Last weekend against Akron, the Wisconsin Badgers entered the game intending to run the ball... a lot. And after their 38-17 win, the Badgers looked at the 404 yards they had compiled on the ground. A week later against Marshall, UW decided to showcase its aerial attack, defeating the Thundering Herd 51-14 behind 308 passing yards from senior quarterback Allan Evridge.
[The passing game is] always in the game plan,"" Evridge said. ""Last week we had a pretty extensive throwing package, we just didn't have to use it with the offensive linemen playing so well. So it's always there, we just had to utilize it this week.""
After giving up two early touchdowns, the Badgers (2-0) went on to score 51 points, all of which were unanswered. That is no easy feat.
In fact, it is the first time that Wisconsin has even gone over 50 points in one game since a 52-17 victory over Indiana in 2006, let alone pulled off those 50 points consecutively.
""To walk off that field scoring 51-straight points without given up any makes you want to pack up our bags and head to Fresno and keep playing,"" said UW head coach Bret Bielema.
The day was a career best for many players, mainly the receivers. Sophomore tight end Lance Kendricks had three catches for 94 yards, both personal bests. Sophomore wide receivers David Gilreath (47 yards) and Maurice Moore (37 yards) also had career highs in receiving yardage.
Kendricks had the most impact of all the young receivers. On Wisconsin's first scoring drive, the Milwaukee native hauled in a 36-yard catch down the Badgers' sideline, propelling Wisconsin back into the game and shocking the team out of its first quarter lull.
And considering senior tight end Travis Beckum, one of the best tight ends in the nation, was out with a hamstring injury, Kendricks' explosion onto the scene couldn't have come at a better time.
""It really felt good. Especially with Travis [Beckum] being out and I had to pick up that big role, it really felt good to be able to go out there and make some big plays,"" Kendricks said. ""We are a group that likes to pick each other up and help each other out.""
""They've got some talent,"" Marshall head coach Mark Snyder said about the ability of Wisconsin's tight ends. ""Travis [Beckum] didn't even play today. They did a good job.""
But most of the eyes were on Evridge, watching him move the ball down the field, swallowing up huge chunks of yardage on every throw. Evridge had completions of 22, 26, 36 and 42 yards - all to different receivers. His ability to pick apart the Thundering Herd's secondary, which ultimately forced Marshall to play off of the line of scrimmage, opened up the running game, something that Marshall had brought to a grinding halt earlier in the game.
Through the first quarter, Wisconsin had 25 yards of rushing on eight attempts. But once Evridge took the ball to the air, that number changed drastically.
Freshman running back John Clay received most of the reward, rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
Without Evridge's ability to take control of the game by passing - something that is usually accomplished by running the ball - the beginning of the end had come for Marshall.
""We wanted to see if he could throw the football, and he did, he threw the ball,"" Snyder said. ""We wanted to make him beat us left-handed, and, literally, he beat us left-handed.""
