Badger of Honor
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Wisconsin Football: Handing out game balls after the Penn State game

By Dillon Graff

Wisconsin wide receiver Danny Davis III (7) catches a pass just short of the end zone while being covered by Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (5) during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, September 4, 2021 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Penn State beat Wisconsin 16-10.Uwgrid05 1
Wisconsin wide receiver Danny Davis III (7) catches a pass just short of the end zone while being covered by Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (5) during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, September 4, 2021 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Penn State beat Wisconsin 16-10.Uwgrid05 1 /
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Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin football team fell short in the home opener on Saturday, losing 16-10 to Big Ten opponent Penn State.

The Badgers outgained the Nittany Lions, controlled the time of possession 42:45 to17:15, but ultimately couldn’t overcome the three offensive turnovers – and inefficiency in the red zone.

While it was obviously an underwhelming performance, there are still game balls to hand out on each side of the ball. Here’s who had great performances in a losing effort.

Offensive Game Ball: Danny Davis

The senior wide receiver looked every bit of the team’s WR1 in week one. Unfortunately, the passing game, in general, was rough.

Despite Graham Mertz’s rough afternoon, Danny Davis still caught 8 passes for 99 yards, including an impressive snag on 3rd and 7 to set up a 1st and goal with three minutes left in the game, down six. Unfortunately, the Badgers couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

This performance moved Danny Davis up to 22nd on the all-time list (1,263 yards).  Danny Davis has the excellent body control and is someone the badgers are going to rely heavily on this season. Hopefully, the offense is able to rebound next week and get things back on track.

Defensive Game Ball: Jack Sanborn

Just before the game started, news broke that the Wisconsin football team would be without one of their top defenders. Fellow starting inside linebacker Leo Chenal was out and would not play against Penn State. That placed some added pressure on the Badger’s star linebacker and captain, Jack Sanborn. He rose to the occasion. He was seemingly everywhere during the game. He recorded 5 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss and a sack.

The senior linebacker was flying around on defense and seemed to always be around the ball. Sanborn also played a big role in holding Penn State to 3-13 on third down and unfortunately, the offense really let the defense down and just wasn’t able to capitalize.