MADISON, WIS. -- Chez Mellusi carried the ball 71 times as a Clemson Tiger in two seasons. He nearly hit the halfway point of that mark in his first game as a Badger.
Mellusi, who now enters his fourth month in the program, ran 31 times for 121 yards and a touchdown on Saturday against No. 19 Penn State. His efficient performance provided one of the bright spots in No. 12 Wisconsin's 16-10 loss inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Mellusi credited his summer conditioning a few times during his six-and-a-half minute chat with reporters in helping him prepare for his play this weekend. Though pleased individually with his career-high day, he looked broader to the team starting 0-1 for the first time since 2015.
"I thought I played good, but we didn't win," Mellusi said. "So when you don't get a win, it doesn't really feel like you did anything."
Mellusi's 3.9 yards-per-carry average on paper does not paint the full picture of his abilities within the Wisconsin offense. He showcased a patience and a burst on the field that heavily benefits what many hope is a rejuvenated rushing attack.
Wisconsin tallied eight runs of 10 or more yards against Penn State's defense on way to 180 total on the day. Mellusi registered six of those runs with a long of 19.
Tight end Jake Ferguson heaped praise upon the junior back, even drawing a comparison to one of the redshirt senior's former teammates who claimed multiple All-America accolades and a couple of Doak Walker Awards to his resume.
"It was awesome blocking for that dude," Ferguson said after the game. "Almost felt like I had 'JT' [Jonathan Taylor] back there for a couple plays. That dude ran his heart out, he played his heart out.
"I grabbed him after the game and I said, 'This isn't it. Feel this feeling, but this isn't it. We're going to keep going, keep running the ball like you did today.'"
His day may have been even bigger on a fourth down run in the first quarter that resulted in moving the chains. Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker thought otherwise, swiping in barely with a tackle and prohibiting a chance at wide open field ahead of the Naples, Fla., native.
The play only shows up in the stat sheets as a two-yard gain.
"I was 150% going to score on that play if I didn't get tripped up," Mellusi said.
Mellusi's debut mixed areas of potential explosiveness with improvement points for the Wisconsin rushing attack overall. Eight of the back's runs resulted in either no gain or negative yardage. Of course, the ground game involves not just those carrying the rock, but also those blocking in front of him in trying to halt the opposing defense from penetrating the line and causing distress.
To Wisconsin's credit, only one of those aforementioned eight carries came in the second half, and that resulted in no gain rather than a loss of yardage. Eight other attempts by Mellusi in the final two quarters resulted in either one or two yards each time, however.
One of the key moments of the game came in the second quarter with the Badgers putting together an impressive drive that could have ended with the first points of the day and the lead.
On a 3rd-and-6 from the PSU 8, a bad exchange occurred between Mellusi and quarterback Graham Mertz. Mertz noted after the game that it was supposed to be a handoff to the back.
Penn State defensive lineman Nick Tarburton fell on the resulting fumble, nullifying any opportunity for scoring.
"We gotta do better, man," Mellusi said. "Things like that can't really happen. You know, it doesn't matter whose fault it was, and it's not gonna happen again. We got to get better. That can't happen in the red zone."
Still, Mellusi's 121-yard effort was the most gained by a debuting Wisconsin player in over 15 years, according to UW's postgame notes. That came on Sept. 2, 2006 when P.J. Hill carried the ball 22 times for 130 yards in a win over Bowling Green in Cleveland.
The most carries Mellusi received before Saturday's game came almost two years ago as a true freshmen for Clemson, running eight times for 57 yards against Wofford in November 2019. Saturday's effort nearly quadrupled that amount as redshirt freshman Jalen Berger dressed but did not participate, while Isaac Guerendo carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards.
Mellusi believes he is prepared to take on that frequency of carries if called upon in the weeks ahead, again citing his work in the weight room while at Wisconsin.
"When I was at my other school, I focused on conditioning a lot. You know, I gained some weight while I've been here. I got up 10 pounds. I carried the ball 31 times, and I feel pretty good."
[UPDATE, Sept. 6: Correctly clarifying that Wisconsin recorded eight rushing plays of over 10 yards]
