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Wisconsin vs. Illinois State: Game notes and top plays

A look at some of the best plays from Wisconsin's 38-point win against Illinois State and some post-game notes from Saturday.

Matt Belz

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The Wisconsin Badgers were able to pull away from Illinois State on Saturday night for a 38-0 win inside Camp Randall Stadium.

The victory gave Wisconsin an opening-season win and a nice start to the 2022 season.

Game recaps:

Following the game head coach Paul Chryst spoke with local reporters about his team's performance which featured several big plays. 

Here is a look at some of the significant game notes from the contest and five of the top plays from Wisconsin's big win. 

Game Notes

  • The team captains for the game were quarterback Graham Mertz, linebacker Nick Herbig, and nose tackle Keeanu Benton. Former Wisconsin great Travis Frederick joined them as the honorary guest captain.  
  • Attendance for the game was 73,727 people. 
  • Head coach Paul Chryst came away with win No. 66, vaulting him into third place on Wisconsin's all-time wins list. He is now just two behind Bret Bielema for second place.  
  • The Badgers now have nine shutouts since 2015. That is the second-most in college football during that time, trailing only Alabama. 
  • Wisconsin rushed (221) and passed (219) for over 200 yards in the game. The last time the Badgers did that was against Northwestern last season. 
  • Five true freshmen played for the Badgers against Illinois State. The players who saw action were: Vinny Anthony (WR), Austin Brown (S), Joe Brunner (OG), Myles Burkett (QB), and Jackson Trudgeon (S). 
  • Freshman Myles Burkett was the No. 2 quarterback in the opener, earning snaps with the second-team offense late in the game. 
  • After struggling in the red zone a season ago, Wisconsin was a perfect 4-of-4 in the red zone. The Badgers did have to settle for a field goal on one occasion. 
  • Wisconsin is now 20-5 all-time in night games inside Camp Randall Stadium and has won 26 of their last 27 home openers.  
  • 11 players started their first games in a Badgers' uniform: Skyler Bell (WR), Vito Calvaruso (K), Clay Cundiff (TE), Ricardo Hallman (CB), Rodas Johnson (DE), Riley Mahlman (RT), Maema Njongmeta (ILB), Jay Shaw (CB), Jordan Turner, and Hunter Wohler (FS).
  • Outside linebacker Nick Herbig had his fourth game with at least two sacks. 
  • Safety Preston Zachman had his first career interception against Illinois State, while Vito Calvaruso made his first career field goal in a collegiate contest.  
  • Running back Isaac Guerendo had his second-career rushing touchdown, while Braelon Allen had his third run of over 70 yards. Allen had his ninth career 100-yard game as well, all of which have come in the past 10 games. 
  • Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed 13-straight pass attempts during the game and finished with an 88% completion percentage.
  • Braelon Allen's 96-yard rushing touchdown set a new program record, breaking James White's previous long of 93 yards against Indiana in 2013. 
  • John Torchio's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown is the longest in program history. He broke Joe Ferguson had held the record since 2017. 
  • Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the game. The Badgers did not have a player with over 100 yards in a game during the entire 2021 season. 
  • Starting safety Hunter Wohler and right tackle Riley Mahlman each left the game with an injury and did not return. 

Top Plays

1. John Torchio's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. 

John Torchio's first-quarter interception was by far the most impactful play of the game. Not only did it stop a long Illinois State drive, but it also provided a necessary spark for the team who played a bit flat coming out in the early moments. Torchio is aptly nicknamed the 'jewelry thief' by his teammates because of his ability to make big plays, and he did it again on Saturday evening.  

2. Braelon Allen takes it 96 yards for the touchdown

Braelon Allen ran for 148 yards on Saturday, but his best carry came in the second quarter when he broke a tackle and never looked back. Allen lost some weight in the off-season to improve his speed and was able to take the ball the distance for a huge 96-yard touchdown. Hayden Rucci, Tyler Beach, Chimere Dike, and Joe Tippmann each came up with pivotal blocks on the play. 

3. Chimere Dike takes the tunnel screen 74 yards

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Chimere Dike broke off another huge play for the Wisconsin offense, taking a tunnel screen from Graham Mertz 74 yards. He was tracked down from behind but set the offense up for another touchdown drive. 

4. Backup safety Preston Zachman with an interception 

Reserve safety Preston Zachman undercut an out-route to record a second interception for the Wisconsin defense. The sophomore was in for Hunter Wohler late in the game and ended any hope of Illinois State stringing together a late scoring drive. 

5. Graham Mertz connects with Chimere Dike for a 16-yard touchdown

The Badgers capped off their final scoring drive of the day with a pretty throw from Graham Mertz to Chimere Dike beating Illinois State who was sitting in cover two. Dike had previously broken off a 74-yard reception earlier on the drive.

Honorable mention: Nick Herbig with two sacks

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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