGM

College Gameday picks for Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

5 players to watch: Wisconsin football at Northwestern

The No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers have been nothing short of excellent so far this season, outscoring Illinois and Michigan by a combined…

The No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers have been nothing short of excellent so far this season, outscoring Illinois and Michigan by a combined 76 points.

They’ve only played two games, though, after they had two contests canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. We can look back at the Illinois and Michigan wins all we want, but it’s fair to say that neither has been a good football team this season, or at least not nearly as good as the Badgers’ upcoming opponent–the 4-0 and No. 19-ranked Northwestern Wildcats.

This week we’ve already previewed the 2020 Northwestern team and gave five keys to a Wisconsin victory.

Here, now, are five players to watch when the two teams take the field on Saturday:

Related:

WATCH: Leo Chenal intercepts Michigan QB Joe Milton

In the Badgers’ second interception of the night of Michigan quarterback Joe Milton, Leo Chenal took the ball 31 yards back to the Michig…

In the Badgers’ second interception of the night of Michigan quarterback Joe Milton, Leo Chenal took the ball 31 yards back to the Michigan 14 yard line!

The interception from Chenal set up a one-yard score from Graham Mertz to Mason Stokke to put the Badgers up 14-0 over the Wolverines at the end of the first quarter.

The other interception of the night came from Scott Nelson and set up a two-yard touchdown rush from Nakia Watson. Joe Milton started the game going 0-2 in pass attempts with both going as interceptions to the dominant Wisconsin defense.

Stay tuned to Badgers Wire for continued updates on the game.