Wisconsin routs New Mexico State 66-7
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The Wisconsin Badgers came into Saturday's matchup against New Mexico State as the overwhelming favorites despite coming off a tough loss the week previous against Washington State.
On an afternoon filled with Wisconsin touchdowns, the Badgers would get back on track to improve to 2-1 on the season with a 59-point win over the Aggies.
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Game Recap
Wisconsin would get off to a hot start as senior running back Isaac Guerendo took the opening kickoff back 50 yards to give the Badgers the football at midfield to begin the game. From there, Wisconsin would only need three plays to reach the end zone. Braelon Allen finished the drive with a 39-yard touchdown run to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
On the next drive, despite a roughing the passer penalty on Keeanu Benton, the Wisconsin defense would hold New Mexico State and get the ball back after forcing a punt.
After not throwing the ball at all on their first drive, Graham Mertz would get things going through the air, connecting with Hayden Rucci to pick up a couple of quick first downs. However, Mertz would miss Chimere Dike on a third-down pass, and the Badgers would choose to punt near the 50-yard line.
Freshman cornerback Ricardo Hallman would get the ball right back for the Badgers on a beautiful one-handed interception, but Wisconsin would proceed to go three-and-out on their next drive. Braelon Allen missed a crucial third-down block that led to a Mertz sack on third down.
The Badgers would have another chance with the ball a few minutes later after a defensive stand and the running game was able to find its rhythm with some changes along the offensive line. Assistant coach Bob Bostad would turn to right guard Tanor Bortolini and insert Trey Wedig at right tackle, and as a result, Wisconsin would go 63 yards on seven plays to take a 14-0 lead seconds into the second quarter.
The Wisconsin defense would waste little time getting the ball back, and a pair of New Mexico State penalties moved the Badgers back into scoring position. Quarterback Graham Mertz then led the offense on a quick scoring drive, going a perfect three-for-three on pass attempts to Chimere Dike, Jackson Acker, and finishing the drive off with an 18-yard strike to wide receiver Keontez Lewis for a touchdown. The catch was the first career touchdown for Lewis and gave the Badgers a three-touchdown advantage early in the second quarter.
Moments later, the Wisconsin defense would force another turnover. Inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta came up with an interception deep in New Mexico State territory. Two plays later Braelon Allen dove into the end zone, and just like that, the Wisconsin lead was up to 28.
After the Wisconsin defense came up with another quick stop, Graham Mertz delivered a 37-yard throw to Skyler Bell to move the Badgers into field goal range. Consecutive runs by Chez Mellusi would then give way to running back Braelon Allen, who found the end zone for his third touchdown of the game. That short-yardage rush would make it 35-0, Wisconsin.
The Badgers would have another scoring chance on the next drive after Graham Mertz found tight end Clay Cundiff for a big 47-yard gain, but Mertz was intercepted moments later on a tipped pass.
For the first time in the game, New Mexico State would string together multiple first downs on the following drive. The Aggies had five plays of ten or more yards to move the ball down into scoring position, but in the end, kicker Ethan Albertson missed a 29-yard field goal try late in the second quarter. The Wisconsin Badgers would opt to kneel the ball with only eight seconds remaining in the first half to take a 35-0 edge into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, New Mexico State would receive the second-half kickoff. After picking up a first down on a 12-yard run by Jamoni Jones, the Wisconsin defense came up with a big third-down stop to get the ball back at their own 18-yard line after an Aggies punt.
Graham Mertz would only need five plays on the next drive to get the Badgers back into the end zone. The junior quarterback found freshman wide receiver Skyler Bell on the sideline to beat the New Mexico State zone, and Bell would make a shifty move in the open field to take it 49-yards for a touchdown and make it a 42-point lead.
A partially blocked punt by Wisconsin cornerback Max Lofy set the Badgers up with great field position moments later, as New Mexico State could not generate anything on offense.
Graham Mertz would then orchestrate a four-play drive. The junior quarterback first found Chimere Dike for a 28-yard gain, and then delivered a beauty to Skyler Bell for a touchdown in the corner of the end zone. The touchdown throw was the third of the day for Mertz and the second touchdown reception for Bell.
Another quick punt by New Mexico State would give the Badgers the ball back. Wisconsin brought in freshman quarterback Myles Burkett, but the result was still the same. Burkett was a perfect 3-for-3 on the drive and moved the ball down the field to set up a two-yard rushing touchdown for Isaac Guerendo. The drive was eight plays in length and Burkett threw for 63 yards.
Third-string quarterback Deacon Hill came in on the next offensive series for Wisconsin. The drive was short-lived as Hill was sacked on third down.
However, the Wisconsin defense would not stop there. Reserve linebacker Jake Chaney would proceed to come up with another interception for the defense.
Third string-running back Isaac Guerendo would take advantage, finding the end zone for a second time. The senior tailback had a 30-yard touchdown run, to make it a 63-0 game.
New Mexico State would answer with a drive of their own against the third-team defense though to give the Aggies their first points of the day. Cutting the deficit to 63-7.
Wisconsin would answer with a field goal on the next drive, and in the end, wound up winning 66-7.
Players of the game
- Braelon Allen (RB) - Wisconsin
While Braelon Allen did not eclipse the 100-yard mark, he did find the end zone three times against New Mexico State. The sophomore tailback had a 39-yard scamper to open the scoring for Wisconsin, and he was dominant in the red zone. Overall, Allen had 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 yards per carry) to go along with the three touchdowns. Three Wisconsin running backs ran for over 70 yards.
- Jake Chaney (LB) - Wisconsin
Wisconsin linebacker Jake Chaney had a big game with some extra opportunities. The sophomore had a big interception in the fourth quarter and also had a tackle for loss. Overall, he finished with four total tackles. Starting inside linebacker Maema Njonmeta also had an interception during the contest and deserves mention.
- Skyler Bell (WR) - Wisconsin
Skyler Bell had a break-out performance on Saturday. The redshirt freshman receiver had his first career touchdown in the game and also went over the century mark for the first time in a Wisconsin uniform. Bell finished the game with four receptions, 108 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. All three were team-highs.
- Ricardo Hallman (CB) - Wisconsin
Redshirt freshman cornerback Ricardo Hallman had the play of the day against New Mexico State with a tremendous one-handed interception early on. The Florida native was great in man coverage all game long, and that highlight reel interception was a thing of beauty.
- Graham Mertz (QB) - Wisconsin
Outside of an interception on a tipped pass, Graham Mertz was phenomenal against New Mexico State. The junior signal-caller had three touchdown throws and finished the game with an efficient 12-of-15 for 251 yards stat line. He spread the ball around to six different targets and did a great job of pushing the ball down the field with several chunk plays of 20+ yards.
- Myles Burkett (QB) - Wisconsin
While all of his snaps came when the game was already out of hand, true freshman quarterback Myles Burkett played well as the backup. He came in and helped lead the offense to multiple scoring drives and he was accurate when he was asked to throw the football. The moment was not too big for him and he ended up throwing for 84 yards on five attempts. This was an important opportunity for Burkett to earn experience, and he made the most of his chances.
Photos of the Game
Up next
The Wisconsin Badgers will head to Columbus next weekend for a tough road matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game will be aired on ABC and kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
Related links:
- Live game updates: Wisconsin versus New Mexico State
- Recruiting visitors for Wisconsin/New Mexico State
- Wisconsin offers 2024 in-state offensive lineman Nathan Roy
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