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Handing out Helmet Stickers from the Wisconsin Football Win Over Illinois

Which Wisconsin football players earned helmet stickers vs. Illinois?

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11 months ago

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Wisconsin Badgers football safety Hunter Wohler makes a tackle against Illinois
Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) is brought down by Wisconsin Badgers safety Kamo'i Latu (13) and safety Hunter Wohler (24) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is heading into a huge matchup with the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend. The team could very well have been facing a three-game losing streak in the face had they lost to Illinois last weekend.

Fortunately for the Badgers, they pulled out a win and head back home with the Big Ten West lead and some momentum as they face what is likely their most daunting opponent this season.

But before we get ahead of ourselves and start looking forward to the OSU game on Saturday night, let’s take another look back at the impressive comeback victory for the Wisconsin football team that included a fourth quarter where they outscored the Illini 18-0 to win the game 25-21.

There were many players who could be deserving of helmet stickers in the Badgers’ victory over the Illini, but here are the top three that really stood out to me.

Wisconsin Football vs. Illinois Helmet Sticker No. 1:

Nolan Rucci

I know Nolan Rucci didn’t play a ton against the Illini, but come on, he made the catch in the craziest/best play of the game that gave the Badgers the late lead and ultimately the victory.

Let’s not kid ourselves here either, that wasn’t the easiest ball to catch. It floated in the air a while and he had to jump and twist to grab it. Being wide open with the game on the line is a lot of pressure too. Rucci showed some real athleticism to go up and grab that ball.

Helmet sticker for Nolan Rucci.

Wisconsin Football vs. Illinois Helmet Sticker No. 2:

Braedyn Locke

There were plenty of ups and downs for Braedyn Locke in his first career start for the Wisconsin football team. But I think there was a lot to like about how he played and his prospects as QB1 for the Badgers.

Locke finished the game completing 21/41 (51%) of his passes for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He looked confident making his throws and had a pretty good feel for the pocket.

Obviously, there are things to work on. I thought he tried to force the ball into some tight windows multiple times and maybe looked like he tried to throw the ball too hard on occasions. His receivers didn’t exactly help him a ton either. He had two passes dropped, which may not seem like a whole lot, but both were on 3rd downs where the Badgers would have converted if the receiver would have made the catch, leading to Wisconsin punts.

But overall, I think there’s a lot of positives to take away from his performance. In fact, Locke won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week with his performance.

Helmet Sticker No. 3:

Braelon Allen

It was slow going to start the game, but Braelon Allen finally got going late in the game.

Allen was a catalyst for the stagnant Wisconsin football offense in the fourth quarter. He ripped off a few big runs and converted some big third downs in drives that led to points for the Badgers.

Luke Fickell said at the beginning of the year they wanted to get Allen about 18 carries a game. Well, after losing both Chez Mellusi and Tanner Mordecai, that seems to be out the window. The rushing attack is almost all on Allen. He carried the ball 29 times and had two receptions in the win over Illinois. He had 162 total yards and a touchdown.

With the Wisconsin football team sustaining injuries where they have, they are lucky to have Braelon Allen as their bell-cow back. They are going to have to continue leaning on Allen for the rest of the season.

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Christian Borman was born and raised in Wisconsin and covers the Badgers football and basketball programs, plus some recruiting for BadgersNotes.com. He previously covered the Wisconsin Badgers for years as the site expert for Badger of Honor of the Fansided Network.

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