Wisconsin Badgers
Rutgers
Baggot: Five things to know - Wisconsin head to Rutgers
October 09, 2024 | Football
Wisconsin takes on Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.
There have been two instances in Wisconsin football history where a quarterback has passed for 300-plus yards in consecutive games and won both. Braedyn Locke has an opportunity to add his name to a list that includes two prominent predecessors.
Locke completed 20 of 31 passes for 359 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Badgers thumped Purdue 52-6 last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. That ranks as the seventh-most passing yards in a contest in program history and fourth-most in a Big Ten Conference game.
Locke could join Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback with Seattle in 2014, and Joel Stave, the winningest quarterback to ever play at Wisconsin (31-10, .756), when UW (3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten) plays at Rutgers (4-1, 1-1) Saturday at 11 a.m. at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
Wilson passed for 347 and 345 yards in back-to-back games versus Northern Illinois (49-7) and South Dakota (59-10) in 2011, respectively.
Stave, meanwhile, threw for 322 yards in both 2015 games vs. Nebraska (23-21) and Purdue (24-7).
UW has never been known for implementing a pass-first offense. To wit, it's only had 25 instances of a quarterback throwing for 300-plus yards and only two – Darrell Bevell and Ron Vander Kelen – surpass 400 yards. Not only did the Badgers lose both of those outings, their overall record in those games is 12-13.
Here are five more things to know:
WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE
Rutgers features the No. 4 rusher in the nation in Kyle Monangai, who averages 133.4 yards per game, but not only has UW won all five meetings dating back to 2014, it has not allowed the Scarlet Knights to reach 100 yards rushing in a game and have yielded one rushing TD while scoring 18.
OUR COUSIN VINNY
Wisconsin wide receiver Vinny Anthony II has caught touchdown passes of 50-plus yards in back-to-back outings, including a 52-yarder vs. Purdue and a 63-yarder versus Southern Cal. He’s the first UW pass catcher to score on multiple 50-plus yard pass plays in the same season since Jared Abbrederis had three in 2013.
MOVING THE CHAINS
Wisconsin has converted first downs on 13 of 14 third-and-short rushing attempts (third-and-3 or shorter). That 92.9 success rate on third and short runs is the best in the Big Ten.
MAKING PROGRESS
The UW defense is gradually becoming more disruptive. Through the first five games, it has generated 47 quarterback hurries, 64 pressures, 10 sacks and seven turnovers. According to Pro Football Focus, the Badgers have registered 36 pressures in the last two games after mustering 28 in the first three.
THIRD AND REALLY LONG
UW held Purdue to one third-down conversion (1-for-11). You have to go back to 2021 when the Badgers matched that courtesy of a 1-for-11 versus Rutgers.
1st & 10 with Austin Brown
Is there a book that’s had a significant impact on your life?
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. I haven’t finished it yet, but the couple of times I’ve read it, I can’t pull myself out of it. It’s got some really good life lessons.
What's your favorite thing about yourself?
I always smile through the hard times.
What's your worst habit?
Eating sweets after dinner.
Is there a friend you consider family?
Bryson Green. He’s my roommate and ever since he transferred in here last year, we’ve been really tight.
Something people would never guess by looking at you?
I’m a country boy at heart. [I] Grew up in a farm town of 3,600 people. (Johnston City, Illinois). Four-wheelers, cows, chickens, hay – The whole nine.
What's the best gift you've ever received?
It might be corny, but getting an opportunity to live this life.
What's next on your bucket list?
I’ve got to travel to see a different country. I’ve never left the country, so that’s something I have to do.
What's a personality trait you're most proud of?
My sense of humor and being caring.
What are you good at besides football?
I’m very good at movie trivia. I’m a movie nerd. I’m also a comic book nerd. It won’t get me far in life, but know a lot about cinema.
Is there a new teammate you've come to admire?
I wouldn’t say ‘admire,’ but Xavier Lucas. He’s come out here as a true freshman and has been playing great. He’s very quiet, very humble. He goes out there and works and I admire that about him.
