Wisconsin 27, South Dakota 13: 2-minute drill

September 7, 2024
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

MADISON — Wisconsin got two touchdowns from Chez Mellusi to hold off a game South Dakota squad 27-13 on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Play of the Game

This is more of a sequence of the game than a single play. After Vinny Anthony fumbled a punt midway through the third quarter, giving the ball back to South Dakota inside the Badgers 10-yard line and trailing just 17-10, the defense stepped up. Wisconsin forced incompletions on the first two plays only to see linebacker Jake Chaney get ejected for targeting. That gave the Coyotes first-and-goal again but they went backwards from there, including on a third-down sack by Elijah Hills. South Dakota settled for a field goal and it would be their final scoring chance of the day.

Game Balls

Offense:

RB Cade Yacamelli — The forgotten man at running back, Yacamelli ran for a career-high 73 yards on just eight carries. It included the longest rushing play of the season so far, a 29-yard scamper in the first half. Yacamelli finished with 86 total yards on the afternoon.

WR CJ Williams — The USC transfer found the end zone for the first time in his college career, doing so on a beautifully designed RPO that saw him wide open for a 50-yard score. He nearly had a second one on a quick screen in the fourth quarter. He finished with two grabs for 53 yards.

Defense:

DL Elijah Hills — Following the loss of James Thompson Jr before the season, the Badgers needed someone to step up along the defensive line to provide some pressure on the quarterback. It hasn’t been consistent, but Hills has flashed. He had the one sack against Western Michigan and followed it up with another in a key situation on Saturday. The senior also had another tackle for loss.

LB Tackett Curtis — With Chaney forced to the sideline in the third quarter due to a targeting penalty, Curtis stepped into a more prominent role next to Jaheim Thomas at inside linebacker. The USC transfer delivered what the Badgers needed, accounting for five tackles — three solo — and a .5 tackle for loss. With Chaney forced to miss the first half next week, Curtis figures to slide into a starting role.

What Went Right

Explosive plays

The Badgers longest pass play in the opener was 17 yards and the longest rush was 12. They had three passing plays of more than that in the first quarter, with completions of 32 to Anthony, 22 to Bryson Green and the 50-yard to Williams. Will Pauling would add a 21-yard catch-and-run in the second half. On the ground, Yacamelli broke off runs of 29, 14 and 11.

What Went Wrong

Gashed in the run game

The run defense was a concern last season, was a major concern coming into this season and it remains as such after South Dakota had its way at times on the ground. That included a 4-play drive — all runs — where the Coyotes went 75 yards in just 2:22 for a touchdown early in the third quarter. There was plenty of over-pursuing and missed tackles. Take away Wisconsin’s three sacks, and South Dakota averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

What They Said

Luke Fickell continues to be displeased with the rules around targeting after Chaney and South Dakota’s Dennis Shorter were ejected Saturday:

“We’re wrong in college football to throw kids out of games. I mean, (the Western Michigan) kid gets thrown out of the game last week, the (South Dakota) kid got thrown out of the game this week. I’m not just saying that because Jake Chaney got thrown out of the game. We try to adopt all these things that the NFL does, but yet we throw out kids that get 12 guaranteed games for things that aren’t malicious. I’m not saying that taking the head (hits) out of the game is not what we need to do. Penalize us and things like that, but to throw kids out of the game, I think it’s the wrong thing. I’ve said that for a couple years. They don’t listen.”

In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin was without running back Tawee Walker. The Oklahoma transfer got injured early against Western Michigan in Week 1 but returned in the second half only to miss Saturday’s game.

— Freshman cornerback Xavier Lucas suffered a leg injury in the third quarter when he slipped and hit his leg on a concrete wall behind the south end zone. He was unable to return.

— Wisconsin linebacker Jake Chaney was called for targeting in the third quarter after delivering a hit to the midsection of a South Dakota receiver. The senior was ejected and will miss the first half of next week’s game against Alabama.

— Several more freshmen earned playing time against South Dakota. That included highly-touted running backs Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones. Each got carries on the final drive of the game, with Dupree running for 24 yards on six touches and Jones running for 14 yards on four carries.

Inside the Numbers

2-0 — That is Wisconsin’s record. It’s the first time the Badgers have been 2-0 since 2020

214 — That is how many yards quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for. He tossed on touchdown, completed 63-percent of his passes and didn’t turn the ball over

7-14 — That is what Wisconsin went on third down. The Badgers are now 17-for-30 on third down this season.

2-2 — That is what Wisconsin is on fourth down this year after Chez Mellusi scored from 1-yard out in the fourth quarter. The Badgers converted just 5 of 20 chances last season.

2 — That’s how many touchdowns Mellusi had on the day. He now had three on the season and 14 in his Wisconsin career. Mellusi finished with 60 yards on 16 carries.

50 — That was the distance of Nathanial Vakos’ third-quarter field goal. It was his second-longest FG at Wisconsin and he improved to 4-for-5 on the season.

46.5 — That is what punter Atticus Bertrams averaged on four punts. That included a 53-yarder and another that he dropped inside the 20-yard line.

What’s Next

Wisconsin (2-0) welcomes No. 4 Alabama (2-0) to Camp Randall Stadium next Saturday. Kick is at 11 a.m.