Upon Further Review: Badgers vs. Central Michigan
It didn’t take long to learn that Central Michigan couldn’t back up some pregame bluster. The Chippewas not only couldn’t hang with Wisconsin, but also couldn’t prevent being steamrolled by the Badgers.
Wisconsin’s second nonconference game went even better than its first. After beating South Florida on the road 49-0, the Badgers followed it up with a 61-0 domination of Central Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium.
The offense clicked on all cylinders, racking up 599 yards of offense – the most in a game since 2014 – and converting on an impressive 11 of 13 third-down attempts.
Jonathan Taylor had another big game. Although his stats weren’t eye-popping (102 yards on 19 carries, 17 yards on three catches), he scored Wisconsin’s first three touchdowns and had four overall again – the first player since at least 2000 to open a season with back-to-back four TD games.
But this one wasn’t just about running the ball. Wisconsin threw for 400 yards, its third-highest total in a game but most in a win, and had three scores through the air.
Meanwhile, the defense clamped down, limiting Central Michigan to 57 yards, the second-lowest total in a game in Badgers history. The Chippewas crossed midfield only twice: In the second quarter after a short punt gave them the ball at the Wisconsin 41 (three plays later, CMU turned the ball over with an interception) and at the end of the game when they just ran the clock out and got to the 43.
As we said, a domination.
So much for the preseason, let Big Ten play begin (with one October exception in Kent State).
