POSTGAME NOTES
#15 WISCONSIN 35, NEBRASKA 28 ▪ NOV. 20, 2021 ▪ CAMP RANDALL STADIUM ▪ MADISON, WIS.
TEAM NOTES
Today’s captains: senior TE Jake Ferguson,
senior CB Faion Hicks and senior ILB Jack Sanborn.
Today’s attendance: 67,888
Paul Chryst improved to 64-22 (.744) in his 7th season as Wisconsin’s head coach, ranking 4th on UW’s all-time wins list and the 4th coach in school history to win 60 games:
WINS AS WISCONSIN COACH, ALL-TIME
Coach (Years) Wins
1. Barry Alvarez (1990-2005)* 119
2. Bret Bielema (2006-12) 68
3. Phil King (1896-1902, ’05) 65
4. Paul Chryst (2015-present) 64
5. Milt Bruhn (1956-66) 52
* Also served as coach in 2 bowl games (2012, 2014)
Under Chryst, Wisconsin is:
6-0 (1.000) vs. Nebraska
32-7 (.821) vs. the Big Ten West Division
43-15 (.741) in Big Ten Conference play
20-4 (.833) in the month of November
36-8 (.818) at Camp Randall Stadium
UW won its 7th straight game, the team’s longest win streak since opening the 2019 season 12-0.
The Badgers have won 6 consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since posting a perfect 9-0 conference record in 2017.
Wisconsin won its 8th straight over Nebraska and improved to 7-0 vs. the Huskers since the introduction of the Freedom Trophy in 2014.
The Badgers are 9-1 vs. the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, including a 5-0 mark at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers have won 25 of their last 28 games with a traveling trophy on the line vs. Iowa (Heartland Trophy), Minnesota (Paul Bunyan’s Axe) and Nebraska (Freedom Trophy).
With a pair of interceptions by senior S Collin Wilder, the Badgers have recorded 18 takeaways in their last 5 games, and 19 over the course of their 7-game win streak.
Nebraska’s first-quarter touchdown marked the first points allowed by the Badgers on an opponent’s opening possession this season.
Wisconsin rushed for at least 250 yards for the 3rd straight game and 6th time this season.
UW did not turn the ball over for just the 2nd time this season (also no turnovers vs. Iowa).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Sophomore QB Graham Mertz finished the game 12-of-18 for 145 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 152.7.
Freshman RB Braelon Allen carried 22 times for a career-high 228 yards and 3 touchdowns, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the 7th-straight game and posting his 3rd multiple-touchdown game of the season.
With 1,062 yards this season, Allen became the 19th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and joined Ron Dayne (1996), James White (2010) and Jonathan Taylor (2017) as the only players to do so as true freshmen.
Allen topped the 150-yard mark for the 2nd consecutive game, and 2nd time in his career.
Allen is the first Badger to rush for more than 200 yards since Jonathan Taylor ran for 222 yards in the 2019 home finale against Purdue (11/23/19).
The first UW freshman with 7 consecutive 100-yard games, Allen’s streak marks the longest at UW since Jonathan Taylor opened the 2018 season with 7 straight 100-yard games en route to winning the first of consecutive Doak Walker Awards:
CONSECUTIVE 100-YARD GAMES (UW)
Player Consec. Games Year
Brent Moss 11 1993
Melvin Gordon 10 2014
Ron Dayne 8 1998
Jonathan Taylor 7 2018
Braelon Allen 7 2021
Only Anthony Davis (10), Jonathan Taylor (10) and P.J. Hill (8) have more 100-yard games as a freshman than Allen:
100-YD RUSHING GAMES, FRESHMEN (UW)
Player Games Year
Anthony Davis 10 2001
Jonathan Taylor 10 2017
P.J. Hill 8 2006
Ron Dayne 7 1996
Braelon Allen 7 2021
James White 5 2010
Allen is the 7th Wisconsin running back to log a 100-yard game vs. Nebraska.
Senior WR Kendric Pryor caught 2 passes for 45 yards, pulling in his 3rd touchdown catch of the season, and the 7th of his career, on a 17-yard pass from Mertz in the third quarter.
Senior TE Jake Ferguson caught 8 passes for a career-high 92 yards (his previous career-high for yards was 77 vs. Illinois on Oct. 19, 2019).
Ferguson has caught at least 1 pass in each of his 45 career games, a school record, and extending the nation’s 2nd-longest active streak:
CONSEC. GAMES WITH RECEPTION, FBS (ACTIVE)
1. Justin Hall, Ball State (WR) *54
2. Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin (TE) *45
3. Emeka Emezie, NC State (WR) 42
4. JD Spielman, TCU (WR) *40
5. Jahan Dotson, Penn State (WR) 39
* Every game played in career
Ferguson’s 1,558 receiving yards place him 16th on UW’s career list, and 3rd among tight ends all-time at Wisconsin:
CAREER RECEIVING YARDS, TIGHT ENDS (UW)
Rk. Player Years Yards
5. Travis Beckum 2006-08 2,149
13. Troy Fumagalli 2014-17 1,627
16. Jake Ferguson 2017-pres. 1,558
18. Garrett Graham 2006-09 1,492
21. Jacob Pedersen 2010-13 1,394
Junior ILB Leo Chenal led the Badgers with 11 tackles, his 2nd consecutive double-digit tackle game and 4th of the season.
Senior S Collin Wilder put together his 2nd multi-takeaway game of the season, picking off Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez twice, including a third-quarter INT that set up a UW touchdown. (Wilder had an interception and fumble recovery at Purdue on Oct. 23)
WIlder is the first Badger with multiple interceptions in a game since S Joe Ferguson had 2 picks at Indiana on Nov. 4, 2017.
Wilder now has 3 interceptions on the season and has accounted for 4 of Wisconsin’s 19 takeaways during its 7-game win streak
Sophomore WR Stephan Bracey returned the opening kickoff — his first touch of the season — for a touchdown covering 91 yards.
The touchdown, which came on the 7th return of Bracey’s career, was the first score of his career.
Bracey’s score marked the first kickoff return touchdown for Wisconsin since Aron Cruickshank’s 95-yard return TD vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020.
The score marked the first game-opening kickoff return TD for the Badgers since David Gilreath went 97 yards on the opening kickoff in UW’s 31-18 win over No. 1-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 16, 2010.
#15 WISCONSIN 35, NEBRASKA 28 ▪ NOV. 20, 2021 ▪ CAMP RANDALL STADIUM ▪ MADISON, WIS.
TEAM NOTES
Today’s captains: senior TE Jake Ferguson,
senior CB Faion Hicks and senior ILB Jack Sanborn.
Today’s attendance: 67,888
Paul Chryst improved to 64-22 (.744) in his 7th season as Wisconsin’s head coach, ranking 4th on UW’s all-time wins list and the 4th coach in school history to win 60 games:
WINS AS WISCONSIN COACH, ALL-TIME
Coach (Years) Wins
1. Barry Alvarez (1990-2005)* 119
2. Bret Bielema (2006-12) 68
3. Phil King (1896-1902, ’05) 65
4. Paul Chryst (2015-present) 64
5. Milt Bruhn (1956-66) 52
* Also served as coach in 2 bowl games (2012, 2014)
Under Chryst, Wisconsin is:
6-0 (1.000) vs. Nebraska
32-7 (.821) vs. the Big Ten West Division
43-15 (.741) in Big Ten Conference play
20-4 (.833) in the month of November
36-8 (.818) at Camp Randall Stadium
UW won its 7th straight game, the team’s longest win streak since opening the 2019 season 12-0.
The Badgers have won 6 consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since posting a perfect 9-0 conference record in 2017.
Wisconsin won its 8th straight over Nebraska and improved to 7-0 vs. the Huskers since the introduction of the Freedom Trophy in 2014.
The Badgers are 9-1 vs. the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, including a 5-0 mark at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers have won 25 of their last 28 games with a traveling trophy on the line vs. Iowa (Heartland Trophy), Minnesota (Paul Bunyan’s Axe) and Nebraska (Freedom Trophy).
With a pair of interceptions by senior S Collin Wilder, the Badgers have recorded 18 takeaways in their last 5 games, and 19 over the course of their 7-game win streak.
Nebraska’s first-quarter touchdown marked the first points allowed by the Badgers on an opponent’s opening possession this season.
Wisconsin rushed for at least 250 yards for the 3rd straight game and 6th time this season.
UW did not turn the ball over for just the 2nd time this season (also no turnovers vs. Iowa).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Sophomore QB Graham Mertz finished the game 12-of-18 for 145 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 152.7.
Freshman RB Braelon Allen carried 22 times for a career-high 228 yards and 3 touchdowns, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the 7th-straight game and posting his 3rd multiple-touchdown game of the season.
With 1,062 yards this season, Allen became the 19th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and joined Ron Dayne (1996), James White (2010) and Jonathan Taylor (2017) as the only players to do so as true freshmen.
Allen topped the 150-yard mark for the 2nd consecutive game, and 2nd time in his career.
Allen is the first Badger to rush for more than 200 yards since Jonathan Taylor ran for 222 yards in the 2019 home finale against Purdue (11/23/19).
The first UW freshman with 7 consecutive 100-yard games, Allen’s streak marks the longest at UW since Jonathan Taylor opened the 2018 season with 7 straight 100-yard games en route to winning the first of consecutive Doak Walker Awards:
CONSECUTIVE 100-YARD GAMES (UW)
Player Consec. Games Year
Brent Moss 11 1993
Melvin Gordon 10 2014
Ron Dayne 8 1998
Jonathan Taylor 7 2018
Braelon Allen 7 2021
Only Anthony Davis (10), Jonathan Taylor (10) and P.J. Hill (8) have more 100-yard games as a freshman than Allen:
100-YD RUSHING GAMES, FRESHMEN (UW)
Player Games Year
Anthony Davis 10 2001
Jonathan Taylor 10 2017
P.J. Hill 8 2006
Ron Dayne 7 1996
Braelon Allen 7 2021
James White 5 2010
Allen is the 7th Wisconsin running back to log a 100-yard game vs. Nebraska.
Senior WR Kendric Pryor caught 2 passes for 45 yards, pulling in his 3rd touchdown catch of the season, and the 7th of his career, on a 17-yard pass from Mertz in the third quarter.
Senior TE Jake Ferguson caught 8 passes for a career-high 92 yards (his previous career-high for yards was 77 vs. Illinois on Oct. 19, 2019).
Ferguson has caught at least 1 pass in each of his 45 career games, a school record, and extending the nation’s 2nd-longest active streak:
CONSEC. GAMES WITH RECEPTION, FBS (ACTIVE)
1. Justin Hall, Ball State (WR) *54
2. Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin (TE) *45
3. Emeka Emezie, NC State (WR) 42
4. JD Spielman, TCU (WR) *40
5. Jahan Dotson, Penn State (WR) 39
* Every game played in career
Ferguson’s 1,558 receiving yards place him 16th on UW’s career list, and 3rd among tight ends all-time at Wisconsin:
CAREER RECEIVING YARDS, TIGHT ENDS (UW)
Rk. Player Years Yards
5. Travis Beckum 2006-08 2,149
13. Troy Fumagalli 2014-17 1,627
16. Jake Ferguson 2017-pres. 1,558
18. Garrett Graham 2006-09 1,492
21. Jacob Pedersen 2010-13 1,394
Junior ILB Leo Chenal led the Badgers with 11 tackles, his 2nd consecutive double-digit tackle game and 4th of the season.
Senior S Collin Wilder put together his 2nd multi-takeaway game of the season, picking off Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez twice, including a third-quarter INT that set up a UW touchdown. (Wilder had an interception and fumble recovery at Purdue on Oct. 23)
WIlder is the first Badger with multiple interceptions in a game since S Joe Ferguson had 2 picks at Indiana on Nov. 4, 2017.
Wilder now has 3 interceptions on the season and has accounted for 4 of Wisconsin’s 19 takeaways during its 7-game win streak
Sophomore WR Stephan Bracey returned the opening kickoff — his first touch of the season — for a touchdown covering 91 yards.
The touchdown, which came on the 7th return of Bracey’s career, was the first score of his career.
Bracey’s score marked the first kickoff return touchdown for Wisconsin since Aron Cruickshank’s 95-yard return TD vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020.
The score marked the first game-opening kickoff return TD for the Badgers since David Gilreath went 97 yards on the opening kickoff in UW’s 31-18 win over No. 1-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 16, 2010.
