Scott Nelson

Badgers Come From Behind To Win Duke’s Mayo Bowl

December 30, 2020 By Bill Scott

Paul Chryst

It wasn’t looking good early for the Wisconsin Badgers, who fell behind Wake Forest 14-0 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday in Charlotte. The Badgers had two empty possessions, while the Demon Deacons put two scores on the board just 7:39 into the game.

The Badgers (4-3) settled down from there and scored 14 points in each of the next three quarters to go on and beat Wake Forest 42-28.

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman had thrown just one interception coming into the game, but he threw four picks against the Badgers, who finished the season with a two-game winning streak. The Badgers got interceptions from Noah Burks, Scott Nelson, Jack Sanborn and Collin Wilder. Sanborn finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and the pick.

Wisconsin improved to 5-1 in bowl games under coach Paul Chryst. The 42-points scored is the highest scoring output for the Badgers in a bowl game, surpassing the previous record of 38 against Utah in the 1996 Copper Bowl.

The Badgers improved to 17-15 in bowl games overall and have won 6 of their last 7 bowls, dating back to the 2014 season.

Quarterback Graham Mertz finished 11 of 17 for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a pair of 1-yard runs.

Hartman finished 20 of 37 for 318 yards and three touchdowns for Wake Forest (4-5).

Dietzen returns to Badgers

September 24, 2020 By Bill Scott

Offensive lineman Jon Dietzen started 32 games for the Wisconsin Badgers, but stepped away from the program after the 2018 season because of a number of injuries. The time away has given Dietzen new life. He’s returned to the program and is one of 113 players on the Badgers preseason training camp roster with practice kicking off on Wednesday.

Dietzen was prepared to return to the program last spring but the NCAA closed down all on-campus workouts because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dietzen (Seymour, Wisconsin) started 20 games at left guard and 12 at left tackle before leaving the program after a number of lower-body injuries.

UW has to replace center Tyler Biadasz, David Moorman and Jason Erdmann from last season and Dietzen’s return gives the Badgers more depth as well as a veteran presence on the offensive line.

Not on the training camp roster is starting safety Reggie Pearson. He started 13 of 14 games last season as a redshirt freshman and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 60.

Head coach Paul Chryst told reporters on Wednesday that Pearson is dealing with a medical condition that was discovered in the off-season. He remains enrolled in school but hasn’t been cleared to practice or play.

Pearson took over as a starter in week two last season, replacing Scott Nelson who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener against South Florida.

The Badgers will open the Big Ten season Oct. 24 against Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium.

Badgers pitch back-to-back shutouts

September 8, 2019 By Bill Scott

Jack Coan

For the second straight week, the Wisconsin Badgers pitched a shutout at their opponent, blanking Central Michigan 61-0 on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Jonathan Taylor, who scored four touchdowns in week one at South Florida, scored four more touchdowns in the week two romp over the Chippewas. Taylor finished with 102 yards and three touchdowns on 19 rushes and added three receptions for 17 yards and a receiving touchdown.

But this game belonged to junior quarterback Jack Coan. After a solid performance last week at South Florida, Coan was outstanding in the Badgers home opener. He set career highs in completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns, going 26-for-33 for 363 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions (201.2 pass efficiency rating) in his first start at Camp Randall Stadium.

Coan’s 363 yards are the 5th-highest single-game total in school history and the most by a Badgers quarterback since Tyler Donovan threw for 392 yards against Illinois on Oct. 6, 2007. Coan became the [Read more…]