Wisconsin 38, Buffalo 17
By TAMIRA MADSEN
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - Chez Mellusi ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 141 yards and two more scores and No. 19 Wisconsin started the first season of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure with a 38-17 victory over Buffalo.
Fickell coached his first regular-season game since joining the Badgers after six seasons at Cincinnati. He was with Wisconsin for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State last season.
The sellout at Camp Randall Stadium - with an announced attendance of 76,224 spectators - was the first at Wisconsin since 2009.
Mellusi had an 89-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10 in the third quarter. He had 13 carries. Allen had 14 rushes, and caught seven passes for 25 yards.
“It’s a one-one punch,” Fickell said. “They’re really good friends, and sometimes you would think in an offense that might not be the same as it has been that it would be unique. ‘How can you have two really talented backs and they’re able to share the load?’ They’re a great example of what momentum and energy can do and what healthy competition looks like.”
Buffalo coach Maurice Linguist said the Bulls didn’t do a good job containing Mellusi and Allen.
“We were disappointed to see a couple of those long runs,” Linguist said. “We may have had a guy or two on the point of attack just not get the ball on the ground. It goes back to setting edges, running to the ball, downing the football and making tackles in space.”
SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and two interceptions, in his first start for the Badgers
Melusi had a 1-yard TD run to put the Badgers on the board first in the first quarter. Buffalo scored less than two minutes later when Cole Harrity caught a 7-yard pass from Cole Snyder.
The Badgers had 101 yards rushing in the first half but found their footing on the ground in the third with 150 yards in the quarter.
Chimere Dike caught a 29-yard touchdown pass that gave Wisconsin a 14-7 lead with a minute to go in the first half.
Buffalo’s Devin Grant picked off Mordecai’s pass at the 50 and returned it to the 16. But Alex McNulty missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt three plays later.
McNulty made a 53-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first half to pull the Bulls to 14-10.
Harrity finished with five catches for 113 yards and two scores.
Wisconsin athletics press release
September 2, 2023
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Buff | Wisc |
| Wisc |
TD |
7:16 |
Chez Mellusi 1 yd run (Nathanial Vakos kick) |
0 |
7 |
| Buff |
TD |
5:07 |
Cole Harrity 7 yd pass from Cole Snyder (Alex McNulty kick) |
7 |
7 |
| Second Quarter |
Buff | Wisc |
| Wisc |
TD |
1:00 |
Chimere Dike 29 yd pass from Tanner Mordecai (Nathanial Vakos kick) |
7 |
14 |
| Buff |
FG |
0:07 |
Alex McNulty 53 yd FG |
10 |
14 |
| Third Quarter |
Buff | Wisc |
| Wisc |
TD |
8:28 |
Chez Mellusi 89 yd run (Nathanial Vakos kick) |
10 |
21 |
| Wisc |
TD |
2:37 |
Braelon Allen 6 yd run (Nathanial Vakos kick) |
10 |
28 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Buff | Wisc |
| Wisc |
FG |
13:45 |
Nathanial Vakos 37 yd FG |
10 |
31 |
| Buff |
TD |
7:43 |
Cole Harrity 3 yd pass from Cole Snyder (Alex McNulty kick) |
17 |
31 |
| Wisc |
TD |
6:38 |
Braelon Allen 22 yd run (Nathanial Vakos kick) |
17 |
38 |
| Team Stats |
| |
Buffalo |
Wisconsin |
| First downs |
14 |
23 |
| Rushing |
5 |
13 |
| Passing |
8 |
9 |
| Penalty |
1 |
1 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
2-15, 13% |
4-12, 33% |
| 4th down efficiency |
1-4, 25% |
0-0, -% |
| Rushes-Yards |
30-122 |
40-314 |
| Passing Yards |
194 |
189 |
| Return Yards |
109 |
17 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
26-41-0 |
24-31-2 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
0-0 |
1--3 |
| Punts |
7 |
5 |
| Punts-Average |
48.3 |
38.8 |
| Fumbles Lost |
0-0 |
0-0 |
| Penalties - Yards |
6-70 |
3-30 |
| Time of Possession |
27:24 |
30:26 |
| Buffalo Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| C. Snyder |
26 |
41 |
194 |
2 |
0 |
| Wisconsin Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| T. Mordecai |
24 |
31 |
189 |
1 |
2 |
| Buffalo Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| M. Washington Jr. |
12 |
52 |
4.3 |
0 |
| R. Cook Jr. |
12 |
51 |
4.3 |
0 |
| J. Barksdale |
2 |
10 |
5.0 |
0 |
| C. Snyder |
4 |
9 |
2.3 |
0 |
| Wisconsin Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| C. Mellusi |
13 |
157 |
12.1 |
2 |
| B. Allen |
17 |
141 |
8.3 |
2 |
| J. Acker |
4 |
15 |
3.8 |
0 |
| T. Mordecai |
5 |
2 |
0.4 |
0 |
| Buffalo Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| D. Harding Jr. |
1 |
51 |
51.0 |
0 |
| C. Harrity |
5 |
47 |
9.4 |
2 |
| M. Johnson |
4 |
29 |
7.3 |
0 |
| J. Orlando |
2 |
18 |
9.0 |
0 |
| R. Cook Jr. |
4 |
14 |
3.5 |
0 |
| N. McMillan |
1 |
13 |
13.0 |
0 |
| C. Ball |
2 |
9 |
4.5 |
0 |
| Z. Carter |
1 |
7 |
7.0 |
0 |
| M. Woods |
1 |
4 |
4.0 |
0 |
| J. Barksdale |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| B. Curry |
3 |
0 |
0.0
|
0 |
| M. Washington Jr. |
1 |
0 |
0.0
|
0 |
| Wisconsin Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| W. Pauling |
5 |
55 |
11.0 |
0 |
| T. Ashcraft |
2 |
36 |
18.0 |
0 |
| C. Dike |
1 |
29 |
29.0 |
1 |
| B. Allen |
7 |
25 |
3.6 |
0 |
| B. Green |
4 |
23 |
5.8 |
0 |
| S. Bell |
3 |
14 |
4.7 |
0 |
| K. Lewis |
1 |
12 |
12.0 |
0 |
| T. Mordecai |
1 |
-5 |
-5.0 |
0 |
| Buffalo Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| D. Grant |
1 |
34 |
| S. Dolac |
1 |
32 |
| Wisconsin Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Buffalo Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| A. Venneri |
7 |
338 |
48.3 |
| Wisconsin Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| A. Bertrams |
5 |
194 |
38.8 |
| Buffalo Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Wisconsin Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| C. Dike |
2 |
17 |
8.5 |
| Buffalo Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| N. McMillan |
1 |
24 |
24.0 |
| R. Cook Jr. |
1 |
19 |
19.0 |
| Wisconsin Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Buffalo Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| A. McNulty |
34 |
| Wisconsin Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
