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Rapid Reaction: Wisconsin pummels Rutgers as Badgers move into 1st-place tie for B1G West
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Final Score: No. 21 Wisconsin 52, Rutgers 3
Brief Recap: Don’t look now, but the Badgers are back into a tie for first place in the B1G West. Wisconsin always controlled its own destiny in the division, and the race became even tighter with Minnesota’s loss to Illinois. However, all of that was secondary to the dominant performance by Paul Chryst’s squad on the road in New Jersey. The Badgers carried a 31-3 lead over Rutgers into halftime and never let up down the stretch. Wisconsin poured it on, adding 21-unanswered points in the third quarter to solidify what would be a blowout.
Key Player: Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi battled through some injuries for much of the afternoon and combined for another strong outing with over 200 yards on the ground. However, for all his struggles this season, quarterback Graham Mertz had a great outing against the Scarlet Knights. He went 11-for-16 passing with 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. That included a 72-yard score to Danny Davis III as Mertz guided the offense efficiently during his time in the game.
Key Moment: With Wisconsin up 17-3 in the second quarter, Rutgers had the ball with a chance to cut into the lead and keep things tight. That’s when the Badger defense forced Noah Vedral into a bad decision with his pass picked off by Caesar Williams. Williams brought that back all the way for a pick-six and 21-point lead. The Badgers would even add another touchdown before halftime, effectively putting the game out of reach at the break.
Key Stat: 4, turnovers forced by the Badgers defense. Wisconsin finished +3 in the turnover margin after giving one away, but the Badgers made the most of some miscues by Rutgers.
What it means for Wisconsin: Everything is still in front of the Badgers, including a potential B1G West title and trip to Indianapolis. This team is far from perfect but is in the midst of a 5-game winning streak. It moves the team to 6-3 (4-2 in the B1G) with games against Northwestern, Nebraska, and Minnesota to finish.
What it means for Rutgers: For Greg Schiano’s squad, the chance to get to a bowl game still remains, but the pressure is on in November. The Scarlet Knights face Indiana, Penn State, and Maryland to finish and will need to win 2 of those 3 games to get to 6 wins and a bowl. Can Schiano and company circle the wagons and get into the postseason?
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.