Wilson wows in debut, No. 11 Wisconsin rolls
Photo
Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, left, looks to pass against UNLV's Nate Carter (36) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, in Madison.
MADISON — Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in his Wisconsin debut and Montee Ball scored four times to lead the 11th-ranked Badgers over UNLV 51-17 on Thursday night.
All the attention was on Wilson, the North Carolina State transfer who is using his last year of eligibility at Wisconsin in hopes of getting the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl or better.
Wilson shined, taking off on a 46-yard TD run that had him slipping into the end zone untouched just before halftime, then thanking every one of his offensive teammates on the bench after the play.
Even with Wilson, the Badgers (1-0) are built to run. Ball and James White overwhelmed the undersized Rebels (0-1) from the start in the hottest game in the 94-year history of Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin's running game gave Wilson plenty of opportunities to pick UNLV apart, and the charismatic signal caller calmly went to the bench and sat under a giant fan flanked by a TV camera following his every move after each score. He finished 10 of 13 for 255 yards and had two rushes for 62 yards.
Ball caught Wilson's first TD pass as a Badger from 4 yards out.
In some ways it was a typical Wisconsin opener. The Badgers scored on their first drive of the season for the sixth straight year. In same ways, it was very different: the temperature at kickoff was 90 degrees.
Wisconsin made it 13-0 when Ball took a handoff, busted through two arm tackles and high-stepped to avoid Quinton Porter's desperation dive for a 22-yard touchdown. It was 20-0 when Wilson found top target Nick Toon for completions of 39 and 15 yards before White punched it into the end zone from a yard out.
Ball, who finished with 63 yards rushing, also scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, making it 51-3 midway through the third quarter.
UNLV, losers of 10 straight on the road, showed some of the same jitters that coach Bobby Hauck's squads have struggled with after he finished his first season 2-11.
New starting quarterback Caleb Herring was a notable exception with two second-half touchdown passes that cut the lead to 51-17 in the fourth. He kept plays alive with his feet and showed poise under relentless pressure, but didn't have many options and finished 18 of 27 for 146 yards.
UNLV failed to convert its first nine third-down conversions, and one second-quarter sequence highlighted the Rebels' struggles.
Wide receiver Phillip Payne committed a 15-yard personal foul for a late hit, center Robert Waterman snapped the ball over Herring's head for an 8-yard loss, Payne dropped a pass with no defender nearby and Nolan Kohorst pulled a 52-yard field goal wide left.
Following the busted opportunity, Wilson found Ball on a swing pass, and Ball zigzagged across the field, cutting it back against UNLV's Trent Allmang-Wilder for a 63-yard gain. Ball scored two plays later to make it 27-0.
Kohorst hit a 37-yard field goal, but Wilson dropped back to pass on the next possession, broke to the right and saw no pursuit behind him for his TD scamper as the Badgers led 37-3 at halftime.
Wilson has been a hot topic, dubbed Russellmania, since he arrived on campus in Madison.
Expectations are high that the 22-year-old can lead the Badgers back to a BCS game following their 21-19 loss to TCU on Jan. 1 despite losing six offensive starters, including quarterback Scott Tolzien.
Wilson joined Wisconsin after a stint playing minor league baseball for the Colorado Rockies and N.C. State's decision to move on without him despite his stellar numbers over three years, including a win over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl last season.
Sep 2, 2011 at 2:34 p.m.
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"UNLV couldn't beat UW-Whitewater. I like going to Vegas but the Badgers need tougher opponents."
Nice attempt at hyperbole but the simple fact is that they (UNLV) would by about the same score UW beat them.
Sep 2, 2011 at 12:47 p.m.
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Great game !!!!
The competition will get harder as the season progresses.
Go Bucky Go !!!!
Sep 2, 2011 at 11:50 a.m.
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D1 programs don't put signs up in the dorms that read "tryouts for football tomorrow" and invite the general student body to participate. They recruit. Consequently the enrollment of the university is inconsequential. Case in point Notre Dame has roughly 8400 undergraduates enrolled, UNLV slightly over 25,000. Yet Notre Dame manages to effectively compete with schools seven or eight times it's size. How do they do that? How has UNLV managed to beat Wisconsin twice? If "most of the students" don't know there is a game the athletic department is doing a very poor job. I really like Bobby Hauck. He's got a proven track record and knows what it takes to win. But if he doesn't manage to change the culture at UNLV they'll never amount to anything.
At least you're not giving us the same you'll finish in the middle of your conference and play in some meaningless bowl game rap you did last year NV.
Sep 2, 2011 at 9:46 a.m.
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I was up on the UNLV campus yesterday, and most of the students I talked with didn't even know there was a game, and a few didn't know they had a football team. Foooooball is not important there. Most could care less. But apparently, according to the story, it is a big thing for Bucky to stomp on a school with half of its enrollment. I think Nebraska may provide a bit stiffer competition.
Sep 2, 2011 at 7:01 a.m.
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UNLV couldn't beat UW-Whitewater. I like going to Vegas but the Badgers need tougher opponents.
Sep 2, 2011 at 6:25 a.m.
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I agree yada...... but I like that they keep playing UNLV. It makes for a great fall weekend in Las Vegas when the Badgers get to play out there. It's a sea of red and white at the game and on the Strip.
Sep 2, 2011 at 5:49 a.m.
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An exciting game, but they may have played a college team by the name of Patsy.
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