Wisconsin vs. NIU Post-Game Notes
September 05, 2009 | Football
Wisconsin vs. Northern Illinois
Sept. 5, 2009
Camp Randall Stadium ' Madison, Wis.
Team Notes
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Tonight's attendance was 80,532. That is the 40th-straight sellout at Camp Randall Stadium.
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Wisconsin has now won 12 straight season-openers.
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The Badgers improved their record to 22-3 in their last 25 night games.
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Nine Badgers made their first career starts tonight: WR Nick Toon, CB Devin Smith, QB Scott Tolzien, LB Mike Taylor, OL Kevin Zeitler, OL Travis Frederick, DL Jeff Stehle, DL Patrick Butrym, DL J.J. Watt.
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Wisconsin held the ball for 12:11 of the third quarter, while Northern Illinois held the ball for just 2:49 of that period. Overall, Northern Illinois won the time of possession by a narrow 30:14 to 29:46 margin.
Offensive Notes
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UW's 80-yard touchdown pass from Scott Tolzien to Isaac Anderson on the Badgers' first offensive play of the game is tied for the fifth-longest pass in school history. It was the longest pass for Wisconsin since a 99-yarder from Jim Sorgi to Lee Evans against Akron on Sept. 6, 2003.
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Center Travis Frederick became the first true freshman in school history to start a season-opener on the offensive line . The last true freshman at any position to start a season opener was defensive end Matt Shaughnessy in 2005.
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Junior wide receiver Isaac Anderson had 100 yards receiving in the game, all coming in the first quarter. It was his second career 100-yard receiving game (he had 114 yards vs. Minnesota last season).
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In addition to his 80-yard touchdown reception, Anderson also scored on a 23-yard run. He is the first UW player to score on the ground and through the air since P.J. Hill had four rushing TDs and a receiving TD vs. The Citadel on Sept. 15, 2007.
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In his first career start, quarterback Scott Tolzien completed his first six passes. He finished the game 15-of-20 for 257 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for a QB rating of 179.44. His 257 yards passing were the most for UW since Allan Evridge passed for 308 yards vs. Marshall (Sept. 6, 2008).
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Sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon recorded career highs in both receptions (five) and receiving yards (72). His previous career highs were four catches for 44 yards.
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John Clay had two 1-yard rushing TDs in the third quarter. Those were the 10th and 11th rushing touchdowns of his career. It was the third time in his career he has scored two touchdowns in a game.
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Wisconsin totaled 281 yards passing in the game. That is the team's highest output through the air since posting 329 yards against Marshall (Sept. 6, 2008).
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The Badgers had two players post at least 80 yards receiving (Anderson with 100 and Graham with 82) vs. Northern Illinois. Last season, Wisconsin had a receiver post 80 yards or more in a game on just three occasions (Lance Kendricks ' 94 vs. Marshall 9/5/08; Isaac Anderson 114 vs. Minnesota 11/15; and David Gilreath 125 vs. Cal-Poly 11/22).
Defensive Notes
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In his first career start, freshman linebacker Mike Taylor had a terrific all-around game. He recorded seven tackles, a TFL for a loss of four yards and forced and recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
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The UW defense posted 3.0 sacks, four quarterback hurries and two passes defensed in the game.
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The Badgers also tallied eight tackles-for-loss, for a total of 38 yards on the night.
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Wisconsin limited Northern Illinois to 3-of-12 on third down attempts in the game. Through the first three quarters, the Huskies were 0-for-7 on third down conversions.
