The No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers can enjoy the week off after their first victory of the season, all with a big-time non-conference matchup awaiting them two Saturdays from now.
UW (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) controlled both sides of the ball during its 34-7 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Now, a week to rest and prepare will bring intrigue for the Sept. 25 matchup against undefeated, No. 12 Notre Dame (11 a.m. CT, FOX).
BadgerBlitz.com resumes our 3-2-1 series to break down three more things we learned, two questions we still have, and one prediction heading into this new week.
THREE ADDITIONAL THINGS WE LEARNED BEFORE THE BYE WEEK
1) Wisconsin's rushing attack has three capable running backs at its disposal, at the least
Wisconsin rolled over Eastern Michigan on Saturday to the tune of 352 yards. The combination of Chez Mellusi, Isaac Guerendo and Jalen Berger -- with their respective blockers in front of them -- accumulated 298 of those yards. The trio of tailbacks all offer particular skill sets that opponents will have to scout for.
Mellusi led the way with 144 yards on 20 carries, while Berger received the second-most touches in the ground game with 15, gaining 62 yards on the evening. Guerendo's 82-yard touchdown run energized the Camp Randall Stadium faithful, and the redshirt junior finished with 92 yards on four attempts.
"Chez, I thought again did some really good things, and Jalen got a chance to go, and you can see what Isaac is capable of," head coach Paul Chryst said after the game. "That was impressive, and it was good to see. 'Schip' [Brady Schipper] got in and Braelon [Allen].
"I think for us to be a good group there, it's gonna take all of them."
Schipper grinded out 29 yards on eight carries in the second half, and Allen scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run. The latter, a former four-star standout from in-state Fond du Lac, finished the evening with seven carries for 30 yards.
Allen, listed at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds on UW's roster, "runs hard," as simply described by quarterback Graham Mertz.
"I like Braelon a ton," Mertz said on Saturday. "Just his mindset. I mean, he's just so young and the amount of just force that he runs with, it's pretty cool to watch."
