After Week 1, we learned that Head Coach Luke Fickell of the Wisconsin Badgers has a new tradition. He recognized his players of the game each win, and the Badgers defeated Purdue in Week 4 of the season.
Players of the Game vs. Purdue
👐 Offense | @t_mordecai
👐 Defense | @james_jr56
👐 Special Teams | @chimdk11 + @nathanial_vakos #OnWisconsin | #TEAM pic.twitter.com/P3Ib8lGKcT— Luke Fickell (@CoachFick) September 27, 2023
Offensive Player of the Week for the Wisconsin Badgers
This week, Luke Fickell gave props to the Badgers QB1 in Tanner Mordecai. Mordecai is a Redshirt Senior who transferred to Wisconsin after playing for SMU. Against Purdue, Mordecai led the offensive charge, going 17 for 24 while passing for 174 yards. The kicker here is that Mordecai was able to punch in two touchdowns rushing, carrying for 44 yards on the day.
Defensive Player of the Week
James Thompson Jr, a RedShirt Junior, had himself a day on the defensive side of the ball. He had 6 solo tackles, 2 of which were for a loss, and that dropped the Boilermakers back 11 total yards. He even recorded a sack on the day for 3 yards. He’s put up 11 tackles and 3 sacks across the 4 games the Wisconsin Badgers have played.
#Wisconsin DL James Thompson Jr. is a dominant force on the Badgers defensive line. Added another sack against Purdue, aligning as a one-tech to get home, then as a 3-tech, using his swim move to make the TFL on the goalline.
Putting together a nice 2023 season so far w/3 sacks. pic.twitter.com/MdOORiSvOg
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) September 26, 2023
Special Teams Players of the Week
It’s hard not to recognize the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week in Nathanial Vakos for his kicking efforts. The interesting choice for Luke Fickell is to have him split the honors with another player in Chimere Dike. While Vakos put up three field goals for the Wisconsin Badgers, with his longest being 48 yards, Chimere Dike added two punt returns for a total of 73 yards. He also added three catches on offense with 67 yards, making him plenty versatile for Luke Fickell to deploy.
