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Wisconsin Football: Handing Out Helmet Stickers From the Purdue Victory

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8 months ago

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Wisconsin Football quarterback Tanner Mordecai
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tanner Mordecai (8) dives into the pylon for a touchdown during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

A win is a win! In this case, it’s the 17th straight victory for the Wisconsin football team over the Purdue Boilermakers. This victory gave the Badgers a nice start to conference play, putting them at 1-0 in the Big Ten and 3-1 overall.

It still wasn’t a perfect game, but this team is starting to look more like the team we were all hoping for this offseason.

Players on both sides of the ball shined tonight.

So let’s hand out some helmet stickers for the Wisconsin football players who shined under the Friday night lights.

Wisconsin Football vs. Purdue Helmet Sticker No. 1:

Ricardo Hallman

Ricardo Hallman is quietly becoming a lockdown corner for the Wisconsin football team. Before the game, Hallman had yet to allow a touchdown reception. After the game, that statement still stands true. I’m sure he will continue to lead the country in coverage snaps without giving up a score.

On top of being a shutdown corner, he is turning into a legitimate playmaker. He logged two interceptions in the Badgers’ Friday night victory over Purdue, bringing his season total to three.

He finished the night with three tackles and two interceptions. The sophomore cornerback is having a great start to the year. We’ll see how well he continues to play once the level of competition ramps up. Hopefully, he continues to play like he is because this Wisconsin defense is going to need him to.

Wisconsin Football vs. Purdue Helmet Sticker No. 2:

Braelon Allen

Banged up? If he was, Allen didn’t show it. As usual, Wisconsin’s top back had another great game last night. He ran the ball just 16 times for 116 yards, a 7.4 yards per carry average. He also added a pair of touchdowns. A good chunk of his yardage came on a 52-yard scamper, where he blew up a defender like he was nothing and almost took it to the house.

Unfortunately, Allen had to take the bulk of the carries towards the end of the game when Chez Mellusi went down with an ankle injury. Without a whole lot of experienced depth behind Allen, he is going to be expected to carry the rushing attack for the Wisconsin football team.

Wisconsin Football vs. Purdue Helmet Sticker No. 3:

Tanner Mordecai

There’s the Wisconsin football quarterback we were all hoping to see. Tanner Mordecai didn’t put up huge numbers through the air or even throw a touchdown pass. But he did provide the offense with some production on the ground. His ability to scramble and make plays with his legs made a difference early in the game.

At one point, Mordecai was Wisconsin’s leading passer, rusher, and receiver. When’s the last time you’ve ever seen that?

Mordecai finished the game with 174 yards passing and a pick. But he added on 44 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mordecai is slowly but surely turning into the playmaking quarterback Wisconsin fans have wanted in Madison for a long time.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Purdue Helmet Sticker No. 4:

Darian Varner

Varner had a very heads-up play that helped nail the coffin shut in the game.

Kaden Johnson came off the edge, hitting Purdue quarterback Hudson Card as he was throwing. The refs let it play out. Purdue recovered it but held it, thinking it was a dead ball. Alertly, Varner went over, punched the ball out of his hands, and landed on it.

Three plays later, the Badgers punched it in for six, extending the lead to 38-17. We’ve all been waiting for Varner to make his presence known on this Wisconsin football defense. Now we finally have. Hopefully, this is just the start for Varner this season and we see some more of this.

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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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