The Wisconsin Badgers got their second win of the season with a 42-10 victory over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in a game that looked nothing like the box score until the end.
Let’s recap the afternoon and how we got to the final score.
1st Half
The Badgers received the opening kickoff, debuting a revamped offense after injuries to the offensive line and at quarterback.
Wisconsin began its first drive with a strong passing attack, as O’Neil quickly completed two passes to Trech Kekahuna and Vinny
Anthony for gains of 11 and 16 yards, respectively. However, once they entered Middle Tennessee territory, a bad snap resulted in a four-yard sack, stalling the drive and forcing a punt. Dilin Jones carried the ball three times on the drive for a total of nine yards, but couldn’t find any significant running lanes. The Raiders’ defense continued to bottle up the Wisconsin run game throughout the first half, putting the pressure on second-year quarterback Danny O’Neil.
The Badgers’ first defensive possession also started shakily. The Blue Raiders marched down the field with a mix of short inside runs and quick passes, advancing to the Wisconsin 41-yard line. The Badgers’ defense then forced a 3rd & 10 after a great open-field tackle by Christian Alliegro for a two-yard loss. However, they couldn’t get off the field on third down, as quarterback Nicholas Vattiato connected with Nahzae Cox for a huge 37-yard gain against veteran corner Ricardo Hallman in one-on-one coverage. Vattiato completed four passes on the drive for a total of 60 yards, with the biggest gain coming on that 3rd & 10 play. The Badgers’ defense held strong with a goal-to-go stand, though, forcing a field goal.
The Badgers’ next possession was one to forget, ending in a quick three-and-out. Dillin Jones ran the ball twice on that drive, gaining only one yard each time. The interior offensive line showed early signs of trouble, struggling to control the line of scrimmage and create running room.
The Blue Raiders came out firing on their second offensive drive, moving downfield after a big 35-yard gain to Nahzae Cox. Following that play, Middle Tennessee tried to fool the Badgers with a trick play receiver pass, but it was perfectly covered and resulted in an intentional grounding penalty. The Badgers capitalized on the penalty and forced a punt from their own 48-yard line.
Down by three with 14 minutes left in the second quarter, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes showed more trust in Danny O’Neil, which led him to drive the Badgers downfield for a touchdown. The drive started with a quick screen pass to Vinny Anthony, who broke free for a 16-yard gain thanks to a great block by Riley Mahlman. O’Neil followed that up with an 11-yard pass to Chris Brooks Jr. and a 9-yarder to Vinny Anthony.
With the ball on the Blue Raiders’ 37-yard line, O’Neil threw a beautiful deep ball to Lance Mason for a 34-yard gain, setting up a goal-to-go situation. After being stuffed on first and second down and an incomplete pass on third down, the Badgers faced a 4th & goal. While a field goal seemed like the safe choice, head coach Luke Fickell kept his offense on the field and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes called the perfect play: a quick out to receiver Tyrell Henry off of motion for a touchdown. This gave the Badgers a 7-3 lead with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Badgers followed their impressive offensive drive with an even better defensive stop. After Middle Tennessee gained a first down with a 13-yard run, Wisconsin cornerback Omilio Agard jumped a hitch route for an interception, giving the ball back to the Wisconsin offense at the opponent’s 38-yard line.
Looking to build on their momentum, the Wisconsin offense took the field, but two negative plays totaling 23 yards put them in a 3rd & 34. However, an unnecessary roughness penalty on a Middle Tennessee edge rusher gave Danny O’Neil and the Badgers a fresh set of downs. Wisconsin capitalized on this opportunity immediately, with O’Neil hitting Trech Kekahuna for a huge 22-yard gain. O’Neil continued to deliver precise passes, connecting with Vinny Anthony for nine yards and Lance Mason for 14, setting up a 1st & goal at the 1-yard line. From there, Dillin Jones scored on a simple touchdown run up the middle, extending the Badgers’ lead to 14-3.
The Badgers kept their momentum as the half wound down. The defense forced a quick punt after allowing an initial 11-yard first-down pass, giving Wisconsin another chance to score before halftime.
With the ball on their own 20-yard line and 1:24 left in the half, the Badgers had a perfect opportunity to run their two-minute drill and put the game out of reach. Unfortunately, a bobbled pass on a screen was intercepted by the Blue Raiders, giving them a 1st & goal. With the great field position, quarterback Nicholas Vattiato connected with tight end Hunter Tipton for an easy touchdown.
The Badgers couldn’t do anything in the final 50 seconds, and the half ended with Wisconsin up 14-10.
Defensively, Tackett Curtis and Preston Zachman led the team in tackles at the half with four apiece, while Sebastian Cheeks recorded the only sack of the half. Offensively, Danny O’Neil went into the locker room with an impressive stat line, completing 15 of his 18 passes for 137 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Vinny Anthony was the leading receiver with four catches for 50 yards, while Lance Mason added three receptions for 49 yards. The goal for the Badgers heading into the second half was simple: get the ground game going. After totaling only 17 rushing yards in the first half, Wisconsin needed to establish the run to open up the rest of its offense.
2nd Half
The Blue Raiders started the second half with a long 12-play drive that took 6:42 off the clock. Following an initial 21-yard reception by Myles Butler, Middle Tennessee was set up with a first down at their own 46-yard line. From there, a combination of runs and passes, and a crucial conversion on 4th & 5, put the Blue Raiders deep in Wisconsin territory. However, the Badgers’ defense held their ground, with big tackles from Aaron Witt on 3rd & 1 and a great read and tackle for a loss by Christian Alliegro on 4th down.
From that point on, it was all Badgers.
Wisconsin immediately handed the ball to running back Darrion Dupree for a 14-yard gain, their longest run of the game up to that point. On the very next play, Trech Kekahuna took a reverse sweep 61 yards for a touchdown. Great blocks from Vinny Anthony, Chris Brooks Jr., and tackle Emerson Mandell helped spring Kekahuna loose, and his speed did the rest, putting the Badgers on top 21-10.
Following the 4th down stop, the Badgers’ defense completely took over, allowing only one yard for the rest of the third quarter. The next defensive series was a three-and-out that featured a big sack by Brandon Lane Jr., who easily beat the left guard to get into the backfield.
Wisconsin took advantage of the shift in momentum, and Danny O’Neil, in perfect rhythm, completed two 15-yard passes to Lance Mason and Jayden Ballard. Vinny Anthony finished off the drive with another reverse sweep for a 14-yard touchdown, putting the Badgers up 28-10.
Trying to spark their offense, Middle Tennessee brought in freshman quarterback Stanley Anderson-Lofton, who immediately made an impact with a 15-yard rush for a first down. However, the drive fizzled out after another sack, this time by blitzing linebacker Tackett Curtis.
A great punt pinned the Badgers at their own 1-yard line, but the Wisconsin offense was unfazed. With perfect execution, two rushes from Dilin Jones for a total of 14 yards, and Danny O’Neil connecting with Lance Mason and Joseph Griffin Jr. for a total of 18 yards, the Badgers were able to move out of the shadow of their own end zone. From there, a 58-yard catch and run by transfer wide receiver Jayden Ballard put the Badgers on top 35-10 with 10 minutes left in the game.
With Vattiato back at quarterback, the Blue Raiders desperately needed a good drive to finish the game, but the Badgers’ defense stood tall once again, allowing only five yards on the ensuing drive, leading to a three-and-out. The Badgers’ defense allowed only 40 yards in the second half following the initial 12-play drive.
To start the next drive, Danny O’Neil continued to attack the Middle Tennessee secondary with a quick pass to Jackson McGohan, who juked a defender and gained 15 yards. Cade Yacamelli then took over the backfield, rushing for 13 yards and converting a 4th & 3 with a six-yard run. Now in the red zone, O’Neil looked for his favorite target of the day, Lance Mason, for a 16-yard touchdown.
With the Badgers up 42-10, the game was out of reach. What was even more encouraging to see was the performance of the second-string players and true freshmen who came in on the final two drives. True freshman rusher Nick Clayton and linebacker Mason Posa came in and immediately made plays. Posa tacked on a sack and two tackles, with his sack coming on a play call very similar to Tackett Curtis’s earlier in the game.
Overall, Wisconsin didn’t have the prettiest game, but dominated the final 23 minutes to pull away with a 42-10 victory. They’ll now look to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide next week, traveling to Tuscaloosa for their first major test of the season.
