Wisconsin outlast Illinois 25-21

POSTGAME NOTES
WISCONSIN 25, ILLINOIS 21 – OCT. 21, 2023 – MEMORIAL STADIUM – CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
TEAM NOTES
• Today’s captains: senior WR Chimere Dike, senior QB Tanner Mordecai, senior ILB Maema Njongmeta, senior OLB Marty Strey.
• UW came back to win after trailing 21-7 in the third quarter. The comeback marked Wisconsin’s first 14-point comeback since erasing a 14-0 first quarter deficit vs. Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2020.
o The second-half 14-point comeback was UW’s first since a win over Purdue on Nov. 17, 2018. Wisconsin trailed 13-27 in the 4th and won 47-44 in OT.
o The last time the Badgers won in regulation after trailing by 14 in the second half in a Big Ten game was Oct. 2, 1982 at Purdue. Wisconsin trailed 24-10 in the third quarter and won 35-31.
• Wisconsin improved to 2-0 in Big Ten road games this season. The Badgers have won their first two conference road games in two of the last three seasons (2021, at Illinois and at Purdue).
• With UW’s victory, HC Luke Fickell has not lost back-to-back regular season games since 2017, his first year at Cincinnati. He’s won 8 consecutive regular season games coming off losses.
• UW has now won 12 of its last 14 meetings with the Fighting Illini, dating back to 2008.
• The Badgers have won 6 of the last 7 matchups in Champaign, dating to 2011.
• Since Illinois’ 6-game win streak ended with a 35-10 Badger victory in 1993, UW owns a 21-5-1 record in the all-time series.
• Wisconsin improved to 42-13 (.764) vs. the Big Ten West since the league moved to its current divisions in 2014. That is the top mark in the conference, ahead of Iowa’s record of 38-19 (.667).
• UW forced a three-and-out in Illinois first drive. The Badgers have forced three-and-outs on the opponents’ first drive in 3 of the last 4 games.
• Wisconsin converted 10-of-17 (58.9%) on third downs, marking the third time in the last four games converting at least 50%.
• The Badgers held Illinois to 100 yards passing after entering the game allowing just 150.0 passing yards during conference play, which ranked 8th nationally.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• QB Braedyn Locke made his first collegiate start, throwing for 240 yards and 2 TDs on 21-of-41 passing.
o Locke’s 240 yards are the 5th-most by a Badgers QB in his starting debut, trailing Graham Mertz (248 vs. Illinois in 2020), Russell Wilson (255 vs. UNLV in 2011), Scott Tolzien (257 vs. Northern Illinois in 2009) Jim Sorgi (243 vs. Purdue in 2000).
• RB Braelon Allen ran for 145 yards and 1 TD, while matching his career high with 29 carries. Allen also caught 2 passes for 16 yards.
o 56 of Allen’s 145 yards came in the fourth quarter, converting 4 first downs.
o Allen collected his 19th-career 100+ yard rushing performance, more than any other active Power 5 RB in the country.
o Allen posted his 16th-career 100+ yard, 1+ TD game. That’s more than any active P5 player in college football.
o In each of UW’s last 20 wins, dating back to early 2021, Allen has run for 80+ yards. Allen has gone over 100 yards rushing in 17 of those 20 wins.
o Allen now has 3,214 career rushing yards, passing Corey Clement for 13th place on Wisconsin’s all-time chart.
WISCONSIN CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
Rk. Player, years Yards
1. Ron Dayne, 1996-99 7,125
12. Alan Ameche, 1951-54 3,345
13. Braelon Allen, 2021-present 3,214
14. Corey Clement, 2013-16 3,092
15. Larry Emery, 1983-86 2,979
• WR Will Pauling made 7 catches for a career-high 95 yards and his first-career touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Braedyn Locke in the fourth quarter.
o Pauling has 26 catches through 4 Big Ten games. He entered the game tied for the Big Ten lead with 6.3 catches per game in conference play.
o Pauling is the first Badger to record 60+ receiving yards in 3 straight games since Quintez Cephus in 2019.
• TE Riley Nowakowski made a catch for 14 yards and a first down in the first quarter, his first catch of his career. He also hauled in a 2-point conversion pass from Braedyn Locke in the fourth quarter.
• WR Skyler Bell hauled in a season-high 53 yards receiving on 4 catches. His 30-yard catch to set up the game-winning drive was also his longest reception of the season.
• OL Nolan Rucci scored the game-winning touchdown on a 3-yard grab from Braedyn Locker with 27 seconds remaining.
o Rucci is the first Badger offensive lineman to score a touchdown since Michael Deiter scored a 4-yard TD on a backward pass at Illinois on Oct. 28, 2017.
• S Hunter Wohler matched his career-high with 13 tackles.
o Wohler now has 4 10+ tackle performances this season. He entered the game ranked 2nd in the Big Ten with 9.5 tackles per game this season.
• ILB Maema Njongmeta matched his career high and posted a season-high 12 tackles. He added 2.0 tackles for loss including his second sack of the season.
• LB C.J. Goetz tallied a career-high 10 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss.
• CB Nyzier Fourqurean returned to action after missing time due to injury. He notched 4 tackles, broke up a pass and recorded a TFL, the first of his Badger career.
• ILB Jack Chaney recorded 8 tackles, the second-highest mark of his career, trailing only the 11 tackles he made vs. Iowa last weekend.
• S Preston Zachman posted 8 tackles, giving him 17 over the last 2 games.
• OLB Darryl Peterson equaled his career high with 5 tackles while adding 1.5 sacks. Peterson now leads the team with 3.5 sacks on the season.
• K Nathanial Vakos connected on a 41-yard FG, pushing his season mark to 11-for-12. Vakos is 10-for-10 this season on FGs of fewer than 50 yards.