Tag: Score

RECAP: Wisconsin crushed in Iowa City, lose to Hawkeyes 42-10

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.

RECAP: Wisconsin blanked in second half, falls to Penn State 28-13

Quick reaction to Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State

The No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions rode a 21-3 second-half margin to a 28-13 win over the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night.

The halftime break served as a clear turning point in the game. Wisconsin led 10-7 thanks to a strong defensive effort and a timely touchdown drive in the first half’s closing moments. Penn State star QB Drew Allar also exited the end of the first half with an injury, one that he did not return from.

Related: Badgers fans dejected after hard-fought loss to No. 3 Penn State

All signs were pointing toward a season-defining victory for the Badgers.

Then Penn State flat-out dominated after the halftime break. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula went 11 of 13 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown, plus added 28 yards on six carries. He led the Nittany Lions to several decisive touchdown drives. The offense barely missed a beat with him under center.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, held strong until another Braedyn Locke turnover shifted momentum — this one a pick-six to Penn State star linebacker Jaylen Reed. That pushed the Nittany Lions in front 14-10. The game only tilted further in their direction as it continued.

The drives following Locke’s pick-six:

  • Wisconsin: Eight plays, 51 yards — Field goal (14-13)
  • Penn State: 13 plays, 81 yards — Touchdown (21-13)
  • Wisconsin: Three plays, three yards — Punt
  • Penn State: Nine plays, 78 yards — Touchdown (28-13)

Penn State out-gained Wisconsin 419-298 in total. That balanced attack included 173 yards on the ground and 246 through the air. The running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 135 rushing yards, 59 receiving yards and two total touchdowns, driving Penn State’s balanced success.

The Nittany Lions improve to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten play with the win. Wisconsin, meanwhile, drops to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play.

The Badgers are back in action next weekend on the road at rival Iowa.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

RECAP: Wisconsin dominates Rutgers 42-7 in statement win of 2024 season

Quick reaction to Wisconsin’s dominant win over Rutgers:

Wisconsin improved to 4-2 on the 2024 season and 2-1 in Big Ten play with a dominant 42-7 win over Rutgers on Saturday.

The win is a further statement from Luke Fickell’s team. It struggled to a 2-2 record through the first four games of the season. It has now opened a two-game winning streak with victories over Purdue and Rutgers by a combined margin of 94-13.

Related: Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin Badgers blowout win over Rutgers

The story of the game was, yet again, a suddenly dominant offensive unit. Phil Longo’s group totaled 549 yards (240 passing, 309 rushing). Veteran running back Tawee Walker led the way with 24 carries, 198 yards, 8.3 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns — that output thanks in part to another dominant afternoon from the Badgers’ offensive line.

QB Braedyn Locke also added another 20 for 28 passing for 240 yards and one touchdown to his season total. 81 of those yards came to WR Vinny Anthony who continues to emerge as a big-time playmaker for Longo’s unit.

Mike Tressel’s defense also played a big role in the blowout victory. The unit held Rutgers star RB Kyle Monangai to only 72 total yards and 3.8 yards per carry. They forced Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis to throw the football, which he did not do effectively.

Overall, Wisconsin appears to have turned a corner. The Badgers have made clear strides on both sides of the football after some sub-par play to begin the season. That improvement has helped the team’s rest-of-season outlook with games still remaining against Northwestern, vs. No. 4 Penn State, at Iowa, vs. No. 3 Oregon, at Nebraska and vs. Minnesota.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

RECAP: Wisconsin disappears after halftime in 38-21 loss to No. 13 USC

Quick thoughts on Wisconsin’s loss to USC?

Wisconsin’s nightmare start to the 2024 season continued on Saturday in Los Angeles, California.

The Badgers fell 38-21 to the No. 13 USC Trojans. The team led 21-10 at halftime. Then, just as they did against No. 4 Alabama two weeks ago, the Badgers disappeared out of the halftime break.

The final numbers tell an accurate story of what occurred. USC gained 29 first downs to Wisconsin’s 13 and 471 total yards to Wisconsin’s 286. The Trojans held the ball for more than 40 minutes of total game time.

USC mistakes handed Wisconsin a sizable first-half lead. But in hindsight, the Badgers were never the better team on the field.

The game truly shifted as USC scored 28 unanswered points out of the halftime break — 14 in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin had no response on offense, defense, or special teams. Instead, one USC touchdown immediately turned the momentum. Wisconsin began to hand the football away and relinquished to control of the game, a complete reversal from what occurred in the first half.

The loss is yet another tough reality check for the Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin. It appeared to be the fourth time in as many games this season that the Badgers were thoroughly out-coached. Looking forward, it’s hard to see a path to bowl eligibility.

Next up for Fickell and the Badgers is a home matchup with Purdue next Saturday. Things need to change for the program, and quickly.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

RECAP: Mistakes define Wisconsin’s blowout loss to No. 4 Alabama

Quick thoughts on Wisconsin’s loss to Alabama

Wisconsin suffered its first blemish of the 2024 season with a 42-10 blowout loss to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday.

While the final score was lopsided, the Badgers actually hung tough for almost the entire first half.

The team narrowly missed a big-play touchdown to cut the Crimson Tide lead to 14-10 with 30 seconds left before halftime. That pass from Braedyn Locke to Will Pauling narrowly fell incomplete in the back of the end zone, which led the Badgers to instead attempt a mid-range field goal attempt to cut the deficit to 14-6.

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s demoralizing loss to No. 4 Alabama

That’s where the game turned for good.

Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos missed the field goal. Alabama quickly responded with a 2-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to extend its lead to 21-3. That three-play sequence defined the game.

The Badgers played well at times on both sides of the football. But mistakes were sprinkled in, mistakes which Alabama turned into all 21 of its first-half points. That created a deficit that Wisconsin was unable to overcome.

The Badgers even made a push early in the second half thanks to a long touchdown drive led by Locke. Luke Fickell’s team followed that touchdown with a defensive stop, giving them the ball down 28-10 with plenty of time remaining. Sophomore RB Cade Yacamelli fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive. Alabama had no trouble turning that mistake into another seven points.

That theme defined the afternoon for the Badgers. Any mistake led to Alabama points. That is not the way to pull an upset against one of the most talented teams in the sport.

Wisconsin finished the game with 285 total yards (144 rushing, 141 passing) to Alabama’s 407 (181 rushing, 226 passing). The story is told by the turnover category. The Badgers gave the ball away four times — two fumbles, a missed field goal and a failed fourth down. It did not force any Alabama giveaways.

Wisconsin drops to 2-1 on the young season with the loss. It now moves into a bye week before beginning Big Ten play with a road trip to USC on Sept. 28.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

RECAP: Wisconsin edges South Dakota 27-13, improves to 2-0

First reaction to Wisconsin’s win over South Dakota?

Wisconsin held on to defeat South Dakota 27-13 on Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers did not dominate in the way that many expected. Instead, the matchup marked the second consecutive week the Badgers struggled to pull away from a far inferior opponent.

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s uninspiring Week 2 win over South Dakota

QB Tyler Van Dyke led the way for the Badgers offense with 17/27 passing, 214 yards and one touchdown. His impressive first half set a strong tone for the game, pushing Wisconsin to a 17-3 halftime lead.

The second half saw momentum quickly return to the Coyotes. The FCS contender had a chance to tie the game midway through the third quarter after Wisconsin WR Vinny Anthony muffed a punt inside the Badgers 10 yard-line. That was the closest the game got, as South Dakota settled for a field goal to make it 17-13 at the time. Wisconsin pushed the margin back up to seven, then later to an insurmountable 14 points.

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1832545762565071337

Wisconsin’s stars of the game include RB Cade Yacamelli (86 total yards on 10 touches in relief of starter Tawee Walker), DL Elijah Hills (two tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss) and C.J. Williams (two receptions, 53 yards, one touchdown).

There were some tangible improvements after Week 1, especially on offense. But questions still remain after another mostly pedestrian performance. The team will need to find its form immediately when No. 4 Alabama visits Madison next weekend.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

WATCH: Wisconsin hockey great in contention at American Century Championship

WATCH: Wisconsin hockey great in contention at American Century Championship

Wisconsin hockey great Joe Pavelski enters the final round of the 2024 American Century Championship in second place, trailing former professional tennis player Mardy Fish.

The golf tournament is held on the south course at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe. It includes a star-studded field of current and former athletes, musical artists, actors and more.

Related: Why Wisconsin football will or won’t break through to College Football Playoff in 2024

Pavelsi enters Sunday’s final round with 50 points in the modified Stableford scoring format. Instead of scoring in relation to par, this format rewards 10 points for an albatross, eight points for a hole-in-one, six points for an eagle, three for a birdie, one for a par, zero for a bogey and -2 for a double bogey or worse.

He trails Fish’s 57 points and leads NFL wide receiver Adam Thielen (45 points), former MLB pitchers Derek Lowe (42) and Mark Mulder (42), LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam (41) and NBA legend Ray Allen (38).

Pavelski is currently a free agent after playing the last six years with the Dallas Stars. He has played in the NHL since 2006 after spending two seasons at Wisconsin. The veteran, who leads the NHL in all-time playoff goals by an American-born player, did recently announce that he does not intend to play this upcoming season — though did not use the word ‘retire.’

He will look to chase down Fish when the leaders tee off on Sunday.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Former Wisconsin Badger one of the most athletic RB prospects in NFL Draft history

Former Wisconsin Badger one of the most athletic RB prospects in NFL Draft history

Former Wisconsin Badger and Louisville Cardinal Isaac Guerendo is one of the most athletic running back prospects in NFL Draft history.

His NFL combine and pro day testing led to a Raw Athletic Score of 9.97 (out of a possible 10.00). According to the creator of the metric, that number ranks No. 7 out of 1804 running back prospects from 1987 to 2024.

Those testing numbers include a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, 4.15-second shuttle, 6.94-second 3-cone drill, 41.5-inch vertical jump and 10’9″ broad jump.

Related: If Wisconsin decides to move on from Greg Gard, who could it target as its next head coach?

Guerendo finished his four-year Wisconsin career with 99 carries, 582 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He then excelled in his one year at Louisville, adding 132 carries for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The electric running back is projected to be selected in the 4th or 5th round of the upcoming NFL Draft — though his athletic testing may raise that projection a bit.

 

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Saints failed to change the narrative in prime-time loss to Rams

The Saints failed to change the narrative in prime-time loss to Rams. Dennis Allen’s team is exactly what their record says they are:

The New Orleans Saints kicked off against the Los Angeles Rams with everything in front of them. The stakes couldn’t be higher with the loser needing a lot of help to stay alive in the playoffs race. Dennis Allen’s team had every opportunity to change the narrative and prove they belonged.

A win would have dramatically improved their playoff chances by opening up a wild-card seed as well as the NFC South title. A loss would’ve made them long shots to even win the division. With celebrities like Shohei Ohtani and legendary former Saints quarterback Drew Brees in attendance and the game broadcast to a national audience, the stage was set for Allen’s team to prove their doubters wrong.

And they fell flat on their faces. The Saints lost 30-22 and were never in control of the game’s flow. Allen’s handcrafted defense started the night off by allowing an eight-minute, 95-yard touchdown drive to the Rams. Derek Carr wilted under pressure and threw an awful interception in the second half to set up a quick Los Angeles touchdown run.

When the Saints finally rallied back in the fourth quarter by blocking an L.A. punt to set up shop in scoring position, they were already down 30-14 with the announcers previewing the Rams’ next game.

It was a disaster. Allen’s odd decision to try an onside kick late in regulation made it all too easy for the Rams to run out the clock inside New Orleans territory. Both teams may have taken the field with a 7-7 record, but by the final whistle it’s clear they didn’t belong in the same company.

That validates all of the criticism Allen and his staff and quarterback have faced: that they can’t beat good teams (the Saints are 1-6 against squads at or over .500 this year), that they’re undisciplined and prone to penalties, and that they aren’t as competitive as recent wins over the lowly Carolina Panthers and New York Giants would suggest.

Allen carried himself with a bit of swagger after knocking out those two clubs. Now he has to face the music after coming up short in the most important game of the year.

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Stout defense, Derek Carr’s best game with Saints knocks down the Giants

A stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a Saints uniform combined to knock down the Giants:

This is what New Orleans Saints games are supposed to look like. A combination of a stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a black and gold uniform knocked down the New York Giants on Sunday by a margin of 24-6. This is their vision for a victory. It’s why they pursued Carr and retained Dennis Allen as head coach to cultivate an elite defense. And on Sunday that vision became reality.

New York gained just 60 rushing yards as a team with star running back Saquon Barkley limited to 14 yards on 9 carries; rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito is known for his rushing ability but he was contained to 36 yards on 4 attempts, actually losing more yards (57) to 7 sacks than he gained as a runner.

And DeVito didn’t have many answers for the ferocious Saints defense. New Orleans pressured him early and often on his 34 pass attempts. Five different defenders hit him at different points through the game, with veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon stepping up in particular. Kpasagnon finished the day with 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, plus 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 tackles for loss). Cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom and Paulson Adebo combined for 4 pass breakups.

Let’s talk about Carr. He’s earned a lot of criticism this season for poor play, but he did his job well on Sunday. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes (82.1%) for 218 yards, throwing 3 touchdown passes for the first time in a Saints uniform. He didn’t turn the ball over, he navigated pressure well, and he spread the ball around efficiently. 10 different players caught a pass in this game, and 7 of them caught multiple receptions from Carr. It was really impressive to see with Chris Olave out of the lineup.

So where do they go next? The Saints must take their show on the road and visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night before flying cross-country for another road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the regular season finale at home against the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans doesn’t control its own destiny, but positive games like this one are going to be big as they go down the stretch.

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