2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were led by seventh-year head coach Paul Chryst and competed as members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

2021 Wisconsin Badgers football
Las Vegas Bowl champion
Las Vegas Bowl, W 20–13 vs. Arizona State
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	9–4 (6–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Paul Chryst (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Rudolph (7th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jim Leonhard (5th season)
Base defense	3–4
MVP	Leo Chenal
Captains	Jake Ferguson Faion Hicks Jack Sanborn
Home stadium	Camp Randall Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^		8	–	1					12	–	2
No. 6 Ohio State x		8	–	1					11	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State		7	–	2					11	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					7	–	6
Maryland		3	–	6					7	–	6
Rutgers		2	–	7					5	–	8
Indiana		0	–	9					2	–	10
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy		7	–	2					10	–	4
Minnesota		6	–	3					9	–	4
Wisconsin		6	–	3					9	–	4
Purdue		6	–	3					9	–	4
Illinois		4	–	5					5	–	7
Nebraska		1	–	8					3	–	9
Northwestern		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Offseason

2021 NFL draft

See also: 2021 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
5	156	Isaiahh Loudermilk	DE	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	213	Rachad Wildgoose	CB	Buffalo Bills
6	214	Cole Van Lanen	OT	Green Bay Packers
Undrafted		Jon Dietzen	G	Green Bay Packers
		Eric Burrell	S	New Orleans Saints
		Mason Stokke	FB	Carolina Panthers
		Garrett Groshek	RB	Las Vegas Raiders

Transfers

Outgoing

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Transfer to
Reggie Pearson	#2	S	5'10	180	Sophomore	Inkster, MI	Texas Tech
Jack Coan	#17	QB	6'3	190	Senior	West Sayville, NY	Notre Dame
Nakia Watson	#14	RB	5'11	212	Sophomore	Austin, TX	Washington State
Gabe Lloyd	#46	TE	6'5	220	Senior	Green Bay, WI	North Dakota State
Madison Cone	#31	S	5'8	165	Senior	Kernersville, NC	Appalachian State
Dante Caputo	#38	S	5'11	185	Freshman	Wexford, PA	Pittsburgh
Malik Reed	#53	LB	6'2	220	Freshman	Chandler, AZ	Arizona
Taj Mustapha	#81	WR	6'2	175	Sophomore	West Bloomfield, MI	Kent State
Loyal Crawford*	#22	RB	6'0	190	Freshman	Eau Claire, WI	Independence CC
Antwan Roberts*	#28	RB	6'2	195	Freshman	Hendersonville, TN	Independence CC
Jalen Berger*	#8	RB	6'0	205	Freshman	Ramsey, NJ	Michigan State
Devin Chandler*	#86	WR	6'0	171	Freshman	Cornelius, NC	Virginia
Kayden Lyles*	#76	OL	6'3	323	Senior	Middleton, WI	Florida State
Donte Burton*	#4	CB	5'10	174	Junior	Loganville, GA	Tulsa
Quan Easterling*	#43	FB	6'2	235	Sophomore	Akron, OH	Duquesne
Deron Harrell*	#8	CB	6'2	175	Senior	Denver, CO	Wyoming
Izayah Green-May*	#50	OLB	6'6	205	Senior	Bolingbrook, IL	Northern Illinois

*Entered NCAA transfer portal midseason or prior to bowl

Incoming

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Prev. school
Isaac Townsend	#85	DE	6'6	235	Freshman	Arvada, CO	Oregon
Chez Mellusi	#27	RB	5'11	190	Junior	Naples, FL	Clemson

Preseason

Preseason Big Ten poll

Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2021 poll, Wisconsin was projected to finish first in the West Division.^[1]

Media poll (West Division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Wisconsin	233 (29)
2	Iowa	202 (5)
3	Northwestern	160
4	Minnesota	146
5	Nebraska	91.5
6	Purdue	72.5
7	Illinois	47

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	11:00 a.m.	No. 19 Penn State	No. 12	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 10–16	76,832
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan*	No. 18	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	W 34–7	70,967
September 25	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 12 Notre Dame*	No. 18	Soldier Field Chicago, IL (Shamrock Series, Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay)	FOX	L 13–41	59,571
October 2	11:00 a.m.	No. 14 Michigan		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Big Noon Kickoff)	FOX	L 17–38	74,855
October 9	2:30 p.m.	at Illinois		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 24–0	40,168
October 16	7:00 p.m.	Army*		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	BTN	W 20–14	76,314
October 23	2:00 p.m.	at No. 25 Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	W 30–13	61,320
October 30	11:00 a.m.	No. 9 Iowa		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy)	ESPN	W 27–7	74,209
November 6	2:30 p.m.	at Rutgers	No. 21	SHI Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 52–3	40,280
November 13	11:00 a.m.	Northwestern	No. 18	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ESPN2	W 35–7	73,194
November 20	2:30 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 15	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Freedom Trophy)	ABC	W 35–28	67,888
November 27	3:00 p.m.	at Minnesota	No. 14	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	FOX	L 13–23	49,736
December 30	9:30 p.m.	vs. Arizona State*		Allegiant Stadium Paradise, NV (Las Vegas Bowl)	ESPN	W 20–13	32,515
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Personnel

Coaching staff

Wisconsin football 2021 coaching staff^[2]

Name	Position	Alma mater	Years at Wisconsin
Paul Chryst	Head coach	Wisconsin–Madison	7th
Jim Leonhard	Defensive coordinator / Safeties	Wisconsin–Madison	5th
Joe Rudolph	Associate head coach / run game coordinator / OL	Wisconsin–Madison	7th
Bobby April	Outside Linebackers / defensive run game coordinator	Louisiana at Lafayette	4th
Bob Bostad	Inside Linebackers	Wisconsin–Stevens Point	5th
Gary Brown	Running backs	Penn State University	1st
Chris Haering	Special Teams	West Virginia University	7th
Ross Kolodziej	Defensive line	Wisconsin–Madison	1st
Hank Poteat	Cornerbacks	University of Pittsburgh	1st
Mickey Turner	Tight ends	Wisconsin–Madison	7th
Alvis Whitted	Wide receivers	North Carolina State University	2nd
Shaun Snee	Director of Football Strength and Conditioning	California University of Pennsylvania	1st
Keller Chryst	Graduate assistant	University of Tennessee	1st

Roster

2021 Wisconsin Badgers football roster
Quarterback  2 Chase Wolf – junior (6'1, 200)  5 Graham Mertz – sophomore (6'3, 227) 10 Deacon Hill – freshman (6'3, 248) 15 Danny Vanden Boom – senior (6'5, 207) Running back  0 Braelon Allen – freshman (6'2, 238)  6 Chez Mellusi – junior (5'11, 204) 20 Isaac Guerendo – junior (6'0, 219) 29 Brady Schipper – junior (5'11, 205) 32 Julius Davis – sophomore (5'10, 201) 34 Jackson Acker – freshman (6'1, 229) 36 Grover Bortolotti – freshman (5'9, 188) Fullback 44 John Chenal – senior (6'2, 256) Wide receiver  3 Kendric Pryor – senior (5'11, 189)  4 Markus Allen – freshman (6'1, 215)  7 Danny Davis III – senior (6'1, 196) 10 Stephan Bracey – sophomore (5'10, 184) 11 Skyler Bell – freshman (6'0, 190) 13 Chimere Dike – sophomore (6'1, 199) 16 Jack Dunn – senior (5'7, 176) 25 Isaac Smith – freshman (6'2, 199) 27 Haakon Anderson – freshman (6'1, 209) 30 Alex Moeller – freshman (5'11, 166) 31 Jordan DiBenedetto – junior (6'1, 193) 39 Mike Gregoire – junior (5'10, 189) 89 A.J. Abbott – junior (6'2, 196) Tight end 47 Jack Pugh – freshman (6'5, 241) 48 Cole Dakovich – freshman (6'5, 239) 49 Cam Large – freshman (6'3, 245) 81 Jaylan Franklin – junior (6'4, 240) 82 Jack Eschenbach – junior (6'6, 245) 84 Jake Ferguson – senior (6'5, 244) 85 Clay Cundiff – sophomore (6'3, 244) 87 Hayden Rucci – sophomore (6'4, 260)		Offensive lineman 50 Logan Brown – sophomore (6'6, 311) 60 Logan Bruss – senior (6'5, 316) 61 Dylan Barrett – freshman (6'5, 303) 62 Cormac Sampson – junior (6'4, 305) 63 Tanor Bortolini – freshman (6'4, 306) 64 Sean Timmis – freshman (6'4, 306) 65 Tyler Beach – senior (6'6, 312) 66 Nolan Rucci – freshman (6'8, 294) 67 JP Benzschawel – freshman (6'6, 302) 68 Ben Barten – freshman (6'5, 303) 70 Josh Seltzner – senior (6'4, 310) 71 Riley Mahlman – freshman (6'8, 300) 73 Kerry Kodanko – freshman (6'2, 301) 74 Michael Furtney – junior (6'5, 312) 75 Joe Tippmann – sophomore (6'6, 320) 77 Blake Smithback – senior (6'2, 304) 78 Trey Wedig – freshman (6'7, 315) 79 Jack Nelson – freshman (6'7, 304) Defensive lineman 56 Rodas Johnson – DE – sophomore (6'2, 286) 75 Michael Balistreri – DE – senior (6'4, 278) 76 Tommy Brunner – DE – sophomore (6'3, 254) 90 James Thompson Jr. – DE – freshman (6'5, 290) 91 Bryson Williams – DT – senior (6'2, 291) 92 Matt Henningsen – DE – senior (6'3, 291) 93 Isaac Townsend – DE – sophomore (6'5, 275) 94 Gio Paez – DE – sophomore (6'3, 310) 95 Keeanu Benton – DT – junior (6'4, 317) 96 Cade McDonald – DE – freshman (6'6, 278) 97 Mike Jarvis – DE – freshman (6'4, 274) 99 Isaiah Mullens – DE – junior (6'4, 297) Long snappers 47 Peter Bowden – sophomore (6'2, 230) 64 Duncan McKinley – freshman (6'2, 222) 69 Zach Zei – freshman (6'2, 214) Kicker 19 Collin Larsh – senior (5'10, 194) 22 Jack Van Dyke – sophomore (6'5, 215) 28 Gavin Meyers – freshman (6'1, 189) 29 Nate Van Zelst – freshman (5'11, 190) Punter 38 Andy Vujnovich – senior (6'3, 230) 96 Conor Schlichting – senior (6'2, 237)		Linebacker  3 T.J. Bollers – OLB – freshman (6'2, 258)  5 Leo Chenal – ILB – junior (6'2, 261)  7 Spencer Lytle – OLB – sophomore (6'2, 230) 17 Darryl Peterson – OLB – freshman (6'1, 247) 19 Nick Herbig – OLB – sophomore (6'2, 227) 25 Jake Ratzlaff – ILB – freshman (6'2, 206) 32 Marty Strey – OLB – junior (6'2, 234) 34 Ross Gengler – ILB – freshman (6'2, 225) 36 Jake Chaney – ILB – freshman (5'11, 222) 37 Riley Nowakowski – OLB – freshman (6'1, 244) 39 Tatum Grass – ILB – sophomore (6'2, 231) 41 Noah Burks – OLB – senior (6'2, 245) 45 Garrison Solliday – ILB – freshman (5'11, 230) 46 Ayo Adebogun – OLB – freshman (6'2, 214) 50 Izayah Green-May – OLB – senior (6'6, 234) 51 Bryan Sanborn – ILB – freshman (6'1, 229) 52 Kaden Johnson – OLB – freshman (6'2, 233) 54 Jordan Turner – ILB – freshman (6'1, 228) 55 Maema Njongmeta – ILB – sophomore (6'0, 227) 57 Jack Sanborn – ILB – senior (6'2, 236) 58 Mike Maskalunas – ILB – junior (6'3, 239) 59 Aaron Witt – OLB – sophomore (6'6, 249) 98 C.J. Goetz – OLB – junior (6'3, 243) Defensive back  1 Faion Hicks – CB – senior (5'10, 192)  2 Ricardo Hallman – CB – freshman (5'10, 173)  6 Dean Engram – CB – sophomore (5'9, 168)  9 Scott Nelson – S – senior (6'2, 205) 11 Alexander Smith – CB – junior (5'11, 176) 12 Max Lofy – CB – freshman (5'10, 181) 14 Preston Zachman – S – freshman (6'1, 211) 15 John Torchio – S – junior (6'1, 208) 16 Amaun Williams – CB – freshman (5'10, 182) 18 Collin Wilder – S – senior (5'10, 199) 20 Semar Melvin – CB – sophomore (5'11, 170) 21 Caesar Williams – CB – senior (6'0, 188) 24 Hunter Wohler – S – freshman (6'2, 201) 26 Travian Blaylock – S – junior (5'11, 205) 27 Al Ashford – CB – freshman (6'0, 175) 30 Tyler Mais – S – senior (6'1, 201) 48 Owen Arnett – S – freshman (5'11, 215)

Source:^[3]

Rankings

Further information: 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	12	18	18	18	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	20	19	18	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	15	17	17	15	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	24	20	18	RV	RV	RV
CFP	Not released									21	18	15	14	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

No. 19 Penn State

See also: 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Penn State vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Nittany Lions	0	0	7	9	16
No. 12 Badgers	0	0	7	3	10

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: September 4, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C); Cloudy; Wind at W6 MPH
• Game attendance: 76,832
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter No scoring Third quarter PSU – Jahan Dotson 49-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jordan Stout kick, 12:08 (Penn State, 7–0) WISC – Chez Mellusi 3-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 8:01 (Tied, 7–7) Fourth quarter WISC – Colin Larsh 43-yard field goal, 13:36 (Wisconsin, 10–7) PSU – Jordan Stout 24-yard field goal, 11:26 (Tied, 10–10) PSU – Noah Cain 3-yard TD run, Stout kick missed, 9:17 (Penn State, 16–10) Top passers PSU – Sean Clifford – 18/33, 247 yards, TD WISC – Graham Mertz – 22/37, 185 yards, 2 INT Top rushers PSU – Noah Cain – 8 rushes, 48 yards, TD WISC – Chez Mellusi – 31 rushes, 121 yards, TD Top receivers PSU – Jahan Dotson – 5 receptions, 102 yards, TD WISC – Danny Davis – 8 receptions, 99 yards Top defenders PSU – Ellis Brooks – 11 tackles, TFL, sack WISC – Jack Sanborn – 5 tackles, 2 TFL, sack

Eastern Michigan

See also: 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Eastern Michigan vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	7	7
No. 18 Badgers	7	17	3	7	34

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: September 11, 2021
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Sunny; Wind at SW3 MPH
• Game attendance: 70,967
• Referee: Reggie Smith
• TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Chez Mellusi 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:39 (Wisconsin, 7–0) Second quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 33-yard field goal, 13:39 (Wisconsin, 10–0) WISC – Jalen Berger 6-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 7:02 (Wisconsin, 17–0) WISC – Isaac Guerendo 82-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:40 (Wisconsin, 24–0) Third quarter WISC – Larsh, 39-yard field goal, 8:02 (Wisconsin, 27–0) Fourth quarter EMU – Chase Wolf pass intercepted for a TD, Chad Ryland kick, 9:38 (Wisconsin, 27–7) WISC – Braelon Allen 1-yard TD run, Collin Larsh kick, 4:16 (Wisconsin, 34–7) Top passers EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 6/13, 53 yards, INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 14/17, 141 yards Top rushers EMU – Preston Hutchinson – 3 rushes, 12 yards WISC – Chez Mellusi – 20 rushes, 144 yards, TD Top receivers EMU – Zach Westmoreland – 2 receptions, 35 yards WISC – Kendric Pryor – 4 receptions, 54 yards Top defenders EMU – Scott Woo – 3 tackles, 2 TFL, sack WISC – John Torchio – 3 tackles, TFL, 0.5 sack

No. 12 Notre Dame

See also: 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Shamrock Series

Pregame line	Over/under
WIS –6	43.5[4]

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 Fighting Irish	0	10	0	31	41
No. 18 Badgers	3	0	7	3	13

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 25, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Sunny; Wind at SW3 MPH
• Game attendance: 59,571
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 37-yard field goal, 11:48. Wisconsin 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 1:54. Second quarter ND – Jonathan Doerer 51-yard field goal, 8:44. Tied 3–3. Drive: 16 plays, 45 yards, 6:29. ND – Kevin Austin Jr. 36-yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick), 4:48. Notre Dame 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:18. Third quarter WISC – Kendric Pryor 8-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 9:53. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 2:01. Fourth quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 27-yard field goal, 14:14. Wisconsin 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 3:44. ND – Chris Tyree 96-yard kickoff return (Jonathan Doerer kick), 14:01. Notre Dame 17–13. ND – Kevin Austin Jr. 16-yard pass from Drew Pyne (Jonathan Doerer kick), 9:34. Notre Dame 24–13. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:40. ND – Jonathan Doerer 37-yard field goal, 3:20. Notre Dame 27–13. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:45. ND – Jack Kiser 66-yard interception return (Jonathan Doerer kick), 2:13. Notre Dame 34–13. ND – Drew White 45-yard interception return (Jonathan Doerer kick), 1:01. Notre Dame 41–13. Top passers ND – Jack Coan – 15/29, 158 yards, 1 TD WISC – Graham Mertz – 18/41, 240 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT Top rushers ND – Kyren Williams – 18 rushes, 33 yards WISC – Chez Mellusi – 18 rushes, 54 yards Top receivers ND – Kevin Austin Jr. – 6 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD WISC – Kendric Pryor – 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

No. 14 Michigan

See also: 2021 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan vs. Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Wolverines	7	6	7	18	38
Badgers	0	10	0	7	17

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: October 2, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); Sunny; Wind at S7 MPH
• Game attendance: 74,855
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)

Game information

First quarter MICH – Cornelius Johnson 34-yard pass from Cade McNamara (Jake Moody kick), 4:17. Michigan 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:01. Second quarter MICH – Jake Moody 26-yard field goal, 13:17. Michigan 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 1:33. WISC – Collin Larsh 34-yard field goal, 2:32. Michigan 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 7:04. MICH – Jake Moody 47-yard field goal, 0:27. Michigan 13–3. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 2:05. WISC – Chimere Dike 18-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 0:07. Michigan 13–10. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 0:20. Third quarter MICH – J. J. McCarthy 1-yard TD run, (Jake Moody kick), 8:26. Michigan 20–10. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 5:29. Fourth quarter MICH – Jake Moody 48-yard field goal, 12:21. Michigan 23–10. Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:50. MICH – Cornelius Johnson 13-yard pass from Cade McNamara (Cade McNamara Pass to Cornelius Johnson for Two-Point Conversion), 9:34. Michigan 31–10. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:39. MICH – Daylen Baldwin 56-yard pass from J. J. McCarthy (Jake Moody kick), 5:07. Michigan 38–10. Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 2:57. WISC – Cade Cundiff 25-yard pass from Chase Wolf (Collin Larsh kick), 0:32. Michigan 38–17. Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 1:05. Top passers MICH – Cade McNamara – 17/28, 197 yards, 2 TD WISC – Graham Mertz – 8/15, 115 yards, TD Top rushers MICH – Hassan Haskins – 19 rushes, 47 yards WISC – Braelon Allen – 5 rushes, 19 yards Top receivers MICH – Cornelius Johnson – 2 receptions, 47 yards, 2 TD WISC – Chimere Dike – 2 receptions, 54 yards, TD Top defenders MICH – David Ojabo – 7 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, forced fumble, QB hurry WISC – Jack Sanborn – 14 tackles

Illinois

See also: 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Wisconsin vs Illinois – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	3	7	14	0	24
Fighting Illini	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: October 9, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C); Sunny; Wind at n/a MPH
• Game attendance: 40,168
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 25-yard field goal, 4:14. Wisconsin 3–0. Drive: 18 plays, 67 yards, 9:44. Second quarter WISC – John Chenal 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 5:27. Wisconsin 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 6:50. Third quarter WISC – Chez Mellusi 15-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 8:38. Wisconsin 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:22. WISC – Braelon Allen 23-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 1:00. Wisconsin 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:45. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers ILL – Artur Sitkowski – 8/27, 55 yards WISC – Graham Mertz – 10/19, 100 yards, INT Top rushers ILL – Chase Brown – 8 rushes, 35 yards WISC – Chez Mellusi – 21 rushes, 145 yards, TD Top receivers ILL – Isaiah Williams – 4 receptions, 23 yards WISC – Kendric Pryor – 2 receptions, 47 yards Top defenders ILL – Tarique Barnes – 12 tackles, forced fumble, QB hurry, pass breakup WISC – Noah Burks – 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 3 QB hurries

Army

See also: 2021 Army Black Knights football team

Army vs Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Black Knights	0	0	0	14	14
Badgers	0	13	0	7	20

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: October 16, 2021
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); Sunny; Wind at W6 MPH
• Game attendance: 76,314
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst) & Rick Pizzo (sideline)

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter WISC – Braelon Allen 33-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 12:58. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 95 yards, 6:28. WISC – Graham Mertz 5-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick blocked), 3:22. Wisconsin 13–0. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 6:14. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ARMY – Tyhier Tyler 5-yard TD run, (Cole Talley kick), 11:22. Wisconsin 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:41. WISC – Graham Mertz 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 2:43. Wisconsin 20–7. Drive: 1 plays, 1 yards, 0:12. ARMY – A.J. Howard Jr. 6-yard TD run, (Cole Talley kick), 0:38. Wisconsin 20–14. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 1:59. Top passers ARMY – Jabari Laws – 5/6, 87 yards WISC – Graham Mertz – 8/15, 112 yards Top rushers ARMY – Tyhier Tyler – 17 rushes, 90 yards, TD WISC – Braelon Allen – 16 rushes, 108 yards, TD Top receivers ARMY – A.J. Howard Jr. – reception, 36 yards WISC – Jake Ferguson – 4 receptions, 58 yards Top defenders ARMY – Marquel Broughton – 11 tackles, TFL, pass breakup WISC – Leo Chenal – 17 tackles, 2.5 TFL, sack, forced fumble

No. 25 Purdue

See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Wisconsin vs Purdue – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	7	6	7	10	30
No. 25 Boilermakers	0	13	0	0	13

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: October 23, 2021
• Game time: 2:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 61,320
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Braelon Allen 4-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 2:49. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 92 yards, 7:37. Second quarter PUR – Payne Durham 10-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick), 14:16. Tie 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 1:47. WISC – Collin Larsh 37-yard field goal, 8:54. Wisconsin 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 5:22. PUR – George Karlaftis 56-yard fumble return (Mitchell Fineran kick missed), 6:13. Purdue 13–10. Drive: 3 plays, -8 yards, 1:32. WISC – Collin Larsh 23-yard field goal, 2:06. Tie 13–13. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 0:56. Third quarter WISC – Chez Mellusi 20-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 6:06. Wisconsin 20–13. Drive: 3 plays, 94 yards, 1:01. Fourth quarter WISC – Braelon Allen 14-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 10:13. Wisconsin 27–13. Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:55. WISC – Collin Larsh 43-yard field goal, 4:06. Wisconsin 30–13. Drive: 4 plays, -4 yards, 2:32. Top passers PUR – Aidan O'Connell – 24/32, 200 yards, TD, 3 INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 5/8, 52 yards Top rushers PUR – King Doerue – 9 rushes, 20 yards WISC – Chaz Mellusi – 27 rushes, 149 yards, TD Top receivers PUR – Payne Durham – 9 receptions, 112 yards, TD WISC – Jake Ferguson – 2 receptions, 23 yards Top defenders PUR – Jaylan Alexander – 15 tackles, TFL, forced fumble WISC – Leo Chenal – 9 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks

No. 9 Iowa

See also: 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and Heartland Trophy

Iowa vs Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Hawkeyes	0	0	7	0	7
Badgers	7	13	0	7	27

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: October 30, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C); Cloudy; Wind at N 10 MPH
• Game attendance: 74,209
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Jake Ferguson 4-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 3:08. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:59. Second quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 29-yard field goal, 12:18. Wisconsin 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:23. WISC – Graham Mertz 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 7:40. Wisconsin 17–0. Drive: 1 plays, 1 yard, 0:04. WISC – Collin Larsh 32-yard field goal, 2:51. Wisconsin 20–0. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:27. Third quarter IOWA – Spencer Petras 1-yard TD run, (Caleb Shudak kick), 8:21. Wisconsin 20–7. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yard, 2:28. Fourth quarter WISC – Graham Mertz 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 12:54. Wisconsin 27–7. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yard, 5:52. Top passers IOWA – Spencer Petras – 9/19, 93 yards WISC – Graham Mertz – 11/22, 104 yards, TD Top rushers IOWA – Tyler Goodson – 13 rushes, 27 yards WISC – Braelon Allen – 20 rushes, 104 yards Top receivers IOWA – Sam LaPorta – 3 receptions, 44 yards WISC – Danny Davis III – 5 receptions, 59 yards Top defenders IOWA – Jack Koerner – 11 tackles WISC – Nick Herbig – 6 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, forced fumble

Rutgers

See also: 2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Wisconsin vs Rutgers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Badgers	7	24	21	0	52
Scarlet Knights	3	0	0	0	3

at SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

• Date: November 6, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); Cloudy; Wind at E 5 MPH
• Game attendance: 40,280
• Referee: Reggie Smith
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and James Laurinaitis (analyst)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Chez Mellusi 14-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 9:06. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 15 yards, 0:42. RUT – Valentino Ambrosio 24-yard field goal, 4:34. Wisconsin 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:32. Second quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 29-yard field goal, 8:04. Wisconsin 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:19. WISC – John Chenal 1-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 5:18. Wisconsin 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:37. WISC – Caesar Williams 29-yard interception return (Collin Larsh kick), 5:04. Wisconsin 24–3. Drive: 1 play, 29 yards, 0:12. WISC – Kendric Pryor 25-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 0:36. Wisconsin 31–3. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 0:37. Third quarter WISC – Braelon Allen 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 8:31. Wisconsin 38–3. Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:49. WISC – Danny Davis 72-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 6:44. Wisconsin 45–3. Drive: 1 play, 72 yards, 0:14. WISC – Jackson Acker 18-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 3:22. Wisconsin 52–3. Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:22. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers RUT – Noah Vedral – 8/16, 81 yards, 2 INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 11/16, 240 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers RUT – Isiah Pacheco – 9 rushes, 55 yards WISC – Braelon Allen – 15 rushes, 130 yards, TD Top receivers RUT – Bo Melton – 6 receptions, 61 yards WISC – Kendric Pryor – 4 receptions, 72 yards, TD Top defenders RUT – Olakunle Fatukasi – 10 tackles WISC – Jack Sanborn – 9 tackles, TFL, sack

Northwestern

See also: 2021 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Northwestern vs Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	7	7
No. 18 Badgers	0	21	14	0	35

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: November 13, 2021
• Game time: 11:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C); Cloudy; Wind at NW 11 MPH
• Game attendance: 73,194
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter WISC – Braelon Allen 2-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 14:53. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 91 yards, 4:46. WISC – Danny Davis III 13-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 9:08. Wisconsin 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:20. WISC – Braelon Allen 3-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 5:13. Wisconsin 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:58. Third quarter WISC – Jake Ferguson 11-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 3:26. Wisconsin 28–0. Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 1:18. WISC – Braelon Allen 33-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 0:43. Wisconsin 35–0. Drive: 2 plays, 39 yards, 0:49. Fourth quarter NU – A.J. Hampton Jr. 49-yard fumble return (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 11:38. Wisconsin 35–7. Top passers NU – Andrew Marty – 10/18, 100 yards, 3 INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 18/23, 216 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NU – Stephon Robinson Jr. – 2 rushes, 54 yards WISC – Braelon Allen – 25 rushes, 173 yards, 3 TD Top receivers NU – Stephon Robinson Jr. – 8 receptions, 80 yards WISC – Jake Ferguson – 4 receptions, 43 yards, TD Top defenders NU – Brandon Joseph – 7 tackles, 0.5 TFL, INT WISC – Leo Chenal – 14 tackles, 3 TFL, Sack, QB Hurry

Nebraska

See also: 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Freedom Trophy

Nebraska vs Wisconsin – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	7	7	7	28
No. 15 Badgers	14	0	14	7	35

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: November 20, 2021
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C); Cloudy; Wind at W 7 MPH
• Game attendance: 67,888
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)

Game information

First quarter WISC – Stephen Bracey 91-yard kickoff return (Collin Larsh kick), 14:47. Wisconsin 7–0. NEB – Markese Stepp 1-yard TD run, (Chase Contreraz kick), 12:41. Tie 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yard, 1:59. WISC – Braelon Allen, 71-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 1:59. Wisconsin 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:23. Second quarter NEB – Samori Toure 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Chase Contreraz kick), 6:35. Tie 14–14. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 3:02. Third quarter WISC – Kendric Pryor 17-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 11:35. Wisconsin 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 2:01. NEB – Adrian Martinez 1-yard TD run, (Chase Contreraz kick), 6:24. Tie 21–21. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yard, 5:11. WISC – Braelon Allen 3-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 1:30. Wisconsin 28–21. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:54. Fourth quarter NEB – Marvin Scott III 3-yard TD run, (Chase Contreraz kick), 6:27. Tie 28–28. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yard, 3:52. WISC – Braelon Allen 53-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 3:50. Wisconsin 35–28. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:37. Top passers NEB – Adrian Martinez – 23/35, 351 yards, TD, 2 INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 12/18, 145 yards, TD Top rushers NEB – Marvin Scott III – 9 rushes, 29 yards, TD WISC – Braelon Allen – 22 rushes, 228 yards, 3 TD Top receivers NEB – Austin Allen – 7 receptions, 143 yards WISC – Jake Ferguson – 8 receptions, 92 yards Top defenders NEB – Garrett Nelson – 6 tackles, TFL, Sack, Pass breakup WISC – Leo Chenal – 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, QB Hurry

Minnesota

See also: 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Paul Bunyan's Axe

Wisconsin vs Minnesota – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Badgers	0	10	3	0	13
Golden Gophers	3	3	14	3	23

at Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: November 27, 2021
• Game time: 3:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C); Sunny; Wind at NW 12 MPH
• Game attendance: 49,736
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter UMN – Matthew Trickett 28 yard field goal, 7:29. Minnesota 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 65 yards, 7:31. Second quarter WISC – Collin Larsh 25-yard field goal, 12:37. Tie 3–3. Drive: 15 plays, 85 yards, 9:52. WISC – Scott Nelson 25-yard interception return (Collin Larsh kick), 12:22. Wisconsin 10–3. UMN – Matthew Trickett 31-yard field goal, 8:19. Wisconsin 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:03. Third quarter UMN – Ky Thomas 2-yard TD run (Matthew Trickett kick), 13:24. Minnesota 13–10. Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:39. WISC – Collin Larsh 28-yard field goal, 6:35. Tie 13–13. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 6:49. UMN – Chris Autman-Bell 27-yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Matthew Trickett kick), 1:56. Minnesota 20–13. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 4:31. Fourth quarter UMN – Matthew Trickett 36-yard field goal, 6:08. Minnesota 23–13. Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 5:36. Top passers UMN – Tanner Morgan – 11/16, 199 yards, TD, INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 21/38, 171 yards, INT Top rushers UMN – Ky Thomas – 18 rushes, 55 yards, TD WISC – Braelon Allen – 17 rushes, 55 yards Top receivers UMN – Brevyn Spann-Ford – 3 receptions, 62 yards WISC – Danny Davis III – 5 receptions, 60 yards Top defenders MIN – Jack Gibbens – 10 tackles, TFL WISC – Leo Chenal – 14 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 Sack

Arizona State

See also: 2021 Arizona State Sun Devils football team and 2021 Las Vegas Bowl

Wisconsin vs Arizona State – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	14	6	0	0	20
Sun Devils	3	3	7	0	13

at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

• Date: December 30, 2021
• Game time: 9:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 32,515
• Referee: David Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)

Game information

First quarter WISC – John Chenal 8-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 11:40. Wisconsin 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 1:34. ASU – Cristian Zendejas 38 yard field goal, 4:21. Wisconsin 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 7:19. WISC – Jake Ferguson 7-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 1:37. Wisconsin 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:44. Second quarter ASU – Cristian Zendejas 36 yard field goal, 11:13. Wisconsin 14–6. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 2:46. WISC – Collin Larsh 48 yard field goal, 5:42. Wisconsin 17–6. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:31.' WISC – Collin Larsh 35 yard field goal, 0:02. Wisconsin 20–6. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:41.' Third quarter ASU – Daniyel Ngata 3-yard TD run (Cristian Zendejas kick), 8:52. Wisconsin 20–13. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 2:39. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers ASU – Jayden Daniels – 11/21, 159 yards, INT WISC – Graham Mertz – 11/15, 137 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ASU – Jayden Daniels – 19 rushes, 40 yards WISC – Braelon Allen – 29 rushes, 159 yards Top receivers ASU – Ricky Pearsall – 4 receptions, 65 yards WISC – Jake Ferguson – 3 receptions, 33 yards, TD Top defenders ASU – Timarcus Davis – 9 tackles, 0.5 TFL, INT WISC – Nick Herbig – 7 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 Sacks, QB hurry

Awards and honors

Weekly Awards

Player	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
Braelon Allen	Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week	October 18, 2021	[5]
Leo Chenal	Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week	October 24, 2021	[6]
Leo Chenal	Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week	October 25, 2021	[7]
Collin Larsh	Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week	October 25, 2021	[7]
Braelon Allen	Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week	November 8, 2021	[8]
Braelon Allen	Big Ten Co-offensive Player of the Week	November 15, 2021	[9]

Individual Awards

Player	Award	Ref.
Leo Chenal	Butkus/Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year	[10]
Leo Chenal	First Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Josh Seltzner	First Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches)/Second Team All-Big Ten Offense (Media)	[10]
Jack Sanborn	First Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches)/Second Team All-Big Ten Defense (Media)	[10]
Jake Ferguson	First Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches)/Second Team All-Big Ten Offense (Media)	[10]
Braelon Allen	Second Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Logan Bruss	Second Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Keeanu Benton	Second Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches)/Honorable Mention Defense (Media)	[10]
Matt Henningsen	Third Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Tyler Beach	Third Team All-Big Ten Offense (Coaches)/Honorable Mention Offense (Media)	[10]
Caesar Williams	Third Team All-Big Ten Defense (Coaches)/Honorable Mention Defense (Media)	[10]
Noah Burks	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Nick Herbig	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Faion Hicks	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Isiah Mullens	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Scott Nelson	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]
Collin Wilder	Honorable Mention Defense (Coaches/Media)	[10]

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2022 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	103	Leo Chenal	ILB	Kansas City Chiefs
3	104	Logan Bruss	OG	Los Angeles Rams
4	129	Jake Ferguson	TE	Dallas Cowboys
6	206	Matt Henningsen	DT	Denver Broncos
7	232	Faion Hicks	CB	Denver Broncos