PROVO, Utah — Alex Hornibrook threw for four touchdowns and 256 yards as No. 10 Wisconsin rolled to a 40-6 victory over BYU on Saturday.
Now 3-0, the Badgers faced little resistance from the Cougars as the visiting team took an early lead and led 24-6 at the half. Looking confident at the helm, Hornibrook missed only one pass during the rout. He completed 10 of 11 passes in the first half for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The second stanza saw the sophomore quarterback perform flawlessly with eight attempts (18-19 overall).
Hornibrook put up career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions, while setting the Wisconsin single-game completion percentage record (94.7%). The previous record was held by Darrell Bevell on a 17-for-18 (94.4%) performance vs. Nortwestern in 1993. Hornibrook also set career highs with 256 yards passing and 4 touchdown passes. He is the first Badgers QB to throw for 4 touchdowns since Russell Wilson threw 4 at Minnesota (11/12/11).
Hornibrook posted a career-best 277.4 pass efficiency rating, the second-highest mark in school history. Only John Stocco's mark of 296.7 vs. Indiana (9/30/06) is higher.
Jonathan Taylor opened up the BYU defense as he repeatedly sidestepped defenders and finished runs with power. The freshman running back gained 128 yards and scored once on 18 rushes. His performance marks the first back-to-back 100-yard games by a Wisconsin true freshman since 2013.
The Badgers overwhelmed the Cougars on both sides of the ball, not allowing a touchdown for the opposition. Junior inside linebacker T.J. Edwards shined on defense as he notched his fifth career interception and third in the last four games. Wisconsin did not surrender any second-half points against BYU. The Badgers have now out-scored opponents 72-0 in the second half this season.
UW's first punt of the day didn't come until the third quarter after scoring on all four first-half drives, including three touchdowns. The Cougars (1-3) were outgained 491 total yards to 192.
BYU quarterback Beau Hoge made his first career start with Tanner Mangum out with an injury. Hoge threw an interception on his first attempt and struggled as he only managed 111 passing yards and had two interceptions. Freshman running back Ula Tolutau ran for a career-high 58 yards on 13 carries.
Wisconsin is now 9-1 in true road games under head coach Paul Chryst and won 11 straight games against non-conference teams. Wisconsin opens Big Ten conference play Sept. 30 against Northwestern at home.
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The AP contributed to this article.
