It was a tough second game for the Wisconsin Football team. After a brutal performance in the first half that saw the Badgers trail 24-6, they picked it up in the second half and got as close as 24-22. However, the comeback feel short as Wisconsin fell to Washington State 31-22.
The Badgers are now 1-1 on the the young season. It was a tale of two halves. Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this game.
Turnovers Were The Story Again
There were so many similarities from this game last year in Madison. Like last year, Wisconsin Football out-gained Wazzu both in the air and on the ground.
What was the difference last year and last night? Turnovers. Wisconsin had five turnovers in these two match-ups. Washington State? Zero.
Tanner Mordecai fumbled twice last year, both because left tackle Jack Nelson was beat badly on pass rushes. Neither was Mordecai’s fault. Chez Mellusi has had a key fumble in the fourth quarter. To say it best: that was a questionable call.
Wisconsin was on the wrong end of that fumble and two potential safeties. While it looked like the officiating crew got those calls wrong, Washington State took better care of the ball. That’s what ultimately decided this game.
The Wisconsin Football Defense Adjusted After a Bad First Quarter
It was ugly right away for the Wisconsin defense. Quarterback Cam Ward and the Wazzu offense did whatever they wanted to early. A big reason why was defensive coordinator Mike Tressel choosing to only rush three on most plays.
That’s the problem a player like Ward possesses. Rush few and you make your secondary work longer than they should. Rush many and he can escape the pocket. It was also apparent the Badger defense was bothered by the uptempo pace from the Cougars.
However, give Tressel and this defense credit. They only gave up 10 points after Wazzu’s second touchdown early in the second quarter. They got to Ward more often and made him more uncomfortable. When UW needed a stop in the second half, they stepped up.
Tanner Mordecai Was Better
I said earlier in the week Tanner Mordecai had to be better this week then the Buffalo game. Again, the fumbles go down on his stats, but it wasn’t his fault. Still, he’s had four turnovers in his first two games at UW. Going forward, that has to be better.
Tanner Mordecai just made a big time NFL level throw. Wow.
— Vince Biegel (@VinceBiegel) September 10, 2023
I thought Mordecai threw the ball downfield better and with conviction. He didn’t have any interceptions and ended the day 25-40 for 278 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass to Skyer Bell was an NFL caliber throw as well. It wasn’t a fantastic game, but he played well enough to put UW in a spot to win this game.
This Team Didn’t Fold At Halftime
I’m not a big believer in moral victories. There’s a good chance most of you are not either. However, credit Luke Fickell and this Wisconsin Football team for not throwing in the towel at half. Nothing was going their way and you could see how frustrated they were.
Under Paul Chryst, this is probably a different story. This got ugly fast, but UW weathered the storm and was the better team in the second half and it wasn’t close. Wazzu is a tough place to play and it was one of the biggest home games in recent memory for that fan base. They didn’t disappoint.
For a new staff and new team, that’s a tall task to go on the road in a hostile environment this early in the season. This should help the Badgers once Big Ten play comes around. It’s not the result we wanted, but it’s a good learning experience moving forward.
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