MADISON - On Wisconsin’s second offensive play of the game against Ohio State, the Badgers showed a new package.

Braelon Allen, on second and seven, lined up to take the snap with Chez Mellusi to his left and quarterback Graham Mertz out wide near the sideline. Allen faked the handoff to Mellusi before breaking a tackle and running to the left for six yards.

The wildcat formation on UW’s opening possession would be first of seven such plays the Badgers ran out of that formation. The concept totaled 29 yards on six attempts, which doesn’t include an 18-yard gain wiped out due to a hold. Allen ran four times for 18 yards and completed a pass to tight end Jack Eschenbach for 10 yards.

“That’s something the coaches scouted just to have a change up, but we like it and hopefully we can have some sort of package for it moving forward,” offensive coordinator Bobby Engram said. “Just always looking to put our guys in position to make plays.”

Allen noted that the package was put in a week ago during prep for New Mexico State but “figured we weren’t going to use it then.”

“Just saving a little bit,” he said.

To put the play into perspective, those were the first snaps Allen took at quarterback and the wildcat isn’t something the Badgers bring out often. Not with Mellusi and not with Jonathan Taylor over his three seasons carrying the load.

In terms of the pass out of it, Allen smirked when asked what he thought about his attempt. Having played quarterback a bit in high school, that was the first pass he’s thrown in a game since his sophomore year at Fond du Lac.

Allen, who was the leader of the movement to wear red pants, isn’t shy to bring new ideas up. He noted that he showed off his arm during the summer and brought the idea to the staff.

“Could get a little more depth on the roll out,” Allen said of the throw. “Only took two reps during the week so I was comfortable with it, but got to work on it a little more.”

With the wildcat, the Badgers may have found something for short yardage situations. Engram went to the look with no more than two yards to go on four of the seven occasions. UW moved the chains on three of the four plays and would have been a perfect four of four if not for a hold against Chimere Dike on 3rd and two.

At minimum, the staff has hit on a creative way to get the ball in the hands of the offense's best player. The formation puts the tandem of Allen and Mellusi in the same action or can get Allen going with fullback Jackson Acker working as a lead blocker. On the two plays where Acker was flanked out next to him, Allen took two carries for 12 yards. With the pressure the formation puts on a defense, expect that package to remain part of the offense.

“We’re probably going to keep it in,” Allen said. “Excited to build on it. We only ran three plays out of it, so looking to expand on it and excited to be able to do some more things.”

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