CHEZ MELLUSI NEWS

Locke throws for 359 yards and 3 TDs as Wisconsin steamrolls slumping Purdue 52-6

Braedyn Locke threw for 359 yards and connected with Trech Kekahuna on two of his three touchdown passes as Wisconsin trounced Purdue 52-6 to continue the Badgers’ mastery of this...

OCTOBER 5 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin Badgers top running back Chez Mellusi leaves team to focus on health Running back Chez Mellusi, the Wisconsin Badgers’ leading rusher, is stepping away from the team to focus on getting healthy after battling...

OCTOBER 4 • SACBEE.COM

Wisconsin Running Back Chez Mellusi 'Stepping Away From the Team' The Badgers veteran RB has chosen to focus on rehabbing his injuries.

OCTOBER 4 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Wisconsin RB Chez Mellusi 'stepping away from team' to heal from injuries Wisconsin announced Thursday that running back Chez Mellusi is taking time away from the team to help his body recover from injuries.Mellusi...

OCTOBER 4 • SACBEE.COM

Wisconsin announces that RB Chez Mellusi is stepping away from team to focus on his health

Wisconsin won’t have its leading rusher when it attempts to bounce back from a two-game skid

OCTOBER 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stepping away from program Mellusi will step away from the Badgers program indefinitely, Colten Bartholomew of Badger Extra reports.

Impact Mellusi will step away from the program to continue rehabbing injuries that have prevented him from playing to his own expectations. This means Tamee Walker, Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker will be in line to see more touches out of the backfield, with Walker potentially becoming the starter. Mellusi is in his fourth year with the Badgers after spending the first two seasons of his college career at Clemson. Mellusi has rushed 56 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns across four appearances while adding six catches (on 10 targets) for 17 yards.

OCTOBER 3 • ROTOWIRE

Sees 10 touches in loss Mellusi recorded 10 rushes for 32 yards during Saturday's 38-21 defeat to USC.

Impact Mellusi logged his least-productive rushing performance since suffering a season-ending leg injury against Purdue in Week 4 last year. The sixth-year senior also tallied fewer carries than Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker, who logged 12 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. Walker and Mellusi have been splitting primary rushing duties when both are healthy so far this season, and Saturday's workload wasn't a significant depature from this gameplan. However, it was somewhat surprising that the Badgers only had 25 team rushing attempts in a game where backup quarterback Braedyn Locke threw 26 times in his first start in place of Tyler Van Dyke (knee-ACL). It will be worth monitoring if Wisconsin doesn't emphasize running the ball more during this coming Saturday's home game against 1-3 Purdue.

SEPTEMBER 29 • ROTOWIRE

Sees 10 touches in loss Mellusi recorded 10 rushes for 32 yards during Saturday's 38-21 defeat to USC.

Impact Mellusi logged his least-productive rushing performance since suffering a season-ending leg injury against Purdue in Week 4 last year. The sixth-year senior also tallied fewer carries than Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker, who logged 12 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. Walker and Mellusi have been splitting primary rushing duties when both are healthy so far this season, and Saturday's workload wasn't a significant depature from this gameplan. However, it was somewhat surprising that the Badgers only had 25 team rushing attempts in a game where backup quarterback Braedyn Locke threw 26 times in his first start in place of Tyler Van Dyke (knee-ACL). It will be worth monitoring if Wisconsin doesn't emphasize running the ball more during this coming Saturday's home game against 1-3 Purdue.

SEPTEMBER 29 • ROTOWIRE

Stacked up in big loss Mellusi had 11 carries for 66 yards during Saturday's 42-10 loss versus Alabama. He also caught four of five targets for 12 yards.

Impact Mellusi was contained rather easily by the Crimson Tide's defensive front, as the Badgers were held to just 3.7 yards per rush as a team Saturday. The sixth-year senior running back's longest play from scrimmage was a 21-yard carry on which he fumbled at his own 28-yard line. This set up Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe for a three-yard rushing touchdown that put his team up 14-3 late in the second quarter. Mellusi has been held in check all season so far, averaging just 4.3 yards per carry acroos 46 attempts in three contests. Unless the Badgers' run-blocking shows significant improvements going forward, it's rather likely that defenses will continually be able to keep him hemmed in moving forward. Especially after starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered what appears to be a significant injury early in the first quarter Saturday, according to SBNation.

SEPTEMBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Logs two TDs versus South Dakota Mellusi accrued 16 rushes for 60 yards and two touchdowns and hauled in 1 of 2 targets for two yards during Saturday's 27-13 win over South Dakota.

Impact Mellusi didn't find many easy rushing lanes against South Dakota, as his yards per carry fell slightly from Week 1 to Week 2. The sixth-year senior still broke into the end zone on carries of nine and one yard for the Badgers' first and final touchdowns Saturday, respectively. This opening touchdown actually wound up being his longest carry of the game, and it's somewhat concerning that his longest carry through the first two weeks of the season was an 11-yard rush in the season opener versus Western Michigan. Meanwhile backup running back Cade Yacamelli provided some more juice with eight carries for 73 yards, as he filled in for No. 2 running back Tawee Walker, who sat out with an undisclosed injury. Through two games, Mellusi has logged 35 carries for 134 yards. He and the rest of Wisconsin's rushing offense will face what is likely one of their toughest tests of the season when Alabama travels to Camp Randall on Saturday, Sept. 14.

SEPTEMBER 8 • ROTOWIRE

Logs two TDs versus South Dakota Mellusi accrued 16 rushes for 60 yards and two touchdowns and hauled in 1 of 2 targets for two yards during Saturday's 27-13 win over South Dakota.

Impact Mellusi didn't find many easy rushing lanes against South Dakota, as his yards per carry fell slightly from Week 1 to Week 2. The sixth-year senior still broke into the end zone on carries of nine and one yard for the Badgers' first and final touchdowns Saturday, respectively. This opening touchdown actually wound up being his longest carry of the game, and it's somewhat concerning that his longest carry through the first two weeks of the season was an 11-yard rush in the season opener versus Western Michigan. Meanwhile backup running back Cade Yacamelli provided some more juice with eight carries for 73 yards, as he filled in for No. 2 running back Tawee Walker, who sat out with an undisclosed injury. Through two games, Mellusi has logged 35 carries for 134 yards. He and the rest of Wisconsin's rushing offense will face what is likely one of their toughest tests of the season when Alabama travels to Camp Randall on Saturday, Sept. 14.

SEPTEMBER 8 • ROTOWIRE

Chez Mellusi (2 TDs), Wisconsin put away South Dakota Tyler Van Dyke completed 17 of 27 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown and Chez Mellusi ran for 60 yards and two scores Saturday to help Wis...

SEPTEMBER 7 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Mellusi rushes for 2 TDs and Wisconsin beats South Dakota 27-13

Chez Mellusi rushed for two touchdowns, Tyler Van Dyke threw for another and Wisconsin beat South Dakota 27-13

SEPTEMBER 7 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Scores TD in return Mellusi compiled 19 rushes for 74 yards and one touchdown and caught their only target for three yards during Friday's 28-14 victory against Western Michigan.

Impact Mellusi scored the opening touchdown in his first game back following a season-ending leg injury suffered last October. However, the sixth-year senior still largely split snaps with Oklahoma transfer Tawae Walker, who tallied 15 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown of his own. Walker was also the first running back to carry the ball for the Badgers on Friday. This offseason, Badgers offensive coordinator Phil Longo emphasized the importance of the team's rushing game despite operating an air-raid scheme. Therefore, it's likely the team will continue to employ a 1-2 punch with Mellusi and Walker, which would likely limit their statistical ceilings moving forward. They'll both have a good chance to find the endzone once more versus South Dakota in Week 2.

AUGUST 31 • ROTOWIRE

Wisconsin bounces back from 4th-quarter deficit to beat pesky Western Michigan 28-14

Tawee Walker scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to put Wisconsin ahead for good with 10:35 remaining as the Badgers rallied from an early fourth-quarter deficit to beat Western Michi...

AUGUST 31 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin 'trying to limit' Chez Mellusi's workload during fall camp Longtime Badgers running back Braelon Allen is now in the NFL with the New York Jets, but familiar face — Chez Mellusi — is back in Madison...

AUGUST 9 • SI.COM

Wisconsin believes production will increase in its second year running Phil Longo's offense

Wisconsin’s first season with Air Raid disciple Phil Longo as offensive coordinator didn’t work out quite according to plan

JULY 29 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Why Chez Mellusi is Giving it One More go at Wisconsin MADISON, Wis. -- Believe it or not, Chez Mellusi isn't that tired of starting every season with the same conversations. Not that he's enjoyi...

APRIL 18 • 247SPORTS.COM

Can Chez Mellusi give jolt to Wisconsin? 'I just have to put together that healthy season' Mellusi detailed his comeback from a September injury and what he's trying to prove at Wisconsin in his sixth college football season.

APRIL 12 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Badgers Have No Doubt Chez Mellusi Will Bounce Back From Another Major Injury The senior tailback announced that he'd return to the Badgers for a sixth season.

JANUARY 13 • 247SPORTS.COM

Badgers Have No Doubt Chez Mellusi Will Bounce Back From Another Major Injury The senior tailback announced that he'd return to the Badgers for a sixth season.

DECEMBER 29, 2023 • 247SPORTS.COM

How will Wisconsin handle its running back rotation without Chez Mellusi? Wisconsin still should be considered the favorite in the Big Ten West, but it will have to win games in a different way without Mellusi.

OCTOBER 4, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Acker, Yacamelli Confident They Can Fill the Void Left Behind by Mellusi The Badgers will turn to two inexperienced tailbacks after the injury to Chez Mellusi

OCTOBER 4, 2023 • 247SPORTS.COM