Wisconsin fans have waited impatiently for the return of the running game, and with the return of star running back Corey Clement, they got it and thensome as the junior running back piled up three touchdowns en route to the Badgers’ 48-10 victory over Rutgers.
Clement had just eight carries coming in to this game,all in the opener against Alabama. He missed the next seven games with a groin injury that turned out to be a sports hernia, but from his first touch on it was clear Clement, and the Badgers offense everyone was used to seeing, was back.
He finished the day with 115 yards on 11 carries in leading the Badgers rushing attack back to the promised land.
It started early for Clement, who took his third carry of the game 12 yards off tackle and up the field quickly for his first touchdown of the season.
Clement followed that up with a 21-yard burst in the second quarter and then powered one home from just one-yard out in the third.
Getting to the end zone with the run game was never a problem without Clement, but the ability to do so from anywhere not inside the 5-yard line was. The junior running back showed that there was more missing than the offensive line with his overall play.
Clement showed the burst that this offense was missing, as he broke free from an ankle tackle or two to bust a 57-yard run in the third quarter. However, he clearly wasn’t up to game speed in the open field as he was caught from behind inside the 5-yard line.
Quarterback Joel Stave’s performance also helped a lot, as he worked the UW offense down the field with ease for most of the day.
No drive demonstrated that better than the final drive of the first half, as Stave took the Badgers from their own 30-yard line to a chip-shot field goal in just 44 seconds.
Stave was nearly flawless on the drive, hitting crucial passes over the middle to tight end Troy Fumagalli and running back Dare Ogunbowale en route to getting inside Rutgers’ 10-yard line with just four seconds left in the half.
UW went to the locker room up 27-3 and ahead by four scores instead of just three.
Stave finished the half 8 of 17 passing for 156 yards and a touchdown. While the second half didn’t see a lot of opportunities for passing thanks to the scoreline, Stave finished the game 13 of 25 for 217 yards and one touchdown.
He also was credited with two interceptions, but one was harsh as Erickson couldn’t hang on to a pass near the end zone and the ball wound up in the hands of a Rutgers defender. The other, that was completely on Stave.
The senior quarterback threw off his back foot to a receiver who was being undercut and it resulted in a pick-six.
Lost in all the big plays was just how efficient Wisconsin’s offense really was all day long. UW finished the day 8 of 15 on third down conversions, and that kind of conversion rate gets you in to the end zone more often than not.
Wisconsin’s defense continued its dominating season with another great performance. They gave up three points, with Rutgers’ touchdown coming on a Joel Stave pick-six, and made some history in the process.
The UW defense has now held six straight opponents to 10 points or less inside Camp Randall Stadium, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a Big Ten team since Iowa did it back in 1985.
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda continued to plug and play, as Jack Cichy made the start for an injured Chris Orr at inside linebacker and Olive Sagapolu in place of Arthur Goldberg. Cichy came up big, tying with safety Michael Caputo at the top of the tackles chart, with eight total tackles.
Wisconsin’s defense held Rutgers to just 165 yards of total offense, with 83 rushing and 82 passing yards on the day.
Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano went just 4 of 14 for 31 yards, while his replacement in the fourth quarter, Hayden Rettig put up 51 yards on just 2 of 6 passing.
The Badgers will look to continue their winning ways next week as they travel to Maryland to take on the Terrapins.
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