Wisconsin Football Report Card From 35-31 ReliaQuest Bowl Loss to LSU

The Wisconsin football program capped off the 2023 season on Monday, as the Badgers fell 35-31 to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

UW finished the first year under Luke Fickell and the new regime with a 7-6 record, ending up at third in the Big Ten West behind Iowa and Northwestern. 

Here are my grades for Wisconsin’s offense, defense, and special teams from the season finale. 

Wisconsin Football Offense Grade: B+

It only took 13 games, but the air raid offense finally took flight on New Year’s Day. 

Tanner Mordecai was nothing short of spectacular in his final game with UW, completing 27 of 40 pass attempts for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, his performance was wasted, with a brutal defensive performance and a whopping five sacks allowed by the offensive line. Credit to the sixth-year senior for doing everything he could to keep the Badgers in it, but the team around him let him down. 

In case you forgot during the extended break, Will Pauling is that guy. He showed it against LSU, hauling in eight receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Bryson Green also deserves his flowers, as he registered 105 yards and a touchdown. I’d also be remiss if I did not mention Trech Kekahuna, who put out some solid tape on both offense and special teams, recording four receptions for 64 yards on the day. 

Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker both got some extended run, with the latter logging 86 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and Yacamelli putting up 45 yards on seven carries. Both tailbacks averaged over six yards per carry. Going into this game, Acker was one of the players I was keeping a close eye on, as spots in the running back rotation will dwindle with Chez Mellusi returning, Tawee Walker transferring in, and three true freshmen coming. Though it wasn’t a big performance for Acker, it was good to see that he could be a productive running back if given the opportunity. 

The offensive line is dragging this grade down for me a bit, and I also thought the coaching staff was far too conservative. However, Mordecai, Pauling, and Green had one hell of a game, so I couldn’t give the offense any lower than a B+.

Wisconsin Football Defense Grade: D

Wisconsin was able to avoid playing against Heisman winner Jayden Daniels in the bowl game, but the Badgers defense was still utterly torn up by the LSU offense. 

Mike Tressel and company allowed 492 total yards of offense, with 395 of those yards and three touchdowns coming through the air from backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The secondary didn’t even play poorly, but the lack of pass rush was what did the Badgers in, as they are only credited with five total pressures on Pro Football Focus. 

I’ll throw in some positivity here, and that’s that Ricardo Hallman is a certified DAWG. The sophomore cornerback logged his seventh interception of the season on Monday — tied for the most by a CB in school history — and also added on four tackles and a pass deflection. Get ready to see Hallman on some draft big boards after an incredible sophomore year. 

Back to the bad, though. Wisconsin had the chance to put the game away, up 31-28 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers starting a drive at their own two-yard line. The Badgers just needed a stop, but LSU went 98 yards in eight plays — including a 43-yard pass that took them inside the ten — and the Badgers were unable to respond from there. 

The defense wasn’t able to come up in the clutch, gave up nearly 500 yards of offense, and generated nearly no pass rush. The D will get a D this time. 

Wisconsin Football Special Teams Grade: C+ 

After a strong start to the season, Wisconsin’s special teams unit started to fizzle out, with mediocre performance after mediocre performance to close out the regular season. The ReliaQuest Bowl was no different. 

As mentioned before, Trech Kekahuna made an impact on special teams, recording a 37-yard return in the third quarter that set up the Badgers at their own 40. UW was able to turn that drive into a field goal. Vinny Anthony also had a solid night returning, registering 63 yards on three attempts. 

Nathanial Vakos went 1-for-2 on field goals, hitting from 21 and missing from 51. He did hit all four of his extra-point attempts, however. 

It was another shaky night for Atticus Bertrams, as the Australia native had a brutal 17-yard punt in the second quarter. 

Overall, it was another lackluster game for the special teams unit. 

And with that, the Wisconsin football program’s 2023 season has come to an end.

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