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Locke's TD pass caps 18-point fourth-quarter Wisconsin comeback win over Illinois, 25-21
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Braedyn Locke threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to offensive lineman Nolan Rucci with 27 seconds left Saturday, capping an 18-point fourth-quarter explosion by Wisconsin that gave the Badgers a stunning 25-21 Big Ten win over Illinois.
“I still can’t believe it,” Rucci said. “It’s like a dream. I saw the ball in the air and it seemed like it was coming to me in slow motion.”
Locke said he thought his throw to a wide-open Rucci in the end zone was high.
“Nolan made a great adjustment to the ball,” Locke said.
That’s not how Rucci described the pass and catch that ended a 14-play, 83-yard drive.
“The ball was perfectly thrown. I’m a tall guy,” said the 6-foot-8, 300-pound red-shirt sophomore. “We repped the play five or six times in practice this week and I caught the ball every time. The passes Braedyn threw in practice were just like the one he threw (in the game).”
Locke was 21-of-41 passing for 240 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since taking over for the injured Tanner Mordecai. Braelon Allen, the Big Ten’s leading rusher, ran for 145 yards for the Badgers (5-2, 3-1).
“Braedyn showed incredible poise. We put him in a tough situation (down 21-7 entering the fourth quarter) and he performed well,” said Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell.
Fickell also showered praise on Allen, who ran for 11 yards on a third-and-10 play to keep the winning drive alive.
“Braelon runs angry,” Fickell said. “Even though we had confidence in Braedyn, Braelon needed to shoulder more of the load (Saturday). When the game is on the line, you’ve got to get the ball to your horses.”
Fickell said he saw a fire in his team in the fourth quarter that opened his eyes.
“When we were down 21-7, I’m sure a lot of people had their doubts that we could come back,” he said. “For the first time in 10 months, I saw something from our guys in the fourth quarter that I hadn’t seen before. Resilience, fight and grit.”
Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the homecoming loss was a tough one to swallow, especially considering it was in front of 54,205 fans, the largest crowd of the season at Memorial Stadium.
“I thought we did enough good things to win,” Bielema said. “We were locked in and we had a good game plan.”
Luke Altmyer threw two short touchdown passes, passed for 100 yards and ran for 100 yards for Illinois (3-5, 1-4). Kaden Feagin rushed for 97 yards as the Illini gained a season-high 223 yards on the ground.
Ahead 14-7 at halftime, Illinois added to its lead on a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by Feagin.
Wisconsin scored on a 41-yard field goal by Nathanial Vakos and a 20-yard pass from Locke to Will Pauling in the fourth quarter that was followed by a two-point conversion pass from Locke to Riley Nowakowski before Locke’s TD pass to Rucci.
Pauling (seven catches for 95 yards) was Locke’s favorite target.
Wisconsin was plagued by mistakes in the first half, but trailed by just a touchdown.
Illinois got an early turnover when Locke scrambled out of the pocket, was hit from behind by All-American Jer’Zhan Newton, and fumbled. Miles Scott fell on the ball on the Illinois 46.
That launched a drive that ended with a 1-yard TD pass from Altmyer to a wide-open Tanner Arkin in the end zone. It was Arkin’s first career catch.
Wisconsin botched an opportunity to score in the second quarter when Gavin Myers dropped the snap on a 27-yard field goal attempt by Vakos and Illinois recovered on the Wisconsin 18.
The Illini took advantage of the miscue, cashing in with a 12-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that took 7:53. It was the longest TD drive of the season for Illinois in both time of possession and yardage.
Altmyer’s 17-yard run to the Wisconsin 4 on a fourth-and-two play set up a 3-yard TD pass from Altmyer to Tip Reiman, who wrestled the ball away from Alexander Smith at the goal line.
Wisconsin’s offense suddenly came to life late in the first half. The Badgers went 73 yards on eight plays and scored on a 4-yard run by Allen, who ran untouched into the end zone with 31 seconds left.
FIVE YEARS AGO
This was the first time Wisconsin won a Big Ten game that it trailed by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter since a 2018 game against Purdue. The Badgers beat the Boilermakers 47-44 after being down 27-13.
TARGETED
Newton was ejected for targeting on a sack of Locke that was confirmed on a video review with 10:02 to go in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin scored 15 points after Newton’s ejection. A frustrated Bielema said he will appeal Newton’s one-game suspension.
“I thought Johnny led with his hands, not with his helmet,” Bielema said. “That call turned into a game-changer. Your best player makes a great play and you go 30 yards the other way. It’s maddening. It’s insanity.”
NOT HIS FIRST TD
Rucci said the last time he caught a touchdown pass in a game was during a freshman game in high school in Lititz, Pa. He said he was playing tight end at the time.
WINDY DAY
The gametime temperature was a balmy 70 degrees, but a 20 mph wind out of the west that gusted across the field made punts, kickoffs and many passes an adventure.
THE TAKEAWAY
Wisconsin: With the comeback win, the Badgers moved into first place in the Big Ten West. Iowa lost to 12-10 to Minnesota at home and slipped to 3-2 in the conference. Iowa and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten West teams with a winning conference record.
Illinois: The Illini will take a week off after the gut-wrenching homecoming defeat. How will they respond after two weeks to think about the loss?
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: The Badgers will play host next Saturday to No. 3 Ohio State.
Illinois: After a bye week, the Illini will travel to Minnesota on Nov. 4.
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B. Locke
18 QB 240 PaYds, 2 PaTDs, -2 RuYds |
|
L. Altmyer
9 QB 100 PaYds, 2 PaTDs, 100 RuYds |
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 24 | 16 |
Rushing | 10 | 10 |
Passing | 11 | 6 |
Penalty | 3 | 0 |
3rd Down Conv | 10-17 | 7-16 |
4th Down Conv | 1-2 | 1-3 |
Total Net Yards | 379 | 313 |
Total Plays | 76 | 66 |
Avg Gain | 5.0 | 4.7 |
Net Yards Rushing | 139 | 213 |
Rush Attempts | 35 | 45 |
Avg Rush Yards | 4.0 | 4.7 |
Yards Passing | 240 | 100 |
Comp. - Att. | 21-41 | 13-21 |
Yards Per Pass | 5.5 | 3.3 |
Penalties - Yards | 6-40 | 9-79 |
Touchdowns | 3 | 3 |
Rushing TDs | 1 | 1 |
Passing TDs | 2 | 2 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
Fumbles - Lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
Int. Thrown | 0 | 0 |
Punts - Avg | 4-40.8 | 6-42.0 |
Return Yards | 3 | 8 |
Punts - Returns | 1-3 | 1-8 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Int. - Returns | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
B. Locke
18 QB
|
B. Locke | 21/41 | 240 | 2 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
B. Allen
0 RB
|
B. Allen | 29 | 145 | 1 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Acker
34 RB
|
J. Acker | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Locke
18 QB
|
B. Locke | 3 | -2 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
G. Meyers
28 P
|
G. Meyers | 1 | -9 | 0 | -9 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
W. Pauling
6 WR
|
W. Pauling | 11 | 7 | 95 | 1 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
S. Bell
11 WR
|
S. Bell | 8 | 4 | 53 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Williams
4 WR
|
C. Williams | 3 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Allen
0 RB
|
B. Allen | 3 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Green
9 WR
|
B. Green | 7 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
R. Nowakowski
37 TE
|
R. Nowakowski | 3 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Dike
13 WR
|
C. Dike | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
H. Rucci
87 TE
|
H. Rucci | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I. Townsend
93 DE
|
I. Townsend | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
M. Njongmeta
55 LB
|
M. Njongmeta | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Peterson
17 LB
|
D. Peterson | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Goetz
98 LB
|
C. Goetz | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
N. Vakos
90 K
|
N. Vakos | 1/1 | 40 | 2/2 | 5 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
A. Bertrams
49 P
|
A. Bertrams | 4 | 40.8 | 1 | 52 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
C. Dike
13 WR
|
C. Dike | 2 | 13.5 | 20 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
C. Dike 13 WR
|
C. Dike | 1 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
L. Altmyer
9 QB
|
L. Altmyer | 13/21 | 100 | 2 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
L. Altmyer
9 QB
|
L. Altmyer | 16 | 100 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Feagin
3 RB
|
K. Feagin | 24 | 97 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Laughery
21 RB
|
A. Laughery | 3 | 18 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I. Williams
1 WR
|
I. Williams | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
C. Washington
14 WR
|
C. Washington | 8 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
P. Bryant
13 WR
|
P. Bryant | 3 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I. Williams
1 WR
|
I. Williams | 6 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
G. Moore
81 TE
|
G. Moore | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Reiman
89 TE
|
T. Reiman | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Arkin
85 TE
|
T. Arkin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
J. Newton
4 DT
|
J. Newton | 2-0 | 1.0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
C. Griffin
5 K
|
C. Griffin | 0/0 | 0 | 3/3 | 3 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
H. Robertson
19 P
|
H. Robertson | 6 | 42.0 | 3 | 56 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
I. Williams 1 WR
|
I. Williams | 1 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 |
1st | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
15:00 | WISC 35 | 2:36 | 6 | 17 | Punt |
10:33 | WISC 29 | 1:47 | 4 | 25 | Fumble |
6:07 | WISC 10 | 1:35 | 3 | 8 | Punt |
1:01 | WISC 33 | 2:38 | 6 | 15 | Punt |
2nd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
12:36 | WISC 49 | 2:31 | 7 | 33 | Downs |
2:12 | WISC 27 | 1:41 | 8 | 73 | TD |
0:03 | ILL 48 | 0:00 | 1 | -9 | Half |
3rd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
12:11 | WISC 3 | 2:44 | 6 | 19 | Punt |
4:30 | WISC 25 | 5:17 | 12 | 52 | FG |
4th | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
10:46 | WISC 18 | 3:25 | 10 | 82 | TD |
3:24 | WISC 21 | 2:57 | 14 | 83 | TD |
1st | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
12:24 | ILL 7 | 1:51 | 3 | 11 | Punt |
8:46 | ILL 46 | 2:39 | 6 | 54 | TD |
4:32 | ILL 46 | 3:31 | 7 | 21 | Downs |
2nd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
13:23 | ILL 20 | 0:47 | 3 | -2 | Punt |
9:52 | ILL 18 | 7:53 | 12 | 82 | TD |
0:31 | ILL 25 | 0:31 | 3 | 4 | Punt |
3rd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
15:00 | ILL 25 | 2:49 | 6 | 21 | Punt |
9:27 | ILL 47 | 4:57 | 10 | 53 | TD |
4th | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
14:13 | ILL 25 | 3:27 | 5 | 24 | Punt |
7:21 | ILL 25 | 3:57 | 6 | 2 | Punt |
0:27 | ILL 25 | 0:27 | 5 | 28 | Downs |
- Punt (6 plays, 17 yards, 2:36 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Kickoff | (15:00 - 1st) D.Olano kicks 30 yards from ILL 35 to the WIS 35. Out of bounds. |
+8 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 35 (15:00 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 43 for 8 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 43. |
+1 YD | 2 & 2 - WISC 43 (14:26 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 44 for 1 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 44. |
Penalty | 3 & 1 - WISC 44 (14:10 - 1st) PENALTY on WIS-J.Nelson False Start 5 yards accepted. No Play. |
+7 YD | 3 & 6 - WISC 39 (13:58 - 1st) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 39. Catch made by H.Rucci at WIS 39. Gain of 7 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 46. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 46 (13:40 - 1st) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 46. Catch made by B.Green at WIS 46. Gain of 4 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 50. |
+2 YD | 2 & 6 - WISC 50 (13:11 - 1st) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 50. Catch made by W.Pauling at WIS 50. Gain of 2 yards. Tackled by ILL at ILL 48. |
No Gain | 3 & 4 - ILL 48 (12:33 - 1st) B.Locke steps back to pass. B.Locke pass incomplete intended for W.Pauling. |
Punt | 4 & 4 - ILL 48 (12:30 - 1st) A.Bertrams punts 36 yards to ILL 12 Center-WIS. Fair catch by I.Williams. |
- Punt (3 plays, 11 yards, 1:51 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Penalty | 1 & 10 - ILL 12 (12:24 - 1st) PENALTY on ILL-J.Pearl False Start 5 yards accepted. No Play. |
+7 YD | 1 & 15 - ILL 7 (12:24 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to ILL 14 for 7 yards. Tackled by WIS at ILL 14. |
No Gain | 2 & 8 - ILL 14 (11:55 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to ILL 14 for 0 yards. Tackled by WIS at ILL 14. |
+4 YD | 3 & 8 - ILL 14 (11:26 - 1st) L.Altmyer scrambles to ILL 18 for 4 yards. Tackled by WIS at ILL 18. |
Punt | 4 & 4 - ILL 18 (10:41 - 1st) H.Robertson punts 48 yards to WIS 34 Center-ILL. Fair catch by C.Dike. |
- Fumble (4 plays, 25 yards, 1:47 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Penalty | 1 & 10 - WISC 34 (10:33 - 1st) PENALTY on WIS-R.Mahlman False Start 5 yards accepted. No Play. |
+2 YD | 1 & 15 - WISC 29 (10:33 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 31 for 2 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 31. |
+14 YD | 2 & 13 - WISC 31 (10:02 - 1st) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 31. Catch made by R.Nowakowski at WIS 31. Gain of 14 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 45. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 45 (9:27 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 49 for 4 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 49. |
+5 YD | 2 & 6 - WISC 49 (8:55 - 1st) B.Locke scrambles to ILL 46 for 5 yards. B.Locke FUMBLES forced by J.Newton. Fumble RECOVERED by ILL-M.Scott at ILL 46. Tackled by WIS at ILL 46. |
- Touchdown (6 plays, 54 yards, 2:39 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+27 YD | 1 & 10 - ILL 46 (8:46 - 1st) L.Altmyer pass complete to ILL 46. Catch made by P.Bryant at ILL 46. Gain of 27 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 27. |
+12 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 27 (8:05 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to WIS 15 for 12 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 15. |
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 15 (7:38 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to WIS 12 for 3 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 12. |
+11 YD | 2 & 7 - WISC 12 (6:52 - 1st) L.Altmyer pass complete to WIS 12. Catch made by I.Williams at WIS 12. Gain of 12 yards. I.Williams for 12 yards TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Official reviewed the runner was in bounds and the play was overturned. L.Altmyer pass complete to WIS 12. Catch made by I.Williams at WIS 12. Gain of 11 yards. Pushed out of bounds by WIS at WIS 1. |
No Gain | 1 & Goal - WISC 1 (6:46 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to WIS 1 for 0 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 1. |
+1 YD | 2 & Goal - WISC 1 (6:07 - 1st) L.Altmyer pass complete to WIS 1. Catch made by T.Arkin at WIS 1. Gain of 1 yards. T.Arkin for 1 yards TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on WIS-WIS Illegal Substitution 5 yards declined. |
PAT Good | (6:07 - 1st) C.Griffin extra point is good. |
- Punt (3 plays, 8 yards, 1:35 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Kickoff | (6:07 - 1st) D.Olano kicks 65 yards from ILL 35 to the WIS End Zone. C.Dike returns the kickoff. Tackled by ILL at WIS 20. PENALTY on WIS-K.Johnson Offensive Holding 10 yards accepted. |
-2 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 10 (6:02 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 8 for -2 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 8. |
+10 YD | 2 & 12 - WISC 8 (5:30 - 1st) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 8. Catch made by S.Bell at WIS 8. Gain of 10 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 18. |
No Gain | 3 & 2 - WISC 18 (4:48 - 1st) B.Locke steps back to pass. B.Locke pass incomplete intended for S.Bell. |
Punt | 4 & 2 - WISC 18 (4:43 - 1st) A.Bertrams punts 44 yards to ILL 38 Center-WIS. I.Williams returned punt from the ILL 38. Tackled by WIS at ILL 46. |
- Downs (7 plays, 21 yards, 3:31 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - ILL 46 (4:32 - 1st) I.Williams rushed to ILL 50 for 4 yards. Tackled by WIS at ILL 50. |
No Gain | 2 & 6 - ILL 50 (3:57 - 1st) L.Altmyer steps back to pass. L.Altmyer pass incomplete intended for P.Bryant. |
+8 YD | 3 & 6 - ILL 50 (3:53 - 1st) L.Altmyer pass complete to ILL 50. Catch made by C.Washington at ILL 50. Gain of 8 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 42. |
-1 YD | 1 & 10 - WISC 42 (3:09 - 1st) A.Laughery rushed to WIS 43 for -1 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 43. |
+1 YD | 2 & 11 - WISC 43 (2:32 - 1st) L.Altmyer pass complete to WIS 43. Catch made by T.Reiman at WIS 43. Gain of 1 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 42. |
Penalty | 3 & 10 - ILL 42 (1:54 - 1st) L.Altmyer steps back to pass. L.Altmyer pass incomplete intended for G.Moore. PENALTY on WIS-K.Latu Defensive Offside 5 yards accepted. No Play. |
+4 YD | 3 & 5 - WISC 37 (1:53 - 1st) L.Altmyer rushed to WIS 33 for 4 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 33. |
No Gain | 4 & 1 - WISC 33 (1:06 - 1st) K.Feagin rushed to WIS 33 for 0 yards. Tackled by WIS at WIS 33. |
- Punt (6 plays, 15 yards, 2:38 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
No Gain | 1 & 10 - WISC 33 (1:01 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 33 for yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 33. PENALTY on WIS-J.Nelson Offensive Holding 10 yards accepted. No Play. |
+3 YD | 1 & 20 - WISC 23 (0:33 - 1st) B.Allen rushed to WIS 26 for 3 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 26. |
+16 YD | 2 & 17 - WISC 26 (15:00 - 2nd) B.Locke pass complete to WIS 26. Catch made by W.Pauling at WIS 26. Gain of 16 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 42. |
+2 YD | 3 & 1 - WISC 42 (14:35 - 2nd) B.Allen rushed to WIS 44 for 2 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 44. |
No Gain | 1 & 10 - WISC 44 (14:17 - 2nd) B.Locke steps back to pass. B.Locke pass incomplete intended for R.Nowakowski. |
+4 YD | 2 & 10 - WISC 44 (14:13 - 2nd) B.Allen rushed to WIS 48 for 4 yards. Tackled by ILL at WIS 48. |
No Gain | 3 & 6 - WISC 48 (13:34 - 2nd) B.Locke steps back to pass. B.Locke pass incomplete intended for W.Pauling. |