Game notes: No. 8 Wisconsin vs Kent State

Quotes

• Zack Baun on Wisconsin’s defense, recording nine sacks in the win:

“We were having a little competition today seeing who can get after it,” said Baun. “It just strikes the best out of everyone.”

• Chris Orr, on ultimately losing that competition to Baun, as Baun recorded three sacks, compared to Orr’s two:

“Yeah, he won,” said Orr. “We was having a competition with sacks, and we were almost tied and then the rain didn’t help me, I’m definitely going to blame it on the rain, it was probably a lot of luck (yells to Baun across the room) that he won the competition, I’ll get him because people are going to start sliding to him, they’re start doubling him.”

@B5QPhotos; Matt Fleming

• Orr on the defense’s third shutout in five games.

“It means we’ve done well in the last five weeks, but it also means that it doesn’t mean anything for the next however many weeks are left,” said Orr. “It means that we’ve done well, we’ve set a high expectation for ourselves and we need to keep it up.”

• Graham Mertz on the role Jack Coan has played in his development:

“We always, after every single drive, get together and talk about what we’ve seen,” Mertz said. “Jack’s been awesome, he’s really shown me looks and stuff like that from last year.”

• Jake Ferguson on what it’s like to play with Jonathan Taylor:

“When we fall down and we have little nicks here and there, JT fixes us,” Ferguson said. “You’re on the ground and you’re looking back and he’s just juking out like three or four dudes and gaining six yards on a play that should be a loss of two, it surprises me every day.”

• Paul Chryst on the defenses ability to sack the quarterback.

“It’s huge, you be able to put pressure on the quarterback and that piece of it and still finding ways to manufacture takeaways,” Chryst said. “They’ve been distuptive.”

• Chryst on how Wisconsin’s defense handled the number of looks that Kent State showed them throughout the game:

“You don’t know, especially when you play a team like this, what all you’re going to see, I thought the guys communicated well, and kind of were in position,” Chryst said. “Early they were in the no huddle, but you’re going to see a lot of different looks and guys new what we wanted to do and executed, but you don’t want to say you’re surprised that guys are doing it, but you never take that for granted.”

Game notes (courtesy UW Athletic Dept.)

• With his 47th win, Chryst passes Dave McClain (1978-85) for fifth on the Badgers’ all-time coaching wins list.
• Wisconsin scored its third shutout of the season, marking the first time the Badgers have recorded three shutouts in a season since 1937 — when they secured a 32-0 win over South Dakota State, 12-0 win over Marquette and 27-0 win over Chicago.
• UW tallied nine sacks on the day, the team’s most since at least 1995. It is the highest sack total by a Big Ten team since Michigan had nine at Ohio State on Oct. 1, 2011.
• The Badgers now have 21 sacks on the season, already surpassing last season’s total of 19 sacks.
• UW is the only FBS team that has not trailed in a game this season.
• Wisconsin is the only FBS team to score a touchdown on each of its opening drives this season.
• Taylor matched UW’s single-game school record with five total touchdowns. He is the first Big Ten player to score five total TDs in a game since Penn State RB Saquon Barkley had five vs. Pittsburgh on Sept. 10, 2016.
• Taylor passed Melvin Gordon for third on UW’s all-time rushing list and he moved into sixth place on UW’s all-time TDs list.
• The nation’s leading scorer, Taylor has accounted for 16 total touchdowns (12 rushing, four receiving) on the season.
• Ferguson has now caught a pass in all 18 games of his career.
• Baun recorded a career-high three sacks.