Wisconsin Badgers
2-1 , 0-0
Georgia Southern
2-1 , 0-0
Wisconsin soars past Georgia Southern, 35-14
September 16, 2023 | Football
Mordecai, Allen and Badgers earn win with second-half surge
MADISON, Wis. — Tanner Mordecai ran for two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added two more and Wisconsin beat Georgia Southern 35-14 on Saturday.
Mordecai finished 19 of 30 for 236 passing yards. He had touchdown runs of 1 and 18 yards for Wisconsin (2-1) in its first meeting against the Eagles.
Mordecai also had seven carries for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Allen finished with 12 carries for 94 yards and two scores. Chez Mellusi had 15 carries for 61 yards and one touchdown for Wisconsin.
The Badgers had only 46 rushing yards in the first half. Allen was notably absent for most of the half with 17 yards on four carries in the second quarter.
Tulsa transfer Davis Brin threw two touchdowns for Georgia Southern (2-1). Brin was 33 of 52 for 383 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions through three-plus quarters.
Brin fumbled on a snap in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles their sixth turnover of the game.
Mordecai got the Badgers on the board first as he pulled down a high snap and ran 1 yard for the touchdown at 14 minutes, 18 seconds of the second quarter.
The Eagles evened the score at 7 less than two minutes later on a 4-yard touchdown run by OJ Arnold.
The highlight on Georgia Southern's first scoring drive was a 68-yard pass to the 4-yard line from Brin to Derwin Burgess Jr.
Wisconsin had three interceptions in the first half, but did not capitalize with scoring on the three Eagles' picks.
Georgia Southern's Chase Folser missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with 2 seconds left in the first half that would've given the Eagles the lead.
The Eagles took a brief 14-7 lead as Jjay McAfee caught a 25-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
Allen got going with a 4-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14 at 10:53 of the third.
Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler had a standout performance on defense on Saturday. Wohler had 10 tackles (six solo), two interceptions, a sack and a tackle for loss.
Defensive teammates Ricardo Hallman, Jason Maitre and C.J. Goetz also collected interceptions, while linebackers Jake Chaney and Darryl Peterson recorded sacks. Peterson tallied the first multi-sack game of his career, finishing with three TFLs.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin travels to West LaFayette, Indiana on Saturday, Sept. 22 to open the Big Ten season on the road at Purdue. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on FS1.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Team Stats
GAS 0, WIS 7
WIS - Mordecai,Tanner 1 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 11 plays, 70 yards, TOP 04:40
GAS 7, WIS 7
GAS - Arnold,OJ 4 yd run (Lantz,Michael kick), 4 plays, 77 yards, TOP 02:03
GAS 14, WIS 7
GAS - Mcafee,Jjay 25 yd pass from Brin,Davis (Lantz,Michael kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:14
GAS 14, WIS 14
WIS - Allen,Braelon 4 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 5 plays, 58 yards, TOP 01:35
GAS 14, WIS 21
WIS - Mordecai,Tanner 18 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 6 plays, 40 yards, TOP 01:59
GAS 14, WIS 28
WIS - Allen,Braelon 2 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:05
GAS 14, WIS 35
WIS - Mellusi,Chez 1 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 7 plays, 86 yards, TOP 03:41
