All offseason, Wisconsin Badgers fans have been waiting to see the new-look offense instituted by head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo. For decades, the Badgers have been known as a run first team that had very little to offer in terms of a passing offense. Under the new regime, the expected “Air Raid” offense was hyped up because it would bring the Badgers into the modern era of college football.
However, it was the running game that, once again, led Wisconsin to its opening weekend victory on Saturday. Running backs Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi combined for 298 rushing yards (the Badgers combined for 314 rushing yards altogether) in their 38-17 victory over the Buffalo Bulls.
It is just one game, and the first game at that. The fireworks of the new passing game will come; but the three-score win did not feel like the blowout it was for much of the game.
3 Studs for the #19 Wisconsin Badgers in Win Over Buffalo
1. Running Back Braelon Allen
It is a foregone conclusion that running back Braelon Allen is heading for the NFL after the 2023 season. He sure made his case to be an early round pick with his performance against Buffalo on Saturday. While the passing game struggled to find a rhythm, Allen bullied the defense for hard-fought yardage and big gains.
He finished the day with 141 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. Allen also had 25 receiving yards while leading Wisconsin with seven receptions.
One of the things that Allen is adept at that often goes unnoticed is his pass blocking. On one particular play when Mordecai was rushed, Allen leveled a linebacker who was in pursuit. Mordecai was sacked by a second player that had gotten through, but Allen put his man on the ground.
2. Running Back Chez Mellusi
The biggest play of the day came in the third quarter when running back Chez Mellusi broke a 89-yard run for a touchdown. The game had been close at halftime, with the Badgers leading 14-10. After forcing the Bulls to punt, Wisconsin was pinned inside their own 20-yard line.
It didn’t matter. Mellusi torched the defense on multiple levels and put Wisconsin up 21-10. It was the breakout moment of the game that opened the floodgates for Wisconsin’s scoring.
Mellusi finished the day with 157 rushing yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.
3. Safety Hunter Wohler
To put it plainly: it was not a good day for the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense. Yes, they only allowed 17 points; but they would have given up much more if not for the downfield heroics of safety Hunter Wohler.
Wohler led the team with 11 total tackles (10 solo) and saved multiple plays from being bigger gains than they were.
The junior safety is certainly seeing a bigger role on defense than he had in any of his first two seasons at Wisconsin. In 2021, he tallied 17 total tackles the whole year. Last season, he had a grand total of 21.
3 Duds for the #19 Wisconsin Badgers in Win Over Buffalo
1. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai
One of Fickell’s biggest transfer portal recruitments (and there were many big adds) was quarterback Tanner Mordecai. Over the last two seasons at SMU, Mordecai threw for 72 touchdown passes, the most in school history. When he arrived in Madison, many expected that high level of play to continue.
It still might over the course of the season, but Mordecai struggled against Buffalo. As mentioned, Braelon Allen led the team in receptions with seven. This was because Mordecai opted to the checkdown option very quickly.
He also struggled taking care of the football. Mordecai three two interceptions while completing 24 of 31 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown.
At the end of the day, it was just another typical Badgers quarterback game, and that is not what Wisconsin fans expected.
2. Wide Receiver Skyler Bell
While Mordecai did not have a great day, his day may have looked a whole lot better had wide receiver Skyler Bell not dropped a beautiful deep throw that would have undoubtedly been a touchdown. It was reminiscent of when Christian Watson dropped a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers in Week One of the Green Bay Packers 2022 season against the Minnesota Vikings.
It felt like neither player was able to recover from the missed opportunity. Bell finished with three catches for 14 yards (on six targets).
3. The Middle of the Defense
Previously mentioned were the expectations Badgers fans had for Tanner Mordecai after he chose Wisconsin. Another thing that fans have come to expect is a hard-hitting tough defense led by former defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
It is just the first game, so no long-term conclusion can be drawn right away; but the defense did not have its typical hard-hitting toughness. Buffalo had several big plays, particularly up the middle, that did not usually happen in years previous.
That being said, Keanu Benton left for the NFL and Wisconsin’s defense is a work in progress replacing him (and Nick Herbig).
There were also some positives that the defense can build upon. First, they only gave up 17 points and may have been less if not for Mordecai’s interceptions. They also were stout on third down, forcing Buffalo to punt seven times.
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