Wisconsin 20, Army 14: 2-minute drill

October 17, 2021
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

MADISON — Wisconsin held off an upset minded Army squad Saturday night with a 20-14 at Camp Randall Stadium.

Game Balls

Offense: Braelon Allen

The true freshman continued to show his worth Saturday night, running for 108 yards on 16 carries. It was his second straight 100-yard game, and he provided the Badgers with their first touchdown of the night. It came on a 95-yard drive in which Allen had seven carries for 72 yards. His 33-yard score was designed to be a run up the gut, but he saw Army converge on the middle of the line, so he bounced it outside and outran the defense for the touchdown.

Allen and Chez Mellusi (66 yards) each carried the ball 16 times, but the former was a lot more productive. It may be time to hand the Fond du Lac product a bigger workload moving forward.

Defense: Leo Chenal

Chenal played like a man possessed Saturday night. It felt like he spent half the game wrapped around the Army quarterbacks, finishing with 17 tackles, including eight solo stops. Multiple times he sliced between the center and guard right at the snap to ensnare the quarterback almost at the same time he got the ball. It led to 2.5 of Wisconsin’s five tackles for loss on the night. But he saved his best play for when Wisconsin needed it most.

With the Badgers leading 13-7 late in the fourth quarter, Army got the ball back with a chance to win. But on a first down play, Chenal recovered from a cut block to hit quarterback Jabari Laws, forcing the ball loose. The Badgers were able to get on top of it and would score the next play.

It was just the fourth forced turnover by Wisconsin this season and it proved to be the biggest play of the game.

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In Case You Missed It

— Former Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun served as the honorary captain. Baun’s New Orleans Saints are on a bye this weekend.

— Wisconsin pulled out a fake punt in the second quarter. Facing fourth-and-1 on their side of the field, the Badgers served up a direct snap to linebacker Jack Sanborn, who rumbled for eight yards and a first down. Wisconsin would go on to score on the drive.

— Sanborn would also make a huge play to seal the game, holding on to an onside kick. The senior said he actually juggled the ball in the same situation in practice this week but told everyone he would make the play on Saturday. He was right.

Inside the Numbers

4 – That is how many catches tight end Jake Ferguson had. They went for 58 yards and all of them resulted in first downs. Ferguson had a total of four catches in the last three games combined.

2 – That is how many catches wide receiver Danny Davis had. He turned that into 48 yards, including a 36-yard grab on a jump ball. Davis had not touched the ball in either of the last two games.

198 – That is how many yards Wisconsin ran for as a team. Army came in allowing 54 yards per game, the second fewest in the country.

1 – That is how many turnovers Wisconsin had. The Badgers have had at least one turnover in 11 straight games. Graham Mertz accounted for the turnover Saturday with a first quarter fumble. It was his 10th turnover this season.

80 — That’s how many yards Wisconsin’s offense had in the second half. Army outgained them by 138 yards after halftime.

13 — That’s how many Power 5 teams Army has played since Jeff Monken took over in 2015. This is the 8th time the game has been decided by single digits.

What’s Next

Wisconsin (3-3, 1-2) will hit the road to face Purdue (4-2, 2-1), which is coming off an upset of No. 2 Iowa.