The Wisconsin Badgers have appeared nearly unbeatable in their past two games.
In their dominant 42-7 win over Rutgers on Saturday, UW topped 500 for the second consecutive Big Ten game for the first time since 2010. To put that into context, Bret Bielema served as head coach, Paul Chryst manned the sidelines as offensive coordinator and James White, Montee Ball and J.J. Watt wreaked havoc on the offensive and defensive ends of the gridiron.
UW notched 549 total yards against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday afternoon, a week after its 589-yard performance in the 52-6 win over the Purdue Boilermakers.
For the second straight game, UW’s running back unit dominated from start to finish. The group, headlined by workhorse running back Tawee Walker, accounted for 309 yards of offense against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
Against Purdue, the group posted 236 total rush yards against a struggling defensive unit. Nonetheless, the yardage speaks to the emerging talent on Wisconsin’s offensive side of the ball.
Following the recent departure of Badger veteran Chez Mellusi, Walker has become a go-to option for offensive coordinator Phil Longo in his air-raid scheme. The senior transfer from Oklahoma combined to rush for 292 yards and six touchdowns against Purdue and Rutgers on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, respectively.
#Badgers with 500+ yards in back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time since 2010.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) October 12, 2024
Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke has also blended splash plays with efficiency against the two Big Ten foes. He threw for 359 yards against Purdue and 240 vs. Rutgers and completed nearly 68% of his throws in the process.
Following some initial criticism during losses to No. 7 Alabama and USC, Wisconsin’s offense has appeared to discover a rhythm. The crew will return to the field on Oct. 19 against the Northwestern Wildcats.