Luke Fickell era at UW opens with a victory as the Badgers build a big lead and then hold off Oklahoma State
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Game 1 of the Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin was a success.
UW was shaky early – with Chase Wolf throwing an end zone interception and the defense allowing Oklahoma State to turn a short pass into an 84-yard score on the next play.
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Yet Wolf settled in, the Badgers’ ground game got going and the defense contained Oklahoma State’s offense for most of the night.
As a result, UW capped a tumultuous 2022 season with a 24-17 victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Tuesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix.
The Badgers finished 7-6. They avoided the program’s first losing season since 2001 and won a bowl game for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
Oklahoma State suffered its third consecutive loss and finished 7-6. Mike Gundy’s bowl record fell to 11-6.
With quarterback Graham Mertz having transferred to Florida, Wolf got his first college start.
Wolf entered the night 17 of 31 for 176 yards, with four interceptions and two touchdowns, in a combined 12 games.
He completed 16 of 26 passes for 116 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, in the victory.
Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi combined to carry the ball 38 times against an Oklahoma State defense 96th nationally against the run and missing several key starters.
Allen led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Mellusi added 77 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Wide receiver Skyler Bell helped secure the victory with a 44-yard run on an end around to the Oklahoma State 17 on UW’s final possession and the Badgers finished with 258 rushing yards on 47 attempts.
The Cowboys came in without their No. 1 quarterback (Spencer Sanders) and No. 1 tailback (Dominic Richardson), who had combined for 3,796 total yards during the regular season.
Freshman Garret Rangel got the start at quarterback and struggled for all but three plays, an 84-yard touchdown pass to Stephon Johnson and second-half pass plays of 41 and 41 yards.
Rangel finished 14 of 31 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions.
Cornerback Cedrick Dort Jr.’s interception gave UW the ball at its 41 with 2 minutes 51 seconds left and the Badgers ran out the clock.
UW’s defense opened the game by allowing one first down before forcing a punt and Dean Engram’s season-best 24-yard return gave the Badgers the ball at their 29.
UW moved to third and four at the Cowboys’ 29 but Engram dropped a pass inside the 5. Nate Van Zelst salvaged the drive with a 47-yard field goal – his longest kick of the season – for a 3-0 lead with 10:19 left in the opening quarter.
The Badgers forced a three and out and got a 51-yard run from Mellusi to the Oklahoma State 14 on the second play after the punt.
Two plays later, Wolf forced a ball to Chimere Dike in the end zone. Dike was covered and safety Trey Rucker drifted over for an easy interception.
Rucker gained 16 yards on the return and the Cowboys stunned UW with an 84-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
Johnson caught a short pass near the left sideline, split two defenders and eventually made four more would-be tacklers miss on his way to the end zone with 5:56 left in the quarter to help the Cowboys take a 7-3 lead.
Dike ripped off a 53-yard kickoff return to give UW the ball at the Cowboys’ 44 but the offense went nowhere.
A penalty (illegal shift) on first down put UW in a first-and-15 hole. Allen was held to no gain on first down, Wolf threw incomplete on second down and hit Brady Schipper for a 2-yard loss on third down.
UW’s defense recorded another three and out and Wole threw a perfect ball to Keontez Lewis for what should have been a 49-yard touchdown. Lewis dropped the ball, however, and UW eventually punted.
Oklahoma State picked up one first down after the punt and faced third and 11 from its 20 when safety John Torchio dropped what likely would have been a pick-six.
UW took over at its 32 after the punt and finally put together a touchdown drive against a defense decimated by transfers and injuries.
Wolf hit 3 of 3 passes for 37 yards to help move the ball to the 1 and Mellusi scored to cap the drive and help UW take a 10-7 lead with 5:23 left in the half.
UW forced another punt – the Cowboys’ fifth of the half – and the offense got the all at the UW 35 with five minutes left in the half.
Wolf hit 3 of 3 passes again, this time for 40 yards, on an eight-play, 65-yard drive. He capped the drive by faking a handoff to Allen, rolling right and hitting tight end Hayden Rucci for a 15-yard score with 44 seconds left in the half to help UW take a 17-7 lead.
The Badgers finished the half with 251 yards on 42 plays and held the ball for 23 minutes 10 seconds.
Oklahoma State, which scored on the 84-yard pass play, finished with 121 yards on 22 plays. The Cowboys held the ball for just 6:50 and had three first downs.
The Badgers built their lead to 24-7 midway through the third quarter.
One play after missing a tackle and allowing a 17-yard pass play, cornerback Jay Shaw intercepted a pass at the Oklahoma State 32 with 7:26 left in the quarter.
Dike gained 12 yards on a reverse and Allen then broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run to help UW build the lead to 24-7 with 6:42 left in the quarter.
The Cowboys got back into the game with their best sustained drive of the night – 80 yards on 10 plays. Rangel faced fourth and goal at the 1 and was in the arms of linebacker Jordan Turner in the backfield when he flipped the ball underhand to tailback Ollie Gordon for a touchdown. That helped cut UW’s lead to 24-14 with 12:57 remaining.
UW went three and out, with Wolf throwing incomplete on third and 8, and the Cowboys took over at their 24 after a 42-yard punt by Andy Vujnovich.
Rangel hit Rashod Owens for 41 yards to the UW 27 on third and 14. That led to a 24-yard field goal by Tanner Brown, who trimmed UW’s lead to 24-17 with 5:08 left.
UW, which had 93 yards on 22 plays in the second half to that point, took over at its 24 after a 22-yard return by Dike.
Allen was held to 1 yard on first down; Wolf hit Jack Eschenbach for 7 yards on second down; but saw his third-down pass to a wide-open Dike batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Oklahoma State took over at its 15 with 3:33 left after a 53-yard punt by Vujnovich.
Dort Jr. came up with the biggest defensive play of the game for UW on the second play of the possession.
Rangel threw deep to wide receiver John Paul Richardson but Dort had the play covered. His interception gave UW the ball at its 41 with 2:51 left.
After Mellusi lost 2 yards on first down but Bell gained 44 yards to the Cowboys’ 17. That play helped secure the victory for UW, with got runs of 5 yards from Allen and 6 yards from Mellusi to set up first and goal at the 6.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Fickell era at UW opens with a victory as the Badgers build a big lead and then hold off Oklahoma State