Dan and Raul will be at the Kohl Center for the annual Red/White Scrimmage.

Raul will post updates in this thread. Tips off at 4:00 PM.

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Howard rescheduled from earlier this year.

Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin Earn Weekly Football Honors

Terrapins’ Hemby, Buckeyes’ Ruggles, Nittany Lions’ Clifford, and Badgers’ Torchio garner accolades

Following Week 8 contests, the Big Ten Conference Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week, and the Freshman of the Week were announced this morning. Below are this week's honorees:

Offensive Player of the Week

Sean Clifford, Penn State

QB – Sr. – Cincinnati, Ohio – St. Xavier

• Completed 23-of-31 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns to become the career completions leader at Penn State, passing Trace McSorley (720; 2015-18) in the Nittany Lions’ 45-17 victory against Minnesota
• On a 4-yard pass in the first quarter, Clifford became the second Nittany Lion to record 9,000 career passing yards
• Collected his 10th career game with 250+ passing yards and three or more passing touchdowns
• The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns his fourth career Offensive Player of the Week award and second of the season
• Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Sean Clifford (Sept. 5, 2022)

Defensive Player of the Week

John Torchio, Wisconsin

S – Sr. – Lafayette, Calif. – Campolindo

• Picked off a pair of passes in Wisconsin's win over Purdue, including a first-quarter interception that he returned for a touchdown
• The first Badger to record two interceptions and return one for a score in the same game since Natrell Jamerson did so against Northwestern in 2016
• Totaled a career-high 10 tackles, a team high in the win
• The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Kamo'I Latu (Oct. 10, 2022)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Noah Ruggles, Ohio State

K – Gr. – Odessa, Fla. – Steinbrenner

• Kicked four field goals early against Iowa's top-five defense to help Ohio State build a 26-10 lead on the way to a 54-10 victory
• Converted on four field goals (46, 41, 35, 26) and six PATs for a career-high 18-point day
• His four first-half field goals tie for the second most in a game in pro-gram history, matching eight other Buckeye placekickers
• Garners the second Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career
• Last Ohio State Special Teams Player of the Week: Noah Ruggles (Nov. 1, 2021)

Freshman of the Week

Roman Hemby, Maryland

RB – Edgewood, Md. – The John Carroll School

• Rushed for a career-high 179 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Maryland’s win over Northwestern
• Scored the game-winning touchdown on a career-long 75-yard run with 3:33 remaining in the game to put the Terps ahead for good
• Forced 10 missed tackles on runs, the most by an Autonomy Five running back in the country this week
• Earns the second Freshman of the Week honor of his career
• Last Maryland Freshman of the Week: Jaishawn Barham (Oct. 10, 2022)

2022 Big Ten Football Players of the Week


Aug. 29

O: Chase Brown, RB, Jr., ILL

O: Ryan Hilinski, QB, Jr., NU

D: Cameron Mitchell, CB, Jr., NU

S: Luke Akers, P, Jr., NU

Sept. 5

O: Anthony Grant, RB, Jr., NEB

O: Sean Clifford, QB, Sr., PSU

D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU

S: Tory Taylor, P, Jr., IOWA

F: Roman Hemby, RB, MD

Sept. 12

O: Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Jr., MD

O: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, So., OSU

D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU

S: Lukas Van Ness, DT, So., IOWA

F: Nicholas Singleton, RB, PSU


Sept. 19

O: C.J. Stroud, QB, So., OSU

D: Ji'Ayir Brown, S, Sr., PSU

S: Charles Campbell, PK, Jr., IND

F: Nicholas Singleton, RB, PSU


Sept. 26

O: Blake Corum, RB, Jr., MICH

O: Tanner Morgan, QB, Sr., MINN

D: Kaevon Merriweather, DB, Sr., IOWA

D: Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Sr., OSU

S: Tory Taylor, P, Jr., IOWA

F: Kaytron Allen, RB, PSU

Oct. 3

O: Miyan Williams, RB, Jr., OSU

D: Cam Allen, S, Sr., PUR

S: Barney Amor, P, Sr., PSU

F: Malcolm Hartzog, CB, NEB


Oct. 10

O: C.J. Stroud, QB, So., OSU

D: Kamo'I Latu, S, Jr., WIS

S: Fabrizio Pinton, K/P, Fr., ILL

F: Fabrizio Pinton, K/P, ILL

F: Jaishawn Barham, LB, MD


Oct. 17

O: Chase Brown, RB, Jr., ILL

O: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Sr., PUR

D: Jacoby Windmon, DE/LB, Sr., MSU

S: Jake Moody, K, Gr., MICH

F: Devin Mockobee, RB, PUR



Oct. 24

O: Sean Clifford, QB, Sr., PSU

D: John Torchio, S, Sr., WIS

S: Noah Ruggles, K, Gr., OSU

F: Roman Hemby, RB, MD

News and rumors from the recruiting trail:

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Port is finishing out a facilities tour today. Scheduled to speak with him this evening.

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VIDEO: https://wisconsin.rivals.com/news/week-3-in-state-blitz-2023-linebacker-blake-fletcher

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STRENGTHS

The coaching philosophy with Blake Fletcher is pretty simple. He’s the best athlete on the roster, and likely the best player on the field each Friday. How can the staff - or his dad, Racine Horlick head coach Brian Fletcher - position Fletcher to make the most impact on both sides of the ball? That’s been the case over the last four seasons as a four-year varsity starter.

At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Fletcher plays both linebacker and quarterback in the Rebels’ run-heavy attack. He’s lining up under center because he’s the best athlete, but the two-star senior is explosive as a runner - two rushing scores during Horlick’s 29-14 win over Kenosha Tremper on Friday evening. He also made a handful of completions - 9 of 14 for 100 yards - against the Trojans.

On the defensive side of the ball, Fletcher played primarily in the middle of the field from his linebacker position. Similar to how he’s used on offense, Fletcher is positioned to make as many plays as possible, both in defending the run and pass. With Tremper having some success through the air in the first half, there were a few snaps where Fletcher played what I would describe as a rover position - deeper than linebacker but also just in front of where a safety is lined up.

In normal base packages, he’s highly effective against the run and can go sideline to sideline in pursuit of the football. But Fletcher can also hold his own in pass coverage - he would have had a pick on Friday had his younger brother, Carson Fletcher, not stepped in front of a pass a half-second sooner.

Because of what he's tasked to do at the second and third level, Fletcher isn’t asked to blitz all that much - at least that was the case on Friday night. With his combination of strength, burst and length, I’d be curious what type of production Fletcher could have if he was allowed to just get in the backfield on every snap. You’d see some big-time sack numbers and opposing offenses having to keep a running back in for protection.

Overall, I came away impressed with Fletcher, who committed to the Air Force this summer. Legit size, powerful at the point attack, long arms and above average ability to flip his hips and burst in the opposite direction. The week prior against Lake Geneva Badger, Fletcher racked up an eye-popping 22 tackles. He didn’t have that same production against Tremper, but there’s a lot to like here.

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AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Not a ton to write about in this category. I thought Fletcher over-pursued a few times, but he largely diagnoses well and keeps things in front of him. Pad-level is also something that will need some tweaks at the next level, but when Fletcher makes contact, the ball carrier and sometimes the entire pile is moving in the other direction. He’ll be able to run and defend against bigger tight ends in coverage, but Fletcher could struggle with running backs in the flats in college. That’s a question some Power 5 schools probably had during their evaluation.

OUTLOOK/RECRUITMENT

Fletcher is a kid I was told to keep an eye on since his freshman season. That year, he started at both quarterback and linebacker. The following season, Fletcher was the first sophomore selected as the All-Racine County Player of the Year. He got off to a fast start last fall before breaking his left fibula in Week 3 against Oak Creek and missed the rest of the year. Had he played the entire year, I think Fletcher would have racked up Power 5 offers.

Fletcher is currently committed to Air Force but took in Wisconsin’s season opener against Illinois State. The Badgers don’t have a huge need at inside linebacker in this cycle, but he’s a kid I would make an effort to add in this cycle. UW isn’t getting him with a preferred walk-on offer, but I think Fletcher would flip quickly if a full schoarship were extended.

In-state kid who is No. 1 in his class academically with the ability to play either linebacker spot or even H-back at the next level. Considering Wisconsin still has room in this cycle, an offer, in my opinion, makes a lot of sense here. If your mantra is tough, smart, dependable, Fletcher checks all those boxes. We’ll see how things play out this fall.

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WISCONSIN COMPARISON ON THE CURRENT ROSTER

When I first got in contact with Fletcher this summer to discuss Wisconsin’s recent interest, I assumed the coaching staff liked him at outside linebacker. That’s not the case, even though his body type would reflect the ability to play on the edge.

Overall, Fletcher reminds me a lot of C.J. Goetz in high school because of his length and size. Like Goetz during his time at Catholic Memorial, Fletcher is just at a different level physically in comparison to the players he’s going up against. If we’re looking strictly at inside backers, though, Tate Grass or Jake Ratzlaff are decent comps. Both are taller and a little longer in comparison to other players at the position on the current roster.

Let me know what you think.

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Enough of the when will u retire. Time for Where u will retire?? 1) Florida .. watch out for the hurricane, exodus there2) Arizona/NM.. Melt away 3) Montana/Wyoming.. Jeremiah Johnson 4)Maine.. let’s hike at Acadia5)The Carolinas.luv v the golf at myrtle beach6)Texas.. who isn’t go there? 7)California?? Only the crazies8) Tenn luv them low taxes and Smokies9) Black Hills SD.. luv it10) Wis .. friends, family,familiarity.. 11) Caribbean .. luv it

Curt Neal sighting.

TEAM NOTES

• Today’s captains: senior NT Keeanu Benton, junior ILB Nick Herbig, junior QB Graham Mertz
• Today’s attendance at Camp Randall Stadium was 75,018.
• With the victory, the Badgers have won 16-straight meetings with the Boilermakers dating back to 2004. Wisconsin has won 8-straight matchups in Madison.

o The Badgers have now won their last 3 games against Purdue by an average of 16.3 ppg.

• UW is now 52-29-8 all-time against Purdue, including 29-12-5 in Madison.
• Interim head coach Jim Leonhard coached his first game at Camp Randall Stadium and became the 4th-straight Badger head coach to record a win in his first appearance in Madison.
• The Badgers totaled 21 1st-quarter points, their most in a Big Ten game since scoring 21 vs. Illinois on Nov. 11, 2016. In that game, the Badgers went on to top the Fighting Illini, 48-3.
• Wisconsin cruised down for a TD on the opening drive, posting a 6-play, 76-yard drive that took 2:26. Wisconsin has now scored a TD on 4 of the last 6 opening drives and is averaging 64.5 yards per drive over the last 4 games.
• With Torchio’s pick-6 in the 1st quarter, Wisconsin matched its pick-6 total last year (2). Both Ceasar Williams and Scott Nelson posted pick-6s in 2021.
• The Badger defense held Purdue to a 5-of-16 clip on 3rd down.
• Wisconsin amassed 3 interceptions on the day, giving it 14 on the season. UW entered the day just 1 INT behind USC and Illinois for most interceptions in the nation.
• UW accumulated 178 yards rushing. In their last 6 wins over Purdue, the Badgers have averaged 297.2 rushing yards per game.
• Wisconsin has averaged 261.4 rushing yards per game during its 16-game win streak over the Boilermakers.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Senior S John Tochio picked off a pair of passes in the win, including a 1st-quarter INT that he returned for a TD.

o Torchio now has 5 INTs this season, the most for a Badger since Leo Musso recorded 5 in 2016.

o Torchio is the first Badger to record 2 INTs and return one for a score in the same game since Natrell Jamerson did so against Northwestern in 2016. Torchio, Jamerson and Jack Ikegwuonu (2005) are the only Badgers to accomplish the feat since 2000.

o Including his career-high 10 tackles, Torchio is the only Badger to record 2 INTs, 1 TD and 7+ tackles in a single game since at least 2000.

o Torchio became the first Badger to record multiple INT TD returns in the same season since Aaron Henry in 2010. Since 2000, Henry and Torchio are the only Badgers to record multiple INT return TDs in a single season.

o Torchio has now recorded an INT in back-to-back games vs. Purdue.

• Sophomore RB Braelon Allen ran for 113 yards and 1 TD, notching his 13th 100-yard game over his last 17 games. Over that stretch, Allen has rushed for 2,089 yards and 20 TDs (122.9 ypg).

o Allen ripped off a 41-yard run in the 1st quarter, recording his 6th run of over 30 yards this season. Heading into this weekend, Allen led the nation in runs of 30+ yards.

o Allen’s 7.1 yards per rush were his highest in a single game since posting 10.6 ypc in the season opener.

o By amassing the 100-yard mark, Wisconsin has had a RB go for 100+ yards in 6-straight games against the Boilermakers. Allen ran for 140 yards in last year’s win over Purdue.

o Allen also hauled in a 39-yard pass, the longest of his career.

* QB Graham Mertz threw for 203 yards and 2 scores on 13-of-21 passing. Mertz has now thrown for a TD in 9-straight games dating back to last season, the longest streak of his career.
o Mertz posted a passer rating of 174.5, marking the 4th time he has gone over 170 this season. He had a total of 3 games with a rating of 170+ during his first three seasons.

o Mertz has thrown for multiple scores in 5 of 8 games this season and has thrown for 200+ yards in 6 of 8 performances.

o Mertz now has 9 TDs over the last 3 games and 17 touchdowns with just 6 INTs on the season.

o Mertz posted his second 200+ yard, multiple TD and zero INT performance this season. Heading into 2022, Mertz had done so only once in his career.

o Mertz has now thrown 17 touchdowns with just 6 INTs on the season.

• Junior WR Chimere Dike caught his 6th score of the season in the 1st quarter. Dike is the fastest Badger to 6 TDs in a season since Jared Abrederris reached the 6-TD mark through 8 games in 2013.

o Dike finished with 3 catches for 36 yards

o Dike is the first Badger to total 6 recieving TDs since Quintez Cephus posted 7 in 2019.

o Dike joins Cephus (2017 and 2019) and Jared Abbrederis (2013) as the only Badger WRs to reach the 6-TD mark since 2012.

• Freshman WR Skyler Bell matched a career high with 4 catches for 87 yards and a TD.

o Bell caught a 29-yard TD pass from Mertz on the Badgers’ opening drive. Bell now has 4 TDs this season and has made receptions of 20+ yards in 4 games this season.

• Senior RB Isaac Guerendo ran 7 times for 72 yards and a score. Guerendo broke a 52-yard TD run in the 3rd quarter to extend the Badger lead to 35-10.

o Guerendo’s 52-yard run was the second-longest of his career, trailing only his 82-yard touchdown run against Eastern Michigan in 2021.

• Senior P Andy Vujnovich punted 6 times for an average of 42.3 yards and a long of 54 yards. Vujnovich pinned the Boilermakers inside the 20 4 times, including a perfect 2nd-quarter punt that rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line.

o His 4 punts inside the 20 were a career high.

o Vujnovich has pinned opponents inside the 20 in each of the last 4 games and in all but one game this season.

• Sophomore ILB Jordan Turner snagged his first INT of the season and the third of his career in the fourth quarter. He finished with 6 tackles, second-most on the team.
• After missing last week’s game at Michigan State, sophomore ILB Jake Chaney returned and matched his career high with 5 tackles and registered his first-career sack.

Not big news here, but there are a lot of former players who are expected back on campus this weekend. A lot of those guys are planning to be at practice on Friday, I'm told. Maybe they can spark some life into this team.

Now 0-4. Does Mac have a 2 hour authentic conversation with Granato tomorrow?

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Badgers offered out of high school.