Wisconsin Badgers Football Recap vs Florida Atlantic/Look Ahead to BYU

After a sloppy first half against Utah State in week one, Wisconsin needed to get off to a better start in their week two matchup against Florida Atlantic. That is exactly what they did. While the Badgers did not score on their first possession, they did move the ball to the FAU 47 yard line before punting the ball away.

After the Badgers’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, the offense got the ball back on their own 35 and quickly found the end zone. On the second play of the drive, freshman running back Jonathan Taylor burst through the Owls’ defense for a 64-yard touchdown.

After the Badgers forced a second straight three-and-out, the Wisconsin offense regained possession on their own 24-yard line. The passing game got the drive started, with Alex Hornibrook connecting with freshman Danny Davis III for a 35-yard gain. Three plays later, the freshman sensation scampered 29 yards, evading half of the FAU defense for his second score of the game.

The teams then traded possessions before the Owls cut the deficit in half with a 63-yard passing score. It was the only FAU first down in the first quarter. Outside the big play, the Badgers’ D allowed just 17 yards in the quarter.

After the FAU score, the Badgers’ offense put together a long, 11-play, 74-yard drive that spilled over into the second quarter. The Owls’ defense held strong, holding Taylor out of the end zone on four straight plays; the final three stops were made inside the FAU 2-yard line.

Wisconsin's defense did its job and forced a Florida Atlantic punt, giving the Badgers the ball at the Owls 39. Four plays later, Hornibrook connected with tight end Troy Fumagalli for a 12-yard score.

Through two games, Fumagalli leads the Badgers with 13 catches for 197 yards and two scores. About the only thing he has done wrong in the first two games is drop a pair of routine catches against FAU. One came in the third quarter and the other in the fourth, both on third down.

After the Fumagalli TD, the Owls marched down the field, but a botched snap on a field goal attempt left the team without points.

FAU got the ball right back, as Hornibrook tossed an interception. The Owls took advantage of great field position and scored another touchdown in just over a minute.

After each team punted, Wisconsin ended the half like it did in week one on a Rafael Gaglianone field goal.

The start of the second half brought with it sloppy play from both the Badgers and Owls. Neither team could sustain drives and both defenses really looked dominant.

Taylor fumbled the ball away in FAU territory on the Badgers’ second drive. He quickly made up for it, as on the next Wisconsin offensive possession, the team marched 79 yards on 11 plays before Taylor scored his third touchdown of the game.

The score ended up being the final points of the game, as the fourth quarter was just as sloppy as the third for the Badgers’ offense. Gaglianone missed a 37-yard field goal on the Badgers’ best possession of the fourth.

The Badgers’ defense finished the nonconference matchup strong, allowing just 19 fourth quarter yards and 50 total yards in the second half on 21 plays. The defense has really been great so far outside a couple busted coverages.

FAU had just 248 yards of offense in the game while the Badgers tallied 564.

Wisconsin now sets out on its first road matchup of the young season, heading to Utah to battle Brigham Young University. BYU holds a 1-2 mark on the season, with losses to LSU and Utah in the past two weeks.

BYU averages just 11 points per game and 232 yards on offense while giving up 376 yards to its opponents. The Cougars were shut out against LSU and in the first half against Utah.

It already sounds like an uphill climb for the Cougars against the Badgers, right? Well, it gets worse for the hosts… BYU will likely start Beau Hoge, the son of ESPN football analyst Merril Hoge, at quarterback instead of Tanner Mangum. Hoge last took snaps at QB in 2015. Now he will try and lead a subpar Cougars’ offense against a Badgers’ defense that is capable of playing even better than it has in the first two weeks.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Badgers will be looking to take better care of the ball while balancing the passing and running games. RB Bradrick Shaw could again miss this week’s game, meaning Taylor and Chris James will be in for heavy workloads against the Cougars. BYU may key in on Fumagalli in the passing game, so look for the likes of WR’s Quintez Cephus, A.J. Taylor, Jazz Peavy and Davis III to step up.

Prediction - Wisconsin 31, BYU 13

Playing on the road could rattle the Badgers at the start of the game, so another quick start from the offense could really let the defense unleash havoc on the Cougars’ young QB. I like Taylor and James to have 100+ yard games and for Hornibrook to toss a couple of touchdowns. The Badgers put together a strong showing for four quarters and roll past the Cougars.

Stats from - uwbadgers.com and espn.com

#WisconsinBadgers #NCAAFootball