That was ugly.
The Rutgers football team fell to No. 21 Wisconsin, 52-3, on Saturday afternoon inside SHI Stadium in Piscataway. Rutgers (4-4, 1-5 Big Ten) fought early, but after a 7-3 first quarter, it was all Badgers.
Wisconsin (6-3, 4-2) outscored the home team 45-0 in the middle two quarters.
Avery Young intercepted a Graham Mertz pass on Wisconsin's opening possession which injected life and hope to the Rutgers sideline. But Noah Vedral's first pass on second down was picked off, and the visitors immediately took advantage with a 14-yard touchdown run by Chez Mellusi.
Rutgers had a good response however. It drove down the field and Valentino Ambrosio made a short 24-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 68-yard drive. Vedral connected with Bo Melton for a 35-yard gain in the air on the third play.
Wisconsin missed a field goal on its next possession, but it scored three touchdowns and a field goal to take a 31-3 lead at the half. The Badgers also had an easy pick-six. Three more touchdowns in the third ballooned the advantage to 52-3.
The Badgers didn't have their first punt until the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin gashed Rutgers constantly on the ground to the tune of 305 yards. Braelon Allen had 15 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown, Mellusi finished with 75 yards on 15 attempts, and Jackson Acker had a rushing touchdown as well.
Mertz also found success passing, completing 11-of-16 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. The 240 yards matched a season high and the three scores is a new season-best. Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis III, and John Chenal all caught scores from the signal caller.
The Badgers tallied 579 yards total.
Wisconsin, which came in as the nation's top defensively statically, held Rutgers completely in check. The Scarlet Knights had just 207 total yards and just 1-for-11 on third down.
Vedral left the game in the third quarter after a hit left him a bit wobbly. Evan Simon and Cole Snyder both saw snaps behind center in his place. Vedral was intercepted twice and Simon got picked off once.
Aron Cruickshank, who hurt his shoulder during the Northwestern game, dressed and came back to play against his former team, but he injured his knee on a kickoff in the second quarter. He fumbled on the play for good reason.
Star linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi was also shaken up in the game in the second half.
One positive for Rutgers was running back Isaih Pacheco ran for 55 yards on nine carries (6.1 yards per carry). He now has 2,270 yards in his career, which puts him at No. 10 in Rutgers history.
Another positive is that a bowl game is still in reach. With two wins needed, the Scarlet Knights hit the road the next two weeks against Indiana and Penn State and finish out the year at home against Maryland.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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