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Luke Fickell disputes ‘1-2 punch’ analogy for Braelon Allen, Chez Mellusi

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Luke Fickell has a good problem on his hands, especially after Wisconsin pulled away from Buffalo for a 38-17 win in Week 1.

In the win, it was a huge touchdown run from Chez Mellusi that helped jumpstart the offense as the Badgers began to pull away. Then, Braelon Allen helped ice things away with a pair of touchdowns for Wisconsin.

After the game, Fickell was asked about a 1-2 punch between the two players in the backfield. Fickell didn’t agree with that label, instead calling Allen and Mellusi a “1-1 punch” for the Badgers.

It’s hard to disagree with Fickell’s assessment. Mellusi led the way with 157 rushing yards in Week 1 but Allen also eclipsed 140 yards as the two players combined for 298 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.

Wisconsin has also been at its best offensively the past 2 seasons when Mellusi and Allen were both healthy in the backfield. Mellusi has battled injuries and has been limited to 9 games each season across 2021-22.

Hopefully, both players will be able to stay healthy this fall because it looks like Phil Longo’s Air Raid is beneficial to the ground game. If Tanner Mordecai can help open things up with the passing attack, it could create some nightmare matchups for opposing defenses.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.