The Badgers trailed the Crusaders, ESPN BPI’s No. 331 (of 364) team in the sport, 13-3 in the opening minutes of the game, 23-7 midway through the first half and 36-35 at halftime. A second-half surge led by transfer wing John Tonje created enough separation for the final score to indicate wire-to-wire dominance despite the Badgers’ significant early deficit.
That separation, importantly, led to a great moment for Badgers head coach Greg Gard and his son, Isaac.
Isaac, a junior walk-on guard, got one minute of action in the game’s closing moments. He made that limited action count, drilling a three-pointer for the first points of his college career:
Isaac joined the team as a walk-on ahead of the 2022-23 season. He appeared in five games that season, then six games in 2023-24. He was just 0/2 from the field over those 11 appearances as a freshman and sophomore.
The reaction of Wisconsin’s bench says it all, highlighted by John Blackwell leaping in the air.
Greg Gard highlighted that reaction when speaking about the moment postgame:
“It’s a credit to [Isaac],” Gard said. “He’s put time into it. He’s made himself a better player. He’s gotten bigger and stronger, it’s amazing what a weight room four days a week will do for somebody…I’m standing there as I’m trying to get guys in the game, and I knew the shot clock was winding down a little bit. Just the reaction of his teammates. To them, yea, he’s coach’s son, but he’s one of the guys. And they know at home, he’s my son. But at practice, he’s one of the guys. It’s neat. It’s obviously cool for him.”
The Badgers’ head coach continued to reflect on the moment:
“I don’t think his mom was at the game tonight, so I’m sure she’ll be pissed at me for not being able to see it live,” Gard continued. “He puts in just as much work as everybody else. He’s in the weight room, he’s running the hill. It’s hard being a coach’s kid. I haven’t been able to be present all the time as he was growing up, and our other two kids as well. To have this time with him day after day, you’re not making up for time, but you’re not losing any more time. And he’s also proven that he can be a handful some days when he’s running off screens and banging threes. He gives John Tonje nightmares…Just the team around him, that’s the neat part to watch. They’re happy for him and I’m happy for him too. Time goes fast, so you have to enjoy it. You won’t be able to coach your son forever.”
Wisconsin is back on the Kohl Center court on Thursday against Montana State. The team will look to notch another blowout victory, one large enough for Gard to again empty the bench late in the second half.
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The sixth-year senior led the team with 23 points and five rebounds on six of 11 shooting, three of six from three-point range and a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. His offense was a key catalyst for the Badgers overcoming an early deficit and finishing with a 24-point win.
For further context on Tonje’s impact, his 23 points are the most for a Badger in his Wisconsin debut since at least 2000, according to official word from the program.
The total surpasses Josh Gasser’s debut as a freshman in 2010 (21 points). Compared to other recent transfer additions, Tonje’s total of 23 points bests A.J. Storr’s 15 in the 2023-24 opener and Micah Potter’s 12 to begin 2019-20.
Tonje’s emergence has a versatile offensive weapon is significant news for a Wisconsin team looking to replace the wing production of Storr, who transferred to Kansas this offseason. The Missouri transfer already looks like an impact addition for Greg Gard and his staff as the Badgers enter a critical 2024-25 season.
Tonje will lead Wisconsin back on the court on Thursday for a home matchup with Montana State.
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Things got away from the Raiders near the end of the first half and never came back.
Hard to believe this game was tied with three minutes left in the second quarter. The Bengals got the ball and drove through the Raiders defense about as easy as any team could.
In just over two minutes, they went on a seven-play drive that had just ONE second down. That second down saw Maxx Crosby jump the snap and hit Joe Burrow hard, leading to an offsides penalty AND a roughing the passer penalty.
That drive gave the Bengals a 17-10 lead. The Raiders looked like they might respond, but after driving into Cincinnati territory, just a few yards from field goal range woth :17 seconds left in the quarter, Antonio Pierce opted to punt on fourth down instead of trying to score.
That decision showed how little faith he has in both his offense and his defense. They took that lack of faith into the third quarter.
The Bengals opened the third quarter with another hot-knife-through-butter drive for a touchdown.
The Raiders response was a fumbled handoff to DJ Turner recovered by the Bengals at the Vegas 21, leading to another quick touchdown to TE Mike Gesicki. And just over ten minutes of game time, it went from a 10-10 tie to a 31-10 Bengals lead.
Gardner Minshew was taken out and replaced by Desmond Ridder, who didn’t have any more success. Minshew went 10 of 17 for 124 yards with no TDs and no INT.
There was still over 20 minutes left in the game, but the Raiders were showing no signs of life on either side of the ball. They had just one first down in the third quarter and they were losing the overall first down battle 22-10.
Things got a bit interesting midway through the fourth quarter when Jack Jones stepped in front of a Burrow pass into the right flat, returning it for a touchdown to make it a 31-17 game.
Jones broke up a pass on third down on the next drive to give the Raiders the ball back.
At that point, Ridder seemed to get things going. He completed six passes, moving the Raiders deep into Cincinnati territory. But by this point, only touchdowns were going to get the Raiders back in this game. The Bengals dialed up pressure and sacked Ridder twice on three plays. And on fourth down, they came after him again, leading to an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
On the ensuing drive, the Bengals put the exclamation on it with Burrow finding Mike Gesicki for another touchdown, putting the lad back to three scores at 38-17.
Surely making things more difficult for the Raiders were injuries.
The lost two left tackles with both Kolton Miller and Andrus Peat leaving with injuries. On the other side of the ball, they saw top cornerback Nate Hobbs carted off with an ankle injury.
Munford in particular struggled at left tackle. Trey Hendrickson beat him several times, allowing three of Hendrickson’s career-high four sacks in the game. Peat allowed the other one.
The final sack was the strip variety with the Bengals recovering at the Vegas 13-yard-line. They would add a field goal to make it 41-17.
A garbage time TD from Ridder to Brock Bowers gave us the final score of 41-24.
Joe Burrow finished the game 27 of 39 for 251 yards, 5 TD’s and 1 INT.
The Raiders head into their bye at 2-7. The Bengals improve to 4-5 on the season.
Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell: Badgers have to ‘look in the mirror’ after big loss to Iowa
The tone of Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell’s postgame press conference after the Badgers’ 42-10 blowout loss to rival Iowa reflected a common sentiment: moderate disbelief.
“Not a lot that words can say to explain how I feel,” Fickell began his media availability saying. “It’s really really tough to put it to words right now. We’re going to have to pick ourselves up, we’re going to have to move forward. And we’re going to have to find a way to make sure we’re better.”
That disbelief followed arguably the program’s worst loss during his tenure as head coach. The Badgers surrendered 330 rushing yards to their rival, the most the program has allowed in more than 12 years. They were thoroughly dominated in every facet of the game by a team and program that somewhat embodies what Wisconsin used to look like.
The 32-point margin is Wisconsin’s worst loss to Iowa since a 41-0 defeat in 1968.
Losses of that magnitude often preceded changes, which Fickell hinted at during his press conference, noting that “a lot of guys, myself included first and foremost, are going to have to have a self check and look in the mirror and really self evaluate where they are and what they are willing to do to move forward.”
Luke Fickell post game: “There is nothing that stings more than this. A lot of guys, myself included first and foremost, are going to have to have a self check and look in the mirror and really self evaluate where they are and what they are willing to do to move forward.”…
That ‘look in the mirror’ can begin during the Badgers’ upcoming by week before No. 1 Oregon travels to Madison on Nov. 16. After that, Wisconsin has critical season-closing matchups against Nebraska and Minnesota.
The Badgers need just one more win over those last three games to reach bowl eligibility. More importantly, the team needs to show that its performance at Iowa isn’t an indicator of further struggles to come.
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RECAP: Wisconsin crushed in Iowa City, lose to Hawkeyes 42-10
The Iowa Hawkeyes delivered a dominant 42-10 win over the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Badgers defense forced a punt on Iowa’s opening possession. They followed that with a 12-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard Nathanial Vakos field goal. That 3-0 advantage was the only lead Wisconsin would hold in the contest.
Iowa went on to miss a 56-yard field goal on its next drive, continuing to hand momentum to Wisconsin. But that momentum quickly turned when Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke threw the first of two interceptions.
Quarterback Brendan Sullivan and running back Kaleb Johnson finished off back-to-back drives with rushing touchdowns as Iowa took a 14-3 lead into halftime.
The Hawkeyes kept the momentum going following the break, scoring touchdowns on all four of their possessions in the second half — two by RB Kaleb Johnson.
Braedyn Locke and C.J. Williams finally connected for a 14-yard score with 14:12 in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin’s first touchdown of the evening. That narrowed the margin to 28-10, which was the closest Wisconsin would get down the stretch.
Iowa out-gained Wisconsin 422-261 in total, churning out an eye-popping 329 rushing yards in the contest. Running back Kaleb Johnson turned 24 carries into 135 yards and three touchdowns, while fellow backs Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson combined for 130 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Additionally, quarterback Brendan Sullivan completed seven of 10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown while also adding 58 yards and a score on the ground.
For Wisconsin, quarterback Braedyn Locke completed 15 of 29 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown while throwing two interceptions in the loss. He has now thrown eight picks in six starts in 2024. Running back Tawee Walker was limited to just 52 yards on 16 carries while backfield mate Darrion Dupree had 52 yards on seven totes.
It was just the fourth time ever that Wisconsin allowed 40-plus points to Iowa — the first since 1975.
The Hawkeyes improved to 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten play with the victory. Wisconsin, on the other hand, drops to 5-4 on the season and 3-3 in conference play.
The Badgers will be idle in Week 11 before they’ll host No. 1 Oregon at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 16.
There was a lot of good to take away from Florida’s loss to Georgia, but there was also a lot of bad and far too much ugly involved as well.
Things were running smoothly for the Florida Gators until the injury bug swarmed into Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium, where the Georiga Bulldogs won the war of attrition by a final score of 34-20.
But make no mistake — this game was a lot closer than that final tally. In fact, the Orange and Blue took a one-touchdown lead into the locker room at halftime while preventing the Bulldogs from entering the endzone during the first 30 minutes.
However, everything changed with 5:14 in the first half. From there, it was an uphill battle the rest of the way and Billy Napier’s roster simply did not have the depth to keep up.
The Gators Wire staff reflected on what happened on Saturday and offered their takes in a good, bad and ugly format. Take a look at what we have to offer below.
The defense held its ground
James Gilbert/Getty Images
GOOD: The defense held its ground against Georgia. Despite the Gators not being able to do a whole lot on the offensive side of the ball, the defense kept them in it throughout the whole game. Florida forced Carson Beck to throw multiple interceptions and despite the momentum shifting toward Georgia’s side, the Gators were able to swing it right back thanks to the defense.
I mean, what a turnaround on that side of the ball. They look, night and day, like a completely different unit out there.
BAD: Injuries, injuries, injuries. The Gators’ luck with injuries has been painful. Florida had to deal with multiple injuries today against Georgia, with DJ Lagway at the top of that list. But, I’ll get into that in my “ugly” section.
Devin Moore appeared to have injured his lower leg as the first half came to an end and was seen on the sidelines in crutches in the second half.
Then in the third quarter, there was a drive that saw three defensive backs get injured. Jordan Castell, Dijon Johnson and Sharif Denson had to get taken off the field due to injuries. Castell was able to return during that same drive but Johnson and Denson remained out.
The injury bug has hit the Gators and it’s a shame because you have to think this game would’ve turned out differently if they were healthy.
UGLY: I think we all know what the ugly from this game was. With five minutes to go in the first half, Lagway appeared to hurt his left hamstring. He was in the pocket and had a weird fall. Billy Napier said that Lagway’s injury was “pretty significant” which is definitely not a good sign for the Gators.
Lagway was forced to be carted off the field and into the locker room which prompted redshirt freshman Aidan Warner to take over as Florida’s quarterback. We’ll find out more information on the severity of Lagway’s injury but it’s just a brutal blow for this Florida offense. — Aidan Gallardo
I hope the football gods are pleased with themselves
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union
GOOD: The first half was filled with hope unseen against Georgia since the start of the decade, with the defense shutting down the ‘Dawgs while the offense managed to outscore their opponent in the first half. For a while, it looked like this might be THE game for Florida.
Then, of course, THAT happened.
Regardless, the overall effort will probably be seen as a feather in Billy Napier’s cap — especially the emergence of the defensive corps as a formidable group. If not for the “ugly” this might have been a win for the Orange and Blue, but perhaps it will serve as a moral victory (if they even exist).
BAD: The second-half performance was perfectly predictable with the loss of the team’s five-star freshman gunslinger, with Aidan Warner being thrust into a position he simply is not suited for. There was also the botched field goal that presumably led to a 10-point swing that began nailing the coffin shut that pretty much titled the table toward UGA.
UGLY: Injuries, man. Injuries. The Gators may have lost DJ Lagway for the season and Devin Moore was also seen on the sidelines on crutches; others also were forced off the field. It is as if the football deities were just toying with the players like the gods in Clash of the Titans.
And Florida was not alone. Georgia lost former Gator Trevor Etienne as well. I hope the football gods are pleased with themselves. — Adam Dubbin
Did we mention DJ Lagway’s injury yet?
James Gilbert/Getty Images
GOOD: DJ Lagway really is the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, or at least it seemed that way after hitting Aidan Mizell for a 40-yard touchdown to take the lead in the first half. Billy Napier was on his way to saving the program and his own job, and then everything went to… well, you know.
Losing Lagway is the worst-case scenario for this team, and the only hope Florida has at a bowl game is getting him back sooner than expected. Aidan Warner simply doesn’t have it and it’s going to be difficult to win games with him at the helm, considering Florida is in the middle of the gauntlet portion of its schedule.
The defense was also very good for most of the night. They’ve proven themselves over the past four games and deserved to be a part of a win this week. Stuff happens. What a shame.
BAD: I already hit on Warner’s ineptitude (no shade, he’s just not an SEC starter at this point), so let’s go with the botched field goal that allowed Georgia to take its first lead. For a team that prides itself on elite play from the special teams unit, this was proof that the Lagway injury rattled everyone on the roster.
Suddenly, the pressure was no longer on the 19-year-old true freshman. It was on every single one of the players on the field.
Who knows? If Florida hits that field goal, maybe Georgia doesn’t score as quickly for the lead. Maybe the clock works out in Florida’s favor and Warner doesn’t throw that fourth-quarter interception. This whole game is a big “what-if,” but that one play seemed to determine the Gators’ fate.
UGLY: Did we mention DJ Lagway’s injury yet?
Get used to hearing about it because that’s going to dominate the news cycle for the next week or longer. Florida had its best arm since Kyle Trask and maybe its best quarterback since Tim Tebow was taken away this week. Fans left the building as soon as Georgia took the lead.
You hate to see a young player’s season derailed like this. Even more, you hate to see a team’s season derailed like this. If Lagway is done for the season, Florida might not even beat FSU in the finale… — David Rosenberg
Florida’s next game details
Florida will go on the road and face the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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Transfer guard John Tonje led the way for the Badgers with 15 points, while center Steven Crowl and forward Carter Gilmore added 14 and nine, respectively.
The contest got tight in the second half, with UW-River Falls cutting the Badgers lead to just two points with 12:55 remaining. Wisconsin would pull away in the end, though its performance was far from dominant.
There aren’t many big-picture takeaways from the performance of Greg Gard’s team in its first unofficial game action. The group, with new faces at nearly every position, will need some time to gel and find on-court rhythm.
One thing we can read into from the contest, however, is the Badgers’ initial starting lineup and early rotation.
Wisconsin entered the scrimmage as follows:
G: John Blackwell
G: Max Klesmit
G: John Tonje (transfer)
F: Nolan Winter
C: Steven Crowl
Gard’s first two players off the bench were F Markus Ilver and G Kamari McGee for Winter and Tonje, respectively. He proceeded to quickly rotate after that pair, using as many as 10 total players in the first 12 minutes of the exhibition.
Both the general rotation and starting lineup point to a main theme: the Badgers are deep throughout the lineup.
Blackwell, Klesmit and Crowl are easy write-ins to the nightly starting five. Tonje and Winter, meanwhile, are battling among a larger group that also includes veterans Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee, top freshman Daniel Freitag, transfer forward Xavier Amos and transfer guard Camren Hunter. That isn’t even mentioning Ilver, who could earn a role.
Where the 2024-25 Badgers lack in top-end star power after the offseason departures of Chucky Hepburn and A.J. Storr they excels in depth of contributors. The busy battle for the two spots alongside Blackwell, Klesmit and Crowl shows that reality.
Gard is now tasked with finding a rotation that maximizes depth that could possibly reach 11 spots. That effort will begin on Monday, Nov. 4 when the Badgers officially open their 2024-25 season against Holy Cross at the Kohl Center.
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Despite several golden opportunities to make a game of it against the undefeated Chiefs, the Raiders can’t get out of their own way.
There were times in this game the Raiders seemed like they might keep pace with the Chiefs. But each time, they would fall flat.
After the Chiefs opened the game with a touchdown drive, the Raiders responded with a touchdown drive of their own to tie it back up at 7-7. Then the RAiders added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. But you knew it wouldn’t last.
It was still 10-7 at the two-minute warning of the second quarter. Then the Chiefs scored their second touchdown, this time on a pass over the middle to Travis Kelce to take re-take the lead at 14-10.
The Raiders response this time was not a touchdown. It wasn’t even a first down. It was a quick three-and-out to give the Chiefs a chance to score again before the half. The Chiefs said thank you very much, and drove into field goal range to take a 17-10 lead at the half.
A 60-yard AJ Cole along with a holding on the return, put the Chiefs deep in their own territory. Consecutive holding penalties ensured they would punt out of their own end zone. DJ Turner fielded it and returned it to the 43. With a late hit out of bounds tacked on, the Raiders were already in field goal range.
Despite getting two first downs – on on a Chiefs holding penalty, the Raiders couldn’t punch it in and settled for a field goal to make it a 17-13 game.
On the ensuing possession, the Patrick Mahomes had his pass tipped by John Jenkins and intercepted by Tre’von Moehrig who returned it to the three-yard-line in first and goal.
The Raiders’ series was indicative of much of their day. An Alexander Mattison run for two yards, a Mattison run for no gain, Mattison run for a loss of two, and on fourth and goal, Gardner Minshew was sacked for a turnover on downs.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs went on a long drive, but the Raiders would keep it a one-score game by stopping them short of the touchdown. They converted on a field goal to make it a 20-13 game.
On the ensuing Raiders possession, they would lose Andre James and then Minshew would lose the football. The Chiefs would even the turnover ratio for the game taking over in scoring range.
While the Raiders were unable to take advantage of their takeaway from the KC three-yard line, the Chiefs took advantage of theirs from the Vegas 38. They drove to a touchdown, with Mahomes finding Xavier Worth for the score from the nine-yard line to go up by two scores 27-13 with five minutes left, thus essentially putting the game away.
The Raiders drove for a touchdown on the next drive, but with no timeouts they would need to kick and recover an onside kick. Kick it they did, but recover it they did not. The Chiefs were able kneel out the clock and secure the 27-20 victory.
Running the ball was not happening in this game for the Raiders. The finished with 33 net rushing yards on 21 carries (2.75 yards per carry), with the running backs picking up just 16 yards on 17 carries. That’s right, they had fewer than one yard per carry.
The Chiefs remain undefeated at 7-0 while the Raiders fall to 2-6 on the season.
The loss halts the Badgers’ momentum after it entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions were favored in the game and picked by many to win, but the loss still delivers a deflating blow to the Badgers’ rest-of-season outlook.
A big part of that deflating impact was the context surrounding the loss. Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime before the scales tipped in the opposite direction. Saturday will feel like a significant missed opportunity for a Wisconsin program badly in need of a signature win to kickstart the Luke Fickell era.
The Badgers are now 0-5 against ranked opponents since Fickell took over in 2023. That mark tells the story.
Before the team changes attention to its Week 10 trip to rival Iowa, here is a look at some of the best photos from the tough primetime loss:
It was not necessarily Penn State OT Nolan Rucci, who transferred over from Wisconsin after the 2023 season. He saw limited action at right tackle in the Nittany Lions win and was far from the game’s deciding force.
The big reason that Penn State improved to 7-0 with the win over Wisconsin: Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach and former Badgers quarterback Danny O’Brien.
O’Brien captains the Penn State quarterback room, which was arguably the biggest contributing factor to Saturday’s result.
Penn State star QB Drew Allar and backup Beau Pribula, each who played exactly one half, combined to go 25 of 31 passing (80% completion) for 246 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The two also added 36 rushing yards on 10 total carries.
Allar’s injury in the closing moments before halftime appeared to tip the matchup further toward the Badgers’ sideline. Instead, Pribula was terrific in relief. He led the Nittany Lions on two critical late-game scoring drives to seal the victory.
O’Brien’s work with the room deserves credit. Not many top programs don’t miss a beat, let alone improve, when their starter goes down with an injury.
The rising coach played for the Badgers back in 2012. He transferred in after two years at Maryland, and actually entered that season as Wisconsin’s starter. Former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema wound moving to Joel Stave early in the season after O’Brien struggled with turnovers. Stave later suffered an injury, though O’Brien remained on the sideline to backup to Curt Phillips.
O’Brien played only seven total games for Wisconsin in 2012, completing 52 of 86 passes for 523 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
He recently entered the coaching ranks following an abbreviated professional career, mostly in the CFL (2014-19).
The former Badger signal-caller joined the Penn State staff as an offensive analyst in 2021. He was recently elevated to the program’s quarterbacks coach entering the 2024 season after the team hired new OC Andy Kotelnicki.
His work with Allar and Pribula cannot be overlooked as Penn State inches closer to a possible trip to the Big Ten title game, and the expanded College Football Playoff.
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