Lucas: Who made the ‘Plays of the Year’ in 2021?
December 28, 2021 | Football, Mike Lucas, Bowl Central
Looking back on the Badgers’ big-play performances of this season
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Any nomination for Wisconsin's "Plays of the Year" on offense, defense and special teams would be incomplete without any mention of the "Sequence of the Year" or a series of impactful plays that swung a game's momentum and/or sealed the outcome.
One that came to mind was in the Oct. 30 game against No. 9 Iowa at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers dominated the first half statistically and on the scoreboard (20-0). The Hawkeyes were limited to 23 plays and 17 yards of total offense. They managed just one first down (at 1:30 of the second quarter). They had the ball for only 10:36 and were on defense to start the third quarter.
But after forcing two three-and-outs from the UW offense, the Hawkeyes got a 17-yard punt return from Charlie Jones to alter field position and marched 40 yards on six plays for their first touchdown, a Spencer Petras quarterback sneak, making it 20-7 midway through the quarter.
The Badgers didn't have a counterpunch and picked up just 1 yard on three plays before punting the ball back to the Hawks, who were finally in rhythm. After converting third-and-medium on a Petras to Jones completion of 9 yards, they had a first down at the UW 49. The crowd grew uneasy.
Compounding the momentum switch, Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton was injured on the very next play in which linebacker Jack Sanborn dropped Tyler Goodson for a 1-yard loss. Petras came right back with a 9-yard pass to Keagan Johnson setting up some short yardage play-calling.
On third-and-2 from the UW 41, Iowa fullback Monte Pottebaum, a 244-pound battleship, was held to a 1-yard gain. Bryson Williams, who had replaced Benton, and Sanborn were credited for the stop. But they got ample assistance upfront from Leo Chenal, Isaiah Mullens and Matt Henningsen.
On fourth-and-1 from the UW 40, the Hawkeyes considered two options: Petras on a quarterback sneak or Pottebaum on another fullback dive. They chose the latter. And despite running behind Tyler Linderbaum, a consensus All-American center, Pottebaum was held to no gain.
Chenal jumped into a gap and messed up the blocking scheme while Sanborn and safety Scott Nelson combined on the tackle in concert with a tremendous surge on the line of scrimmage. The Badgers had turned back Iowa and its last gasp effort to make it a four-quarter game.
On the subsequent possession, the UW drove 60 yards on 11 plays capped by quarterback Graham Mertz' 1-yard touchdown, his second of the day. That made it 27-7 with 12:54 left. Game over. The Badgers regained the Heartland Trophy with their third straight win over Iowa in Madison.
Reflecting on Pottebaum's fourth-down run that had been smothered, Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz said afterwards, "Needless to say, we thought it was the best call. Needless to say, it wasn't successful. Right after that play, it swung the momentum. It was pretty much over at that point."
• • • •
Top Five Defensive Plays of 2021
1. Leo Chenal's strip sack of Army quarterback Jabari Lewis
Considering that Chenal spent a majority of the night in the Army backfield — he would finish with a career-high 17 tackles — it was not surprising that he would make the play of the game in the fourth quarter. With three minutes remaining and the Badgers clinging to a 13-7 lead, the Black Knights had a first-and-10 from their own 20. Anticipating the snap count and taking advantage of wider than normal splits on the offensive line, Chenal burst through the A-gap and was blocked to the turf by Connor Finucane. But he wasn't down for long. Instead, he exploded to his feet and jarred the ball loose from Lewis whose fumble was recovered on the 1-yard line by Keeanu Benton. Quarterback Graham Mertz converted the turnover into a touchdown on the next play to extend Wisconsin's lead to 20-7. What did Chenal do for an encore? The following week at Purdue, he had five TFLs, including 3.5 sacks.
Our man @chenal_leo had himself a night pic.twitter.com/sPkjuxMJAa
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 17, 2021
2. Collin Wilder's interception of Purdue's Aidan O'Connell
The Badgers carried a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter which was anything but safe against the dangerous Boilermakers and O'Connell (who would throw for 536 yards and three touchdowns in the upset of No. 5 Michigan State in early November). Purdue faced a third-and-11 from the UW 29 when Wilder picked off O'Connell, who was not only guilty of an interception hat trick (John Torchio and Caesar Williams also had picks), but was sacked four times for a minus-35 yards. Wilder's takeaway spawned a 72-yard scoring drive and a Braelon Allen touchdown that served nicely as the dagger. On Purdue's first series of the third quarter, Wilder had manufactured another takeaway by ripping the ball away from tight end Payne Durham for a forced fumble and fumble recovery. In addition to all of this, Wilder had a hand in the team defense that held David Bell to six catches for just 33 yards.
@BadgerFootball defense continues to turn to offense, as you can see here.🔥@WilderCollin INT ✅@BraelonAllen TD ✅ pic.twitter.com/66wWZe29Dz
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) October 23, 2021
3. Nick Herbig's strip sack of Iowa's Spencer Petras
On the Hawkeyes' first play from scrimmage, Herbig, who was rushing from the right edge of the UW defense, cross-faced tackle Mason Richmond and along with linebacker Jack Sanborn dumped Petras for a 2-yard loss. It would be a prelude of things to come. On the Hawks' first possession of the second quarter, Herbig, who was rushing from the left edge of the defense, took a wide charge around tackle Nick DeJong and reached out with his right hand to knock the ball free from Petras, who had been sacked two snaps earlier by Isaiah Mullens and Leo Chenal. Petras' fumble was recovered on the Iowa 8 by Keeanu Benton. For the game, the UW defense ended up with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks, the most against Iowa since 1997. Herbig also sacked Petras for a loss of 7 yards in the fourth quarter.
Still reeling from that win at home, that was a fun one.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 31, 2021
Here's the Top Plays: pic.twitter.com/fZBo0iRKxL
4. Caesar Williams' end zone interception of Northwestern's Andrew Marty
It was one of those rare occurrences when the Wisconsin defense started a game without any juice. Despite playing in Camp Randall Stadium. Despite riding a five-game winning streak. Despite playing an understated rival that had given them fits over the years. The Badgers were flat. On the Wildcats first possession, they drove 82 yards on 19 plays and burned seven minutes and 43 seconds off the clock. They kept the drive alive by converting on third-and-2, third-and-5, third-and-1 and fourth-and-4. On first-and-goal from the UW 9, Jack Sanborn tackled tailback Evan Hull for a 1-yard loss. On second-and-goal, Williams, who had been shaken up earlier on the series breaking up a pass, intercepted Marty's pass in the end zone to snuff out the scoring threat. The Cats had nothing to show for their work. Except frustration. It would turn out to be their last hurrah on offense in a 35-7 loss.
What a win!
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 13, 2021
Top plays vs. Northwestern: pic.twitter.com/HcLAciosRX
5. (tie) Caesar Williams' Pick-Six at Rutgers, and Scott Nelson's Pick-Six at Minnesota
The Scarlet Knights had just turned over the ball on a fumbled kickoff return — resulting in the Badgers scoring on a short field (29 yards) to take a 17-3 lead — when quarterback Noah Vedral decided to get aggressive on a first down pass play. However, he didn't account for Keeanu Benton blowing past a blocker and getting in his face so quickly. Vedral's throw sailed over the intended receiver Shameen Jones and Williams plucked it cleanly out of the air. With Nick Herbig as his escort, he returned the pick 29 yards for the score.
Have you guys heard our defense is really good? Wasn't sure if we've gotten that across enough yet 😉
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 7, 2021
Here's @keeanu_benton + @Caesar_Austin to prove the point just a little more. pic.twitter.com/DV8XaMmNiq
In late September, Nelson had a chance for a pick-six in the first quarter against Notre Dame but dropped Jack Coan's wayward pass. Months later, he made up for it in a 3-3 game with the Gophers. While quarterback Tanner Morgan was executing a play-action fake, outside linebacker Noah Burks was dropping into the passing lane instead of rushing. Burks deflected the throw and Nelson picked it off and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
Pick-6️⃣ for the first TD of the day. @_scottnelson houses the INT to give No. 14 @BadgerFootball the 10-3 lead. pic.twitter.com/lAPU2NJzX5
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 27, 2021
Top Five Offensive Plays of 2021
1. (tie) Braelon Allen's 53-yard TD against Nebraska and 33-yard TD against Northwestern
It's pretty hard to single out just one play from Allen's sparkling freshman resume. In this case, his two longest runs — 71 against the Cornhuskers and 70 against Purdue — didn't even make the final cut. In an ebb and flow matchup, Allen broke a 28-28 tie with Nebraska (with his childhood role model, Melvin Gordon, serving as the honorary captain and looking on). Following the crisp blocking of pulling center Joe Tippmann, tackle Logan Bruss and tight end Jack Eschenbach, Allen burst into the second level of the defense. Getting another block from wide receiver Jack Dunn, he tossed aside Huskers safety Myles Farmer before accelerating to the end zone. He made it look so effortless. It was a thing of beauty.
You see it, too, @BadgerFootball fans? 👀@BraelonAllen 🤝 @Melvingordon25 pic.twitter.com/2B8aogy0ay
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) November 21, 2021
But so was his score in the rout of the overmatched Wildcats. Allen bounced off and through three would-be tacklers in Dayne-like fashion for what was one of his more memorable touchdowns. It just so happened that Allen covered 33 yards for the TD. A fitting number and flashback to the late '90s.
The @BraelonAllen waltz 🎻 pic.twitter.com/glhdPLHkez
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 13, 2021
2. Graham Mertz's 18-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike against Michigan
With 22 seconds left in the first half, the Badgers trailed 13-3 and had the ball on their own 37. Instead of running out the clock and settling for a 10-point deficit, they went into attack mode against the eventual Big Ten champions. After a 9-yard run by Braelon Allen, Mertz hooked up with wide receiver Chimere Dike on a 36-yard pass play to the Michigan 18. After taking a timeout with 13 seconds remaining, Mertz came right back to Dike who was lined up in the slot and isolated on the Wolverines Daxton Hill. Michigan rushed only three initially, which provided Mertz with plenty of time to survey the field before cutting loose a beautiful back-shoulder throw. Despite Hill's tight coverage (though he did have his back to the ball), Dike hauled in the contested pass and got one foot down directly in front of FOX analysts Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn. Both emphatically signaled touchdown. In the FOX booth, the excitable Gus Johnson was bellowing, "Graham Mertz … Give him a minute." Unfortunately, Mertz was injured in the third quarter on Hill's sack and was taken for observation to a local hospital.
Well, OK, then. 👀
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 2, 2021
Check out these back-to-back absolute dimes from @GrahamMertz5 to @chimdk11.@BadgerFootball has made it a game. pic.twitter.com/8SaBPqovB0
3. Chez Mellusi's 20-yard touchdown against Purdue
The Badgers struck paydirt in the transfer portal with Mellusi, the former Clemson tailback. That was evident in his Badger debut when he had 31 carries for 121 yards against Penn State. He also went over 100 against Eastern Michigan (20 for 144) and Illinois (21 for 145). He bought some time for Allen's development and transition. Mellusi and Allen were complementary runners. They pushed each other in forming a productive one-two punch. With the score tied in the third quarter at Purdue, they completely reversed the momentum on a drive that started at the UW 6. Allen bolted for 70 yards on first down. Two plays later, Mellusi avoided a TFL with a quick move on safety Cam Allen who had penetrated into the backfield, but whiffed on the tackle. Mellusi then broke free of linebacker Kieren Douglass for the score that put the Badgers into the lead for good. Mellusi's injury at Rutgers was a tough blow. It put an additional burden on Allen to carry the brunt of the load on offense. And it also deprived Mellusi of a 1,000-yard rushing season. He fell 85 yards short of that milestone.
Spin move 🌪@chez_mellusi just dropped some jaws on this @BadgerFootball TD run. pic.twitter.com/WppA6IUDYF
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 23, 2021
4. Graham Mertz's play-action fake and TD toss to Jake Ferguson against Iowa
In the Army win, Mertz had effectively used play-action on a second-and-goal from the 5. The entire right side of the defense got caught inside and Mertz rolled left untouched to the end zone. Two weeks later, Mertz pulled off another excellent fake on a third-and-goal from the Iowa 4. Ferguson lined up on the right side of the formation and blocked down on the defensive end before releasing and splitting linebackers Seth Benson and Jack Campbell who had both moved up to stop the run. Everyone bit on Allen. Mertz then floated a pass to a wide-open Ferguson, who caught the ball in the back of the end zone and nimbly hurdled a seated photographer. It was a picture-perfect play and a tone-setter. There was some symmetry for Ferguson, too, in that he had a touchdown in his first and last career games against Iowa.
Graham Mertz was slinging it on that drive.@BadgerFootball strikes first vs. No. 9 Iowa. pic.twitter.com/haFyp3YkPJ
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 30, 2021
5. Isaac Guerendo's 82-yard touchdown against Eastern Michigan
Guerendo's first touch as a Badger came in 2019 against Minnesota. He scampered 49 yards on a kickoff return. Speed has always been his calling card. As a high school senior in Indiana, he contributed to Avon's state championship in track by winning the 100 meters and running a leg in the victorious 4x100 relay. Availability, not ability, has always been the question with Guerendo, who has dealt with a series of hamstring injuries throughout his career (he was injured during the pregame warmups Oct. 9 at Illinois and lost for the season). Shortly after the UW students had broken out into song — waving their cell phone lights and singing to Owl City's "Fireflies" — the Badgers got Guerendo to the perimeter of the Eastern Michigan defense, and he did the rest by roaring down the east sideline on an 82-yard touchdown sprint, the eighth longest in school history (James White has the longest, a 93-yard TD vs Indiana in 2013). Guerendo reached 22.15 mph on his dash. By comparison, former Badger tailback Jonathan Taylor, now an MVP candidate with the Indianapolis Colts, hit top end speed of 22.13 mph on a 67-yard TD run against New England. It's the fastest clocking this season in the NFL.
All we can say is: 🤯 😳
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) September 12, 2021
Simply beautiful. @isaacguerendo @BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/PTo5avfqE4
Top Five Special Teams Plays
1. Stephan Bracey's 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Nebraska
During the 2020 season, Bracey had six kickoff returns for a total of 114 yards. His longest was 33 against Michigan (his home state team; Bracey is from Grand Rapids and East Kentwood High School). Bracey was shut down after a quad injury and underwent surgery last March. His rehab kept him out of action until the Nov. 20 Nebraska game. He made quite a bang upon his return to active duty. On the game's opening kickoff, Bracey fielded a two-hopper, avoided an out-of-control gunner almost immediately, got a crunching block from Kayden Johnson, zipped past Wyatt Liewer who made a flailing attempt to slow him down and veered to the Cornhuskers boundary where he outraced three pursuers to the end zone (virtually the same path that Guerendo had taken on his long distance score from scrimmage against Eastern Michigan much earlier in the season). It was the first time that a Badger specialist had returned the game's opening kickoff since David Gilreath electrified the Camp Randall crowd in the 2010 upset of No. 1 ranked Ohio State.
🏠☎️! @BadgerFootball's @stephanbracey2 just returned the opening kick for 6️⃣. pic.twitter.com/s5xaW3B6CL
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 20, 2021
2. Jack Sanborn's run for a first down on a fake punt against Army
3. Collin Larsh's 23-yard field goal tying the game just before halftime at Purdue
4. Travian Blaylock's fumble recovery of a muffed punt against Iowa
5. Andy Vujnovich's career-long 68-yard punt against Northwestern
