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SEPTEMBER 29•NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Wisconsin Football Snap Counts From 38-21 Loss to No. 13 USCHere’s a look at the Badgers snap distribution against USC.
Will Pauling - Totals 11 yards in lossPauling gathered in two catches on seven targets for 11 yards during Saturday's 38-21 defeat to USC.
ImpactPauling logged his fewest receiving yards of any game since transferring to Wisconsin in 2022. The redshirt junior still led the team in targets, but he struggled to connect with quarterback Braedyn Locke, who was making his first start of the year in place of Tyler Van Dyke (knee-ACL). Pauling caught nine of 11 targets for 83 yards and touchdown when Locke played almost the entire game against Alabama two weeks ago, and he was the quarterback's No. 1 target when he started three games last year. This should leave some optimism that Pauling will get back on track during next week's home game versus a 1-3 Purdue squad.
SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE
AP Top 25: Alabama returns to No. 1; Ole Miss, Utah slide after Week 6
Alabama returned to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in two years on Sunday following its dizzying victory over Georgia.SEPTEMBER 29
Chez Mellusi - Sees 10 touches in lossMellusi recorded 10 rushes for 32 yards during Saturday's 38-21 defeat to USC.
ImpactMellusi 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
Tawee Walker - Scores twice in lossWalker had 12 carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's 38-21 loss against USC.
ImpactWalker finished off both of the Badgers' trips into the red zone in the first half. He first ran untouched for a 18-yard score on the first play after a muffed punt early in the second quarter. Walker then capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a strong four-yard touchdown run. His scoring opportunities dried up as the Badgers' offense was shut down in the second half, though the 218-pound senior still led the team in rushing attempts and yards ahead of Chez Mellusi, who logged 10 carries for 32 yards. It's somewhat surprising that these two did not see more carries with quarterback Braedyn Locke making his first start of the season in place of Tyler Van Dyke (knee-ACL). Walker and Mellusi will likely continue to split carries when the Badgers host 1-3 Purdue at Camp Randall this coming Saturday.
SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE
Kyron Hudson - Catches four passes against BadgersHudson accrued four receptions (on five targets) for 42 yards during Saturday's 38-21 victory against Wisconsin.
ImpactHudson fell into more of a supporting role once again Week 5. Since logging five catches for 83 yards Week 1, the 6-foot-1 senior has totaled eight catches (on 13 targets) for 89 yards over the last three games. Sophomore Ja'Kobi Lane also flashed with 10 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns against Wisconsin, which isn't a great sign for Hudson's target share moving forward. He'll look to make a bigger impact during next week's road game versus Minnesota.
SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE
Zachariah Branch - Logs six targets versus WisconsinBranch accrued four receptions (on six targets) for 44 yards during Saturday's 38-21 win over Wisconsin. He also rushed once for 15 yards.
ImpactBranch had a comeback-to-earth game after seeing 12 targets during last week's loss to Michigan. Instead, the Trojans focused on exploiting their size mismatches on the outside versus Wisconsin, as quarterback Miller Moss went to 6-foot-4 wideout Ja'Kobi Lane for 13 targets Saturday. Moss has been spreading the ball around among this talented corps of receivers, though he's seemed to hone in on one specific target in a few games with Kyron Hudson in Week 1, Branch in Week 3 and Lane in Week 4. Nevertheless, Branch has been the most consistent target through four games, averaging 4.5 receptions on 7.3 targets per game. He's still yet to find the end zone this year, which could come during next Saturday's road game at Minnesota.
SEPTEMBER 29•ROTOWIRE
