Akron had one of the best run defenses in 2015.
Welcome to 2016.
Wisconsin rolled up 586 yards on the Zips, including 294 on the ground, in an easy 54-10 win at Camp Randall Stadium.
The game was never really close as Wisconsin led one point 23-0 as Akron struggled to get its offense going against a tough Badgers defense.
Corey Clement ran for 111 yards with two touchdowns while playing in just one half and Bart Houston threw for 231 yards and two TDs, also exiting early, leaving in the third quarter after the Badgers upped their lead to 33-10.
No matter. Even Wisconsin's backups dominated. It was just one those days. Welcome to 2016.
A recap of Saturday's game:
-- After dividing the carries last week a little more equally (or at least around a 2:1 ratio), Wisconsin put the game on the back of Corey Clement, especially early. He had over 10 yards on the Badgers' first two plays -- UW had only four rushes of 10-plus yards against LSU -- and carried it seven times for 47 yards on the opening drive, which ended with him scoring his first of two touchdowns. Good to see Wisconsin knowing Clement is the bellcow of this rushing offense.
-- Bart Houston had good numbers -- 15 of 22 for 231 yards -- and zipped in some passes. But let's not forget that he also could easily have had two passes intercepted. His first throw of the game was for Troy Fumagalli and was way high but DeAndre Scott couldn't hang on while going up for the ball. Later in the first, Larry Scott stepped in front of a pass intended for Alec Ingold but failed to get the pick. Houston also missed a wide open Peavy down the field -- it would have been a touchdown -- overthrowing the wide receiver by a good margin. This is not said to put a damper on the game -- again, Houston was very good -- but just to remind you better teams will make these plays and that Houston still is learning on the job.
-- Wisconsin hoped to have a good 1-2 punch in Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy. It certainly was that way vs. Akron. Both had career days -- and it sure helps to do that by getting open, which both did often. Peavy finished with seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns while Wheelwright had four catches for 99 yards.
-- Let's give kudos to Leo Musso. He played well last week against LSU then had a nice interception against Akron. He has not been a liability in coverage, either.
-- On Wisconsin's safety, Alec James gets credit for the sack but give a big assist to Olive Sagapolu. Yes, Wisconsin had a rush on -- two linebackers were in the end zone, but they were occupied by blockers. Akron quarterback Thomas Woodson then stepped up in the pocket, but that was blown up by Sagapolu who pushed two Zips backwards. Woodson was caught in a trap and James was able to sack Woodson, who now had nowhere to run.
-- Derrick Tindal proved you never give up on a play. On Akron's longest play from scrimmage, a 38-yard run by Warren Ball, Tindall did his best Peanut Tillman impersonation and punched out the ball, causing a fumble which Wisconsin recovered. It was only 16-0 at the time and a touchdown certainly could have given the Zips some confidence. Instead, the Badgers went down the field and scored to make it 23-0 and essentially put this one away.
-- Rotating punters? Wisconsin went with freshman Anthony Lotti this week. His first punt was decent, a 42-yarder that bounced inside the 10 (and then backwards a few yards before being caught and downed). His second, though, was neither long (33 yards) nor high, setting up JoJo Natson for a good return, which he of course had as he went 55 yards for a touchdown. Perhaps back to P.J. Rosowski next week?
-- Speaking of Rosowski, he had touchbacks on five of his nine kickoffs and now has eight touchbacks in 13 kickoffs, a rate of 61.5 percent. Last year the Badgers had just 18.31 percent of their kickoffs go for touchbacks. Last year, only 14 kickers had a touchback percentage of highest than 61.5 percent.
-- Wisconsin likes its fullbacks, using both Austin Ramesh and Ingold regularly, but added a third against Akron. The 340-pound (as he's listed) Sagapolu changed to No. 99 for this game and we found out why as he lined up in the backfield for a couple of near-the-goal line runs (left tackle Ryan Ramczyk also wears 65). We'll have to see if this becomes a regular thing.
-- Wisconsin's defense has allowed only one touchdown this season, and that came facing a short field against LSU.
-- While the present looks pretty good, the future appears bright as well. True freshman wide receivers Quintez Cephus and A.J. Taylor both had receptions. Cephus showed off his athleticsm while Taylor demonstrated toughness getting extra yards after a long reception. Redshirt freshman Bradrick Shaw was very impressive in garbage time, which perhaps we should take with a grain of salt, but he had good vision and a nice a burst.
-- Akron had 12 possessions in the game. Of those, five were three-and-outs, two were two plays which resulted in a safety and interception, one was four plays then punt and another was four plays ending in a fumble. Wisconsin also had 12 possessions, seven of which were of 7-plus plays. Two were three plays which ended in a touchdown and one was the final series in which UW ran three plays to finish off the clock.
-- Wisconsin converted 10 of 15 third downs; Akron was 1 of 10, with the only conversion coming on its final possession of the game.
-- Linebacker T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin's leading tackler last season, saw his first action of the season as a substitute and recorded two tackles including a sack.
-- Natrell Jamerson was injured late in the game and had to be carted off the field. Especially against a spread offense, Jamerson, a second-teamer, saw a lot of action against Akron. He is also Wisconsin's No. 1 kick returner. Corey Clement is listed as the backup returner so it will be interesting to see who is in fact deep next week, presuming Jamerson is out.
-- Clement appeared to hurt his ankle -- it was called a lower-leg injury -- on his final carry of the second quarter, when he fumbled (which was reversed). He was declared out for the game, although head coach Paul Chryst did say perhaps they were just being overprotective and Clement declared to reporters after the game that he could have played if needed and will play in the Badgers' next game.
-- The punt return allowed for a TD was the first by Wisconsin since Ohio State's Corey Brown did it Nov. 17, 2012. The Badgers haven't had a punt return for a TD since Kenzel Doe vs. Utah State on Sept. 15, 2012.
-- Redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook made his debut and was a perfect 5 for 5 with a touchdown, although he admitted Cephus and Fumagalli bailed him out with a couple of diving catches.
-- Jon Dietzen started at left guard with Micah Kapoi coming off the bench.
We're not about to crown Wisconsin as Big Ten champs after beating up a MAC team, but you have to be impressed with the Badgers' approach against Akron. There was no hangover, no letdown, whatever you want to call it, after last week's big win over LSU. The offense was dynamic and the Badgers appear to have several consistent receiving options -- a concern after the departure of Alex Erickson -- while the defense continued to fly around and make plays. Wisconsin still has a hellacious schedule to contend with, but after two games you have to feel a heck of a lot better about the Badgers' ability to compete in that schedule gauntlet, which begins in a couple of weeks at Michigan State.
Corey Clement set the tone on the game's first play from scrimmage, gaining 11 yards on his initial carry. He'd carve through Akron on that first drive, scoring the game's first touchdown, and finished with 111 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. In one half. Clement's success helps open up the pass game for Wisconsin and that showed in this game. But it was Clement's running that was key to the Badgers running out to a big lead in an eventual blowout win.
A case could easily be made that Jazz Peavy was the MVP of this one. The junior had a career game, catching seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 23-yard run and a great block down the field on Rob Wheelwright's 47-reception off a bubble screen. Really, an all-around great game by Peavy.
Wisconsin drove down the field on the first series of the game but appeared to have to attempt a field goal after Houston's pass to George Rushing was incomplete. However, Akron was offsides, giving the Badgers another shot, and Clement ran in from 4 yards out. It could have been an emotional stop for Akron, holding Wisconsin to three points, but instead it was all downhill for the Zips after that.
294 -- Rushing yards for Wisconsin. Last season, Akron had one of the best rush defenses in the country. The most rushing yards the Zips allowed last season in a game was 161 and they gave up 100-plus rushing yards in seven of 13 games. Opponents averaged just 2.95 yards per carry in 2015 against Akron, and the Zips held FCS VMI to a 1.91 average. Yes, the Badgers' passing game also clicked, but it was the run game which established the tempo -- and dominance -- early and often.
"I think the first seven plays were the same play, just right and left. It feels really good when you just march down the field. We run the ball all the time, why not?" -- Houston on Clement's seven runs on Wisconsin's first drive
"It really didn't feel like 21 carries at all. I felt like I could have gone for 41 if I had played the whole game." -- Clement, who only played in the first half
"It's huge, especially coming off of a huge win against LSU. We didn't want to show that we were too excited and thinking about last week. We wanted to go and move on to Akron, and we're going to do the same thing next week here." -- linebacker T.J. Watt on avoiding a letdown
"Our offense couldn't keep their offense off the field and our defense couldn't keep them off the field." -- Akron head coach Terry Bowden
Wisconsin (2-0) will host Georgia State (0-2) next Saturday at 11 a.m. The Panthers have allowed over 1,000 yards of total offense in losses to Ball State and Air Force.
Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
