Badgers still waiting on final diagnosis for RB Chez Mellusi
MADISON -- Wisconsin is still waiting to see if it has lost its leading rusher for an extended period of time.
Running back Chez Mellusi went down with what appeared to be a left knee injury against Rutgers. He limped off the field and then spent roughly 10 minutes in the injury tent before walking gingerly to the locker room. Head coach Paul Chryst said Mellusi told him that he felt something wrong a few plays prior to when he actually went down. The initial mood around the injury made it seem very serious but the Badgers haven't gotten the final prognosis.
"Last I learned from the doctors, just kind of waiting to find out exactly what it is," said Chryst when asked about Mellusi being listed as questionable on the team's status report. "You're always very hopeful that it's not as bad as what your mind sometimes takes you to, so we'll find out on that."
Mellusi leads the Badgers with 815 yards rushing and is second on the team with five touchdowns in his first season since transferring in from Clemson. The junior has provided a steadying hand for running back room that has undergone significant change this season with transfers, dismissals and injuries.
"Truly appreciate what he's brought to this team," Chryst said. "Obviously, from a production standpoint is one thing, but that’s not easy to just come in, whole new group of new teammates, new system, new place and (I) have appreciated from the get go how he's kind of come in and dove in. He’s truly an important part of this team and more than just as a player."
If Mellusi is forced to miss time, the Badgers would likely need to count on Braelon Allen even more. The 17-year-old earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor in the last three games after rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers. He has now rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the last five contests and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry in those games.
But he's banged up, too, dealing with what he called general soreness after the game Saturday. With Isaac Guerendo done for the season with an injury, Jalen Berger in the transfer portal after being dismissed from the team four weeks ago and junior Brady Schipper mainly being used in a third-down role, the Badgers options for replacing Mellusi would likely come down to sophomore Julius Davis and true freshman Jackson Acker.
Davis has battled injuries in his career and seemed destined to never get an opportunity to play. But he served a vital role on the scout team earlier in the season, earning praise from Chryst a few weeks ago. Even before Mellusi went down, Davis was involved in the game plan early with a carry on the first drive. He finished with seven touches for 32 yards and figures to see even more time against Northwestern on Saturday.
That's also possible for Acker, who came in as a running back but could also see time at fullback. He traveled with the team for the first time and ended up with three carries for 24 yards and a touchdown.
The Camp: Nov. 8, 2021
Wisconsin has won five straight games after dominating Rutgers 52-3. The guys are back from New Jersey after little to no sleep to breakdown Graham Mertz and the passing game showing signs of progress, talking about a worrisome injury in the backfield and discussing another great effort from the defense. They also talk about Wisconsin's chances to run the table, whether they can compete in the Big Ten title game and what would be considered a successful season. They finish by answering your Twitter questions.
(21) Wisconsin 52, Rutgers 3: 2-minute drill
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 21 Wisconsin played its most complete game of the season Saturday to earn a fifth straight win with a 52-3 beatdown of Rutgers at SHI Stadium.
Game Balls
Offense: Wisconsin’s passing game
The Badgers have relied on their running game in a four-game winning streak entering Saturday’s tilt and they certainly did enough of that Saturday with 305 yards. But it was the passing game coming alive for the first time in the conference season that earns the honor here.
After throwing an interception on his second pass of the game, quarterback Graham Mertz hit on 10 of his last 14 throws and three touchdowns. That included going 4-for-6 on third or fourth down with a pair of scores. The first was a pretty play-action toss to John Chenal on fourth down to make it 17-3 in the second quarter. Then, just before the half, Mertz looked to Kendric Pryor on a 50-50 ball in the end zone and the senior wide receiver came down with it for a 25-yard touchdown. Mertz finished his day off by getting the ball in Danny Davis’ hands and letting him do the rest of the work on a 72-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1457089875606269953
It was Mertz’s best game of the season and could be considered his top effort since his debut against Illinois to start the 2020 season. He finished 11-for-16 for 240 yards and none of Wisconsin’s drives ended with a punt when he was in the game.
“100-percent,” Mertz said when asked if he has been able to shrug off the up-and-down struggles of the season and seen his confidence grow. “I'm trusting my journey. I'm trying to grow every week. I’ve never let anything get to my head.”
Wisconsin finished with more than 250 yards rushing and passing for the first time in a Big Ten game since 2010 and scored 50+ points in a conference game for the first time since Paul Chryst became head coach in 2015.
“I’ve always said it, man, we know if we can utilize the run off the pass, and the pass off the run, that would make this team complete with how great our defense has been,” Davis said. “We will celebrate that tonight but understand that we want to be consistent with that and have that be our culture for the rest of our season.”
Defense: Caesar Williams
Williams made the defensive play of the game when things were at least somewhat still in doubt. The Badgers had just scored to make it 17-3 with 5:18 left in the first half. On the first snap of the ensuing drive, quarterback Noah Vedral was pressured by defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and sailed the ball towards wide receiver Shameen Jones. However, Jones was about two feet too short, with the ball instead finding the hands of Williams. He took off down the sideline for a 29-yard touchdown and the rout was on.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get many chances of the ball being thrown my way, so it was it was just capitalizing on that opportunity,” Williams said. “The hardest part of the play was just making sure I caught the ball.”
https://twitter.com/WisconsinOnBTN/status/1457085931341729797
It was one of three turnovers forced by the defense on the day and Wisconsin forced four overall. The Badgers have now produced 12 turnovers in the last three games after having four in the first six contests.
“I think causing turnovers gets contagious,” safety Collin Wilder said. “And once you get into that rhythm, I think you really start to gain that confidence as a defense that, OK, we can do this. It’s hard to explain, but once you start playing with that confidence, I mean, it truly makes a difference. We’re continuing to make it a habit throughout the week during practice and it is starting to pay off.”
Best Video
https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball/status/1457145776530931721
Best Tweets
https://twitter.com/JimPolzinWSJ/status/1457087324274188304
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They Said It
“November football is where champions are made. You have to play your best football in November. You should be playing your best football in November because you’re getting closer to the end of the season. And when November football comes, championship football follows if you handle everything the right way.”
-- Caesar Williams on trying to make November a month to remember
“One and three is definitely not the way we wanted to start the year. And we put the mentality of like, hey, we are not going to let this happen anymore. We are going to dig ourselves out of this hole we put ourselves in and you can kind of see it trending upwards. I think we're playing our best ball now and it’s the best time to do it.”
-- OL Tanor Bortolini on being 6-3 after starting the season 1-3
“No, because we were there. We felt it and we understood what that was like. How people were writing us off, people were laughing at us, saying all this stuff. I don't think people just forget that. There's still so much that we need to do, so much that we can do.”
-- LB Jack Sanborn on whether 1-3 feels like a long time ago
In Case You Missed It
-- Wisconsin lost running back Chez Mellusi to what the team called a left leg injury. It came on his 15th carry of the game and it appeared to happen when he planted his left leg and went down without being touched after an 11-yard gain. He immediately grabbed his left knee but was able to limp off the field.
Once Mellusi got to the sideline, he went into the injury tent where he stayed for an extended period. Players and coaches stopped in to check on him, including Chryst. He eventually walked gingerly to the locker room. Chryst said after that they will know more in the coming days, but it does not sound like it will be positive news for Wisconsin’s leading rusher.
-- Right guard Jack Nelson went down late in the first half but it remains unclear what exactly happened as no cameras caught the injury. Mertz threw a pass and you can see Nelson pass blocking but there is no apparent injury when the camera is on him. Center Joe Tippmann was asked afterwards what happened.
“I was looking at (Nelson) and talking to him and then I looked back at (Mertz) to make sure he was up,” Tippmann said. “I looked back and now (Nelson) was face first in the turf.”
Wisconsin usually at least gives a body part in its injury update but did not with Nelson.
-- Kickers are not just here for kicking apparently. At least Jack Van Dyke is not. The sophomore is Wisconsin’s kickoff specialist, but he also makes an effort to cover the kick as well. It is what led to him meeting former Badgers returner Aron Cruickshank in a gap on a second quarter return, making the tackle and forcing a fumble that he also recovered.
“They always want us to cover the kick whether it's a touchback or not, but I try to make an emphasis on getting down on the field and getting in some action,” said Van Dyke, who played defensive back in high school. “It was super fun to make a play today.”
Cruickshank suffered what appeared to be a right leg injury on the play.
-- Tanor Bortolini got the start at left guard, the third different position he has started a game at in his career. After the injury to Nelson, Bortolini moved to right guard in the second half, with Josh Seltzner taking over at left guard.
-- It was a game of firsts for several Badgers
Freshman RB Jackson Acker: First action, three carries, 24 yards and one touchdown
Freshman RB Grovor Bortolotti: First action, five carries, 48 yards
Freshman WR Markus Allen: First action, two catches, 24 yards, one carry for four yards
Freshman LB Jordan Turner: First career interception
Freshman S Hunter Wohler: Six tackles, first career tackle for loss
Freshman OL Riley Mahlman: First action, saw time at right tackle
-- Markus Allen was injured late in the game on his second catch. It appeared to be a lower leg injury and he needed help getting off the field.
Inside the Numbers
5 – That is how many games in a row Braelon Allen has run for at least 100 yards, the first freshman to do that since Anthony Davis in 2001. Allen had 129 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown against Rutgers. He is averaging 122.4 yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry during the streak.
7.4 – That is how many points Wisconsin is allowing during its five-game winning streak. The Badgers are also giving up just 185.6 yards per game in that stretch. Rutgers finished with only 207 yards despite facing Wisconsin’s backups for much of the second half.
4-2 – That is Wisconsin’s record in the Big Ten, leaving it tied with Minnesota, Purdue, and Iowa for first in the West Division.
What’s Next
Wisconsin (6-3, 4-2) will welcome Northwestern (3-6, 1-5) to Madison next Saturday.
Preview and Predictions: (21) Wisconsin at Rutgers
THE BASICS
The teams: The No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers (5-3, 3-2) vs the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4
The time: 2:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday
The place: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.
The TV coverage: Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and James Laurinaitis in the booth, and Rick Pizzo on the sideline.
The last time: Jonathan Taylor ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-17 win for Wisconsin in 2018.
The series: Wisconsin 3-0
The line: Wisconsin -13
THE BREAKDOWN: 4 THINGS TO WATCH
1) Here they come
Wisconsin has never made it much of a secret that it wants to run the ball down your throat, but that has especially been the case the last four weeks. The Badgers have averaged 50 carries and 263 yards per game in that stretch, which just so happens to coincide with a four-game winning streak. Nearly all that damage has come from Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen. The duo has combined for six 100-yard games, including four from Allen.
The Rutgers defense will present a challenge, though. It has allowed just two FBS teams to average better than 3.6 yards per carry and is giving up 143 yards per game on the ground. Wisconsin must account for playmaking linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi (11 TFLs) and aggressive defensive back Christian Izien (seven TFLs) to keep the train of recent success going.
2) Do it again
Georgia’s defense is probably the best in the country, but the Badgers cannot be too far behind. Over their last four games the unit is allowing 180.3 yards per game and 3.3 yards per play. For the year, no team has come close to its season average in rushing when facing Wisconsin and the group is on pace to allow the fewest rushing yards per game (49.6) in school history. It is also currently giving up just 214.6 yards overall per game, which ranks first in the country and second all-time in UW’s record book.
But what they have done in the past will not matter come Saturday and they know that. It is why you will hear defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard implore them to “do it again” after a big play, while players constantly repeat that message to themselves and their teammates on the sideline during games.
The task in front of them on Saturday is stopping a Rutgers offense that has not scored more than 20 points in Big Ten play and is averaging just 13.8 points per game against FBS teams not named Temple. Quarterback Noah Vedral has been solid (61.8%, 7 TDs, 3 INTs) and could provide a test with his feet at times. Still, the matchup sets up another opportunity for Wisconsin’s defense to dominate and continue one of the best seasons by the unit in school history.
3) Consistency from the pass game
Graham Mertz has gotten off to great starts the last three weeks but has been unable to sustain them. The quarterback started 6-for-7 against Army and finished 8-for-15. Against Purdue he went 5-for-5 and did not complete another pass over nearly the final three quarters. And against Iowa he opened 10-for-12 and then missed on nine of his last 10 attempts.
Those early numbers show progress from the redshirt sophomore and finding consistency throughout the game is the next step for him. Some of that is on Mertz, but it is also on coach Paul Chryst to determine what is working well early on and figuring out ways to keep that going even when teams adjust.
4) We meet again…maybe
Wisconsin does not have a ton of guys that are a threat to score a touchdown anytime they touch the ball, but they could potentially see one on the other sideline for Rutgers and he will be a familiar face. Wide receiver Aron Cruickshank, who spent his first two years at Wisconsin, transferred back home to the New York area prior to the 2020 season and has played a bigger role offensively for the Scarlet Knights. After catching four passes for the Badgers, he has 57 grabs and a couple of touchdowns for Rutgers, while also still being a dynamite return man (two kick returns, one punt return for TDs).
Cruickshank has not played since getting injured against Michigan State on Oct. 3 and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said it would be close as to whether he plays this week or not. If he does, you can be sure he will be a focus of Wisconsin’s defense and specials teams with his big play potential.
NUMBERS TO CONSIDER
-- Wisconsin is allowing 49.6 yards per game on the ground, which is tops in the country. If you take away the sack yardage included in that total, the Badgers would be giving up 69.8 yards per game. That number would still lead the nation.
-- Wisconsin is 3-0 against Rutgers all-time, with all those wins coming since the Scarlet Knights entered the Big Ten in 2014. In those games, the Badgers are averaging 274.7 yards per game on the ground.
-- The Badgers had a turnover margin of -11 through the first six games of the year, which was last in the country. After forcing eight turnovers and turning it over just twice in the last two games, Wisconsin is now -5. Last week’s turnover free game against Iowa snapped a streak of 12 games with at least one turnover.
ZONE PREDICTIONS
Zach Heilprin's (5-3, 3-5 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 27, Rutgers 10
Ebo's (5-3, 2-6 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Rutgers 7
Nelson Raisbeck's (4-4, 1-7 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Rutgers 10
RJ Brachman's (6-2, 3-4 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Rutgers 10
Ben Kenney's (5-3, 4-4 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 24, Rutgers 7
The Camp: Nov. 4, 2021
Wisconsin is headed to Rutgers this weekend. The guys talk about the game and give their weekend picks. They also discuss OLB Nick Herbig's development, RB coach Gary Brown's changing expectations for Braelon Allen and Paul Chryst's comments on the impact of the transfer portal on UW.
Packers: WR Davante Adams, DC Joe Barry return from COVID absences
Davante Adams is back at Lambeau Field.
The Green Bay Packers wide receiver was cleared to return after a positive COVID-19 test kept him away from the facility and out of last week's win in Arizona. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry also returned following his bout with COVID.
"We do," coach Matt LaFleur said when asked if they had both back in the building. "It's great to see those guys. They were fired up to be back. It's a huge benefit to this team."
LaFleur said Adams still must go through some aspects of the protocol before he can say for sure if he'll be able to play Sunday against Kansas City.
"We're hopeful," LaFleur said of Adams' status for the game. "There's a protocol that he's got to work through and provided he's able to do that, then he'll play."
Doubling down
The NFL is working with the Packers to determine whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers was obeying the rules unvaccinated players have to abide by inside the team facility. LaFleur was asked Wednesday whether they were following the rules and he said, "absolutely." He was pressed again on the matter Thursday and directly asked whether they gave Rodgers any breaks in having to be masked while in the facility.
"As far as the football space is concerned, I'm 100% confident," LaFleur said of them obeying the rules.
LaFleur referred to the football space as meeting rooms, walk-through spaces and everything they do inside the building. However, Rodgers has done all of his in-person availabilities in the media room in the building without a mask on, which would seemingly be against the rules. Asked if there were different rules for those availabilities, LaFleur said, "I don't pay attention to the media rules."
Reporters allowed inside Lambeau Field for those availabilities are required to be vaccinated, wear masks at all times and are tested on a weekly basis.
Blake Bortles is back
After being the lone quarterback at practice Wednesday, Jordan Love was joined by Blake Bortles on Thursday. The Packers signed the veteran to the practice squad after Rodgers and Kurt Benkert tested positive for COVID.
Bortles spent part of the offseason with Green Bay, so he's not coming into the situation completely unaware of what will be asked of him.
"Blake has a great foundation with what we have implemented," LaFleur said. "He's been in our building, he knows how to get us fully operational. He was, by far, the logical choice to bring back here."
QB Aaron Rodgers tests positive for COVID-19, Packers reportedly signing Blake Bortles
The Green Bay Packers will be without Aaron Rodgers for Sunday's game against Kansas City and potentially next week's game against Seattle.
As first reported by the NFL Network, the reigning NFL MVP tested positive for COVID-19. Because he is considered unvaccinated by the NFL, Rodgers will be forced to miss at least 10 days. The earliest he could return would be Nov. 13, the day before the Packers are scheduled to host the Seahawks. To return at that point, he must be asymptomatic and test negative twice within 24 hours.
Rodgers was asked in late August if he had been vaccinated and he replied, "Yeah, I've been immunized." He went on to say, "There's guys on the team who haven't been vaccinated. I think it's a personal decision, and I'm not going to judge those guys."
However, according to the NFL Network, Rodgers is not vaccinated. The network said he attempted to get the NFL to consider him vaccinated after he underwent homeopathic treatments with his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels. After consultation between the NFL, the NFL Players Association and a joint team of medical and health advisors, the petition was denied. The league has considered him unvaccinated throughout the season.
Unvaccinated players are treated differently than vaccinated players, including having to wear masks or PPE when inside the facility at all times.
"In our building? Absolutely," coach Matt LaFleur said when asked if rules were being followed in the building. "I can only speak to our football space, but yeah, absolutely. We've got cameras everywhere. I think our guys do an outstanding job with it. It's unfortunate and it's not like this thing can't happen to anybody. It's happened to a lot of people outside of this building."
There are also significant restrictions on activities outside of football for unvaccinated players, including not being in groups of more than three other players. Rodgers has been photographed multiple times in the last few months spending time with other players outside the facility, including a game night with Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, David Bakhtiari, Marcedes Lewis and their significant others. He also celebrated Bakhtiari's 30th birthday party with teammates and most recently took part in a Halloween party that included quite a few players.
The NFL released a statement late in the afternoon on the situation.
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1455999949037084680
With Rodgers out, and practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert also testing positive, the only healthy quarterback on the roster is Jordan Love. The second-year quarterback was at the Halloween party, too, but so far has not tested positive. The Packers will be holding their breath that he doesn't and he'll be able to make his first career start. Whether he's ready for the bright lights remains to be seen.
"We'll find out, right?" LaFleur said. "I know he's been working hard everyday."
Love was the only quarterback on the practice field Wednesday but that is expected to change. ESPN was the first to report that Blake Bortles is going to be signed to the team's practice squad and will be eligible to be elevated to the active roster for Sunday. Bortles spent a few weeks during the offseason program with the Packers.
Wisconsin comes in at No. 21 in initial CFP rankings
The Wisconsin football team's hope of making a run to the College Football Playoff likely ended on the turf at Soldier Field in a blowout loss to Notre Dame in late September. If that did not extinguish the possibility, another underwhelming effort the following week against Michigan certainly did.
Yet when the playoff selection committee revealed the first rankings of the season Tuesday, there the Badgers were at No. 21 -- the second-highest ranked 3-loss team. Under no scenario will Wisconsin find itself among the top four at the end of the season, but the ranking is a recognition of what the team has accomplished since getting housed by the Wolverines.
The Badgers have won four straight games, including back-to-back wins over teams ranked in the AP Top 25, the latest being last week's dominating 27-7 win over then-No. 9 Iowa. The winning streak has them sitting a game back of Minnesota in the Big Ten West and clearly in contention for a fourth division title in Paul Chryst's seven years as coach.
Wisconsin's ranking is also a boon for the likes of the Wolverines and Fighting Irish. At 7-1, Michigan comes in at No. 7 in the first rankings, while 7-1 Notre Dame is at No. 10. The only losses for the two teams are to opponents -- Michigan State and Cincinnati -- that are ranked ahead of them at this point. Those are good losses, but the committee also pointed to the wins over Wisconsin -- the only top-25 victories for either team -- as signature wins.
https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1455687195201781764
The Badgers could very well play a pivotal role down the stretch for those two teams, along with Ohio State or Michigan State. If Wisconsin wins out, including a victory over a Minnesota team ranked No. 20 in the initial poll, the team will likely face the Buckeyes or Spartans in the Big Ten title game. For a one-loss Ohio State team, a win over what would be a 9-3 Badgers squad could make all the difference in the committee's mind when comparing teams on selection day.
Packers release LB Jaylon Smith, LS Hunter Bradley
The Green Bay Packers made a number of roster moves Tuesday, though none included acquiring a player prior to the trade deadline at 3 p.m.
News broke in the early afternoon that the Jaylon Smith era with the Packers had come to an end. The team released the linebacker after he played just 27 snaps over two games and was inactive last week against Arizona.
As a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019 after overcoming a horrific leg injury suffered in his final college game at Notre Dame. He given a contract extension prior to the 2019 season but his play had fallen off the last two seasons and he was cut by the Cowboys earlier this year.
With the Packers, Smith seemed a step slow and finished with just one tackle.
https://twitter.com/RobDemovsky/status/1455588385943326721
The move could also be in preparation for activating wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling from injured reserve, Davante Adams from the reserve/COVID-19 list and left tackle David Bakhtiari from the physically unable to perform list. Releasing Smith leaves them at 50 players on the active roster and three spots open. Valdes-Scantling, Adams and Bakhtiari all could return in time for Sunday's game at Kansas City.
Meanwhile, the Packers are moving on from long snapper Hunter Bradley. A 2018 seventh-round pick, Bradley was cut with Steven Wirtel being signed off the practice squad as a replacement.
The team also signed former Houston defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson to the practice squad. Linebacker Aaron Adeoye was released from the practice squad to make room.
The Camp: Nov. 1, 2021
Wisconsin has beaten ranked teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2017. The guys discuss the latest, a 27-7 win over No. 9 Iowa in which the defense dominated, Braelon Allen topped 100 yards again and Graham Mertz did enough. They also talk about how The Grit Factory started, Collin Wilder's comments on transfers, play some 'Overreaction or No' and answer your Twitter questions.
