Jonathan Taylor ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Jack Coan added two more rushing touchdowns to lead the Wisconsin Badgers (3-0, 1-0 BIG) to a dominating 35-14 win over the Michigan Wolverines (2-1, 0-1) in their Big Ten Conference opener at Camp Randall Stadium.
Taylor had 143 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, including a 72-yard touchdown run. He missed the second quarter with leg cramps but returned in the third to finish with 23 carries. As a team, the Badgers rushed 57 times for 359 yards, a 6.3 yards per carry average.
The Badgers avenged a 38-13 loss in Ann Arbor last season and pushed their win streak over the Wolverines in Madison to five. Michigan last won in Madison back in 2001.
Wisconsin’s defense held the Wolverines to 40 rushing yards and forced four turnovers. Michigan is 1-6 on the road against ranked opponents under coach Jim Harbaugh, who took over the program in 2015.
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was aggressive from the start. Michigan stopped the Badgers on their opening drive, but on 4th-and-1 on their own 35 yard line, Chryst kept the punt team on the sidelines. [Read more…]