Wisconsin vs. Western Kentucky: Defense leads Badgers to victory

Wisconsin football defeated Western Kentucky 34-3 in its week one matchup.

Wisconsin’s first drive on offense didn’t go as planned. Jonathan Taylor got a few carries, and a few first downs were had, but it ultimately ended in a punt. There’s wasn’t much excitement on the drive and we were quickly given an opportunity to see what the defense could do.

The defense held its own and quickly forced a punt. Senior linebacker Ryan Connelly sacked the Hilltopper quarterback to spark the team.

On the ensuing Badger drive, Jonathan Taylor finally gave the crowd something to get excited about. He broke a 47-yard touchdown to score the first Badger touchdown of the year. The only way it could’ve been better is if it happened on the first drive.

Wisconsin’s offense was very up and down throughout the course of the game. Several Western Kentucky blitzes got to Hornibrook, and Honribrook made several questionable throws.

The line eventually did its job by opening up the lane for a second long Taylor touchdown run, as well as getting down the field and blocking for a Garrett Groshek screen pass that led to a big score in the second half. Hornibrook made his share of nice throws throughout the night while moving his feet, inside and outside of the pocket.

Hornibrook finished the game without an interception. He only had four such games last year. But Taylor did lose a fumble.

Wisconsin’s defense looked promising highlighted by a few individual performances. Starting cornerbacks Faion Hicks, who snagged an interception, and Caesar Williams showed signs that they can be impact players on the defense.

Redshirt freshman safety Scott Nelson was probably the standout defender of the night. Nelson’s number 9 jersey was constantly around the ball. He dropped an interception early and missed some tackle opportunities, but showed great instincts always finding a way to get involved. The secondary came into the day with a lot of question marks and answered them by playing very solidly.

Western Kentucky had a few drives stall shy of scoring in the red zone and credit has to be given to the Badger D. Once on a turnover-on-downs, and another on Hicks’ interception. Western Kentucky may not be a strong opponent, but three points is three points. The defense allowed the offense its time to get going and eventually put up the points to put the game out of reach for the Hilltoppers.

Jonathan Taylor finished the game with 145 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and A.J. Taylor was the leading receiver hauling in five catches for 85 yards.