Madison — So much for the “air raid.” After a seemingly endless offseason filled with speculation about how Wisconsin football is set to renounce everything it holds dear and throw the ball with reckless abandon, Saturday was a firm reminder about how this team is constructed.
As the Badgers’ offense struggled to find its rhythm in the first half, punting on four of its first six drives, offensive coordinator Phil Longo leaned on the running game to steady the ship. Tailbacks Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi responded by combining for 298 yards on the ground, their biggest total ever as a duo.
“We’re RBU at the end of the day,” Allen said. “Regardless of what type of philosophy it is or what the title of it is, it’s gonna go through the backs.”
The key word there being backs, plural. Every program in the country knows about Allen and what he’s capable of. But Wisconsin’s less-heralded halfback Mellusi just reminded the nation that he, too, has a highly dangerous set of skills.
In the first half, with the Badgers only up 14-10, not much was going right on offense. There were miscues, drops and the ground game was uninspiring. In the first half, Wisconsin ran for just 101 yards on 21 carries. Most of that production was courtesy of Mellusi, who despite a stalling offense displayed excellent vision, patience and burst.
Early in the third quarter, with the game dangerously close and Allen unable to break off a big play, Mellusi took matters into his own hands. He got the ball on a delayed handoff, set up his blocks, made an absurd amount of cuts and scored from 89 yards out, prompting play-by-play man Eric Collins to break out his electric “What kind of speeeeed do you got!?” call.
“There was a good block on the right side, but they were kind of overfilling that side. I just kinda cut back, I hit it, saw a lane,” Mellusi said of his game-breaking run. “Just kinda read the perimeter blocking and my receivers were working hard for me. So I just kinda set some of those blocks up, and I was just bouncing around and I made a play.”
He had a head of steam when he got past the defensive front, but was still surrounded by Buffalo defenders in the open field. That’s where his receivers came in.
“It was essentially a draw play, so I run my route, a fake route essentially,” slot receiver Will Pauling said. “We hand the ball to Chez, I look back like, ‘where’s the ball?’ I look downfield, I see Chez sprinting so I start sprinting down the field, try to get my hands on somebody, block somebody to help spark the run.”
Mellusi credits his receivers for staying engaged on their blocks, which he used downfield to set up his cut-backs and deliver a house call. When all was said and done, the Bulls' defense barely got a hand on him.
“With one of those plays, it’s just the receivers not giving up,” he said. “They could easily just let the guy go, but just letting them kinda develop the block, develop the block, and I see it and I just kinda cut based on what they’re doing.”
After that touchdown, Mellusi’s second of the day, Wisconsin led 21-10. Suddenly, the Badger faithful could breathe much easier after finally going up two scores against what was a feisty Buffalo team all afternoon.
This is Mellusi’s third season as a Badger, but his career hasn’t gone exactly according to plan. The tailback missed a combined eight games over the past two seasons, as injuries have derailed what’s still been a very productive time in Madison.
With the 2023 season firmly upon us, though, Mellusi appears primed for his biggest season yet. With his two scores on Saturday, he already matched his touchdown total from a season ago. He needs just 317 yards to surpass his rushing total last season. As a reminder, we’re going into Week 2.
“Obviously he’s had a couple of unfortunate injuries that haven’t allowed him to play up to his full potential,” Allen said of his backfield mate. “He told me the other day, this is the healthiest he’s felt going into a season, and you saw it today…I think people were truly sleeping on Chez, that’s not something you wanna do. He’s one play away.”
Mellusi mentioned his offseason training and workouts as a catalyst for how well he was able to perform Saturday.
“Just a hell of a summer that we all had,” he said. “I thought I had a really good summer, the team had a really good summer…I feel great, my body is in a great spot. So shoutout to coach Brady (Collins) for that, he put me in a really good spot.”
After the game, Luke Fickell pointed out that Mellusi is a noted locker room leader, especially with the way he and Allen are so close off the field and how that relationship permeates onto the field. As for the talent of each back, it’s safe to say Fickell is high on both of them.
“You say it’s a one-two punch, I say it’s a one-one punch,” the coach said.
Another leader of the team, captain and wide receiver Chimere Dike also noted the work Mellusi put in over the offseason.
“He worked his butt off in the offseason. He’s a dynamic player, but he has been for a while. I still remember his first game here,” he said. The wide out expressed little surprise over what transpired on the field with the Badgers’ two star tailbacks.
“I see those guys every day,” Dike said. “They’re some of the most dynamic players, not only on this team but in the conference, in the country.”
After beating Buffalo on the backs of its two workhorse runners, Wisconsin football surely feels lucky to have ball-carriers like Allen and Mellusi. But not too long ago, as the regime changed from Paul Chryst to Fickell, the new coaching staff had to recruit their own players, star running backs included, and sell them on their vision for the program.
Had the two not liked what they had seen from Fickell and his new staff, they could’ve easily sought new homes in the transfer portal. Allen could’ve played for just about any team in the country, and Mellusi would also have a litany of big-time programs after his services.
“It’s crazy, because he kinda came to me and reiterated this is where he wanted to be,” Fickell said of Mellusi. “I knew his high school coach, he reached out and said this is where he wants to be. He told me more about him, how humble and how unselfish and how tough of a kid he is.”
“Coach Fick, he brings such a great energy and a great feel,” Mellusi said. “The culture he brought in, I immediately bought into it and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of, I knew it was gonna be good for this whole program. We sat down really early and he kinda gave me the vision, and it was something I couldn’t say no to.”
His friendship with Allen was also a major factor in the pair’s decision to stay in Madison.
“Off the field, I would probably say we consider each other best friends. Everything we do off the field is pretty much done together,” Allen said. “Whether we’re at home, we’re at the game together or we’re trying to grab a bite to eat, it’s always the two of us. Tanner (Mordecai) made a comment the other day, he saw us doing our recovery on the treadmill, in the pool, he said ‘you guys are inseparable.’ I would say we are. Our relationship goes far beyond the field.”
“I also think being close off the field helps you hold each other accountable,” he added. “When one guy isn’t playing up to his standard, he’s not doing the right things on or off the field, you can kinda get into him a little bit. We respect that out of each other.”
It’s early, and it’s Buffalo, but Wisconsin’s running game looks alive and well in the hands of Allen and Mellusi, contrary to all of the air raid talk this offseason. Mordecai’s interceptions Saturday may be reminiscent of Badger quarterbacks from the not-so-distant past, but this team is still highly confident in its ability to throw the football. It’s just that now, the Badgers have two healthy, dynamic, experienced backs who looked nearly unstoppable against the Bulls. Perhaps with the current discourse surrounding the value of his position in his mind, Mellusi offered these closing remarks:
“I think it goes to show, the running backs, the position itself, we can provide a spark for the whole team. You’re able to have those plays that can be game-breakers, get the momentum back on your side.”
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