MADISON, Wis. – Jake Ferguson already scored on a simple pass-and-catch red-zone touchdown, but the University of Wisconsin tight end was far from a celebratory mood.
The junior had just lost a fumble and watched it get returned for a touchdown. Admittedly in his head, Ferguson got encouragement from tight end coach Mickey Turner over the phone and teammates Graham Mertz, Eric Burrell, Jack Sanborn, Garrett Groshek and others on the sideline.
“Groshek said you are only good as your next play,” Ferguson said.
His next play turned out to be pivotal, and his moxie helped chart the course for a Badgers’ rout.
Catching a 34-yard pass on the ensuing drive might have been Ferguson’s best play on a night where he scored a career-high three touchdowns in the red zone in a 45-7 triumph over Illinois in Friday's season opener at Camp Randall Stadium.
His scoring binge made him just the ninth player in UW history to catch at least 3 TDs in one game and the third Badger tight end in the last 50 years, joining Owen Daniels (2005) and Garrett Graham (2009).
An honorable mention all-conference selection a year ago after catching 33 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns, Ferguson was expected to shoulder a large portion of the offense with tailback Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Quintez Cephus in the NFL quarterback Jack Coan on the injured list and a new offensive line building chemisty.
So, catching an uncontested 5-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put Wisconsin up 14 was a step in the right direction for the offense's most reliable pass catcher. He put that title temporarily on hold two possessions later.
Catching a pass in the middle of the field late in the second quarter, Ferguson got undercut while fighting for extra yards and saw his lost fumble get returned 39 yards for an Illinois touchdown. Suddenly, a game that Wisconsin had dominated on both sides of the ball saw them leading just 14-7.
“It’s definitely tough,” Ferguson said. “I walked off the field and I got kind of in my head a little bit.”
His teammates had faith in him that he would respond. Bouncing back to complete the 34-yard catch was a sign of his maturity. Matched up in one-on-one coverage, Ferguson faked an out route before turning up field, having a step on the defender and catching a perfectly thrown pass from Mertz to set Wisconsin up in the red zone.
Two plays later, Ferguson capped the drive by leaping to haul in a 14-yard catch and held on after receiving a hard hit after his feet hit the ground.
“We talked about all week, just playing with swag,” Mertz said. “I knew he’d bounce back, and we talked about it on the sideline. I’m like, hey, short memory, forget about it and respond. Coach Chryst kept saying we’ve got to respond, and I was confident that we were going to go do it.”
Ferguson capped his night working with Mertz with another wide-open red-zone touchdown in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of Illinois selling out to try and stop the run at the goal line.
It was somewhat ironic. On a night where Wisconsin didn’t run particularly well (182 yards, 54 carries, 3.2 ypc), the Badgers were carried by a redshirt freshman quarterback and his veteran tight end … a potential changing of the guard in 2020.
“We talk about overcoming adversity,” Ferguson said. “I’m just grateful I got the opportunity after that to make some plays.”
