Notes: Injury updates, forcing turnovers and the Badgers' bowl streak

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey — Braelon Allen's mind couldn't help but think the worst when he saw Chez Mellusi go down. Wisconsin's junior tailback broke through line of scrimmage for what was primed to be a big gain before getting tripped up on his own.

Mellusi, UW's leading rusher, limped off gingerly following the play and would go into the medical tent with trainers.

"It sucks," Allen told reporters after Wisconsin's 52-3 win over Rutgers. "Especially those non-contact injuries that you see, they’re scary and to see him go down like that, it sucks for the whole team, really.

"Everyone knows Chez, he’s a great guy to be around, a great teammate, so to see him go down is tough for us."

Allen, Graham Mertz, Jake Ferguson, Paul Chryst and position coach Gary Brown could be seen checking in on Mellusi while he was in the medical tent. Chryst did not have any specifics after the game and will wait for more information in the days to come.

"Don’t have any specifics," he said. "Talked to him and we’re going to have to find out more information on that one."

Taking on the role of lead back, Allen went on to rush for 129 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, his fifth straight game with 100 or more rushing yards.

The Badgers would also lose starting right guard Jack Nelson in the contest. Following a play in which he was in pass protection, Nelson stayed on the ground face first with his teammates quickly calling for trainers to come on the field. The second-year player was ruled out but came back on the sideline in street clothes.

"Talked to Nelly on the sideline in the second half, he’s feeling better," Chryst added.

Allen, himself, could be seen getting taped up and getting looked at by the trainers. The extra work could be tabbed to general soreness that comes along with the season.

"Everyone is banged up at this time of the year and coming into this week, I was just a little sore," Allen said. "Had to take it easy a little bit but made sure I was ready for today."

Wisconsin would also see true freshman receiver Markus Allen go down with time winding down. The former four-star receiver saw his first action and hauled in a pair of receptions for 34 yards, along with getting a pair of looks on jet sweeps. Much like Mellusi's injury, Chryst said they'll have to wait to find out more.

"Big guy. Just a freak on the outside," senior Kendric Pryor said of the freshman receiver. "Big body, got some speed. Got a couple jets today and tried to make something happen. Caught a dig. Things like that, just keep showing and giving Coach Whitt (Alvis Whitted) that confidence that he can go out there and make plays. Jump balls, contested catches, just him doing everything and he finally got a chance today.

"I was so happy for him just to see him go out there and finally get a chance and make some plays and show the future of the receiving core at Wisconsin."

Following a start to the season in which it forced just four turnovers in the first six games, Wisconsin has now come away with 12 in the past three. On Saturday, even kicker Jack Van Dyke got in on the fun.

After a drive stalled in the red zone to end with a Collin Larsh field goal, Van Dyke kicked it off and made a play with explosive receiver Aron Cruickshank returning it.

“We went cross field on that play just to get away from Cruickshank, and he made a play and got over the ball," Van Dyke detailed. "Just saw the gap open up and went down to fill it and ended up making a tackle and wrapping up on Cruickshank. It was just awesome to get him down and after the tackle, I had saw that we recovered the fumble, so was just super hyped up and proud of my kickoff unit."

Guys on the defense have been coming away with turnovers in bunches recently and couldn’t help but poke some fun at their kicker.

“Yeah we definitely got around him and were like, 'damn, we can’t let a kicker be forcing fumbles like that and we’re not getting anything,'” inside linebacker Leo Chenal said.

The turnover was a part of a sequence that blew the game open in the favor of Wisconsin. The offense would cash in on the sudden turnover, along with Keeanu Benton and Caesar Wiliams combining for a pick-six to turn what was a four-point lead into a 24-3 margin.

“It’s really fun," Chenal added. "When the offense and defense are playing off each other, you can just feel the energy. It’s awesome just coming together as a team and being able to make those plays. We’ve got a lot of momentum right now. A lot of guys are stepping up and making plays and it feels good."

After a 1-3 start to the season, which included embarrassing losses to Michigan and Notre Dame, the Badgers have suddenly rattled off five straight wins and are playing their best football of the year. The 52-3 victory over the Scarlet Knights was their sixth of the season, making them bowl eligible for the 20th consecutive year.

“You’re always grateful that you’ve earned the right to play another game. It’s never a given,” Chryst said.

UW has become a program where goals are much higher than making a bowl game. But the 20 consecutive appearances shows a mark of consistency the program has achieved.

“We have higher expectations than just a bowl game and that’s why I think this program is so special," senior safety Collin Wilder explained. "We didn’t even mention it. I didn’t even know that until you said it. We don’t mention that stuff because our expectations are higher. Bowl games are so much fun and they’re made to reward teams for their success that year. It’s a great feeling to know for me, personally, and I’m sure the rest of the seniors can say the same thing, is we get another game with this group.

"That’s great to know, that’s good news but obviously the tradition here with this program, we’re aiming for higher."

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