Wisconsin Badgers
1-1 , 0-0
Washington State
2-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 3 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 22 |
| Washington St. | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
Wisconsin falls at Washington State, 31-22
September 09, 2023 | Football
Mellusi and Bell join Vakos in scoring for Badgers
PULLMAN, Wash. — A late rally saw Wisconsin score 16 straight points in the second-half, but ultimately come up short against Washington State on the road on Saturday, 31-22.
A strong showing by Washington State (2-0)saw the home-team Cougars take a 24-6 lead in the first half.
It got dicey after that for the Cougars.
Wisconsin (1-1) scored 16 straight points and was driving in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead before running back Chez Mellusi fumbled near midfield.
Washington State's Cameron Ward passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns and added another 43 yards rushing, while Nakia Watson scored on a 1-yard run with 5:30 remaining to lead Washington State to the upset. Ward scrambled for runs of 23 yards and 14 yards during a pivotal fourth-quarter drive to help the Cougars avoid a second-half meltdown. Watson capped the drive with his 1-yard run.
The Badgers lost three fumbles and struggled in the first half. Wisconsin kicked Nathanial Vakos made three field goals in the first half, but Wisconsin didn't find the end zone until Mellusi's 2-yard run midway through the third quarter that cut Washington State's lead to 24-16.
Quarterback Tanner Mordecai hit Skyler Bell on a 16-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to pull Wisconsin to 24-22, but the Badgers missed the two-point conversion to tie up the score.
Mordecai was 25 of 40 for 278 yards and fumbled twice, both on sacks by WSU's Ron Stone Jr. One of the fumbles was recovered by Brennan Jackson for a touchdown in the first half.
Wisconsin defensive end James Thompson, Jr., collected 1.5 sacks and five tackles for the Badgers. Teammate Hunter Wohler tallied 13 total tackles, one TFL and two QB hurries.
Wisconsin returns home to host Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Team Stats
WIS 0, WSU 7
WSU - Williams,Kyle 4 yd pass from Ward,Cameron (Janikowski,Dean kick) 8 plays, 62 yards, TOP 04:02
WIS 3, WSU 7
WIS - Vakos,Nathanial 49 yd field goal 10 plays, 29 yards, TOP 04:21
WIS 3, WSU 14
WSU - Victor,Lincoln 1 yd pass from Ward,Cameron (Janikowski,Dean kick) 5 plays, 87 yards, TOP 01:44
WIS 6, WSU 14
WIS - Vakos,Nathanial 34 yd field goal 9 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:53
WIS 6, WSU 17
WSU - Janikowski,Dean 46 yd field goal 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 03:03
WIS 6, WSU 24
WSU - Jackson,Brennan 2 yd fumble recovery (Janikowski,Dean kick)
WIS 9, WSU 24
WIS - Vakos,Nathanial 29 yd field goal 8 plays, 64 yards, TOP 01:47
WIS 16, WSU 24
WIS - Mellusi,Chez 2 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 7 plays, 35 yards, TOP 03:58
WIS 22, WSU 24
WIS - Bell,Skyler 16 yd pass from Mordecai,Tanner () 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:08
WIS 22, WSU 31
WSU - Watson,Nakia 1 yd run (Janikowski,Dean kick), 10 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:49
