Associated Press| Associated Press
Madison, Wis. – Tawee Walker scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to put Wisconsin ahead for good with 10:35 remaining as the Badgers rallied from an early fourth-quarter deficit to beat Western Michigan 28-14 on Friday night.
Chez Mellusi and Walker, an Oklahoma transfer, rushed for a combined 140 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Western Michigan's Jalen Buckley rushed for 64 yards and had two 1-yard touchdown runs.
Wisconsin, which entered as a 24 1/2-point favorite, had a tougher time than expected before winning for the 28th time in its last 29 home openers. The exception was a 16-10 loss to Penn State in 2021.
The Badgers were trailing 14-13 when a Wisconsin punt from Atticus Bertrams bounced sideways and hit the shoulder of Western Michigan’s DaShon Bussell, who was trying to get away from the ball. Xavier Lucas pounced on the loose ball to give the Badgers the ball at Western Michigan’s 20-yard line, setting up Walker’s go-ahead touchdown.
After Western Michigan was stopped on fourth-and-1 from about midfield on its next possession, Tyler Van Dyke scored from 6 yards out to make it 28-14 with 3:17 left. Lucas then picked off a Hayden Wolff pass to seal the victory.
“It was a challenge,” said Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell. “I think more than anything you’ve got to find ways to win, that’s what we did tonight.”
Van Dyke, a Miami transfer, completed 21 of 36 passes for 192 yards and had eight carries for 21 yards in his Wisconsin debut. He also had a fumble that led to Western Michigan taking the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Western Michigan had capitalized on that fumble – and a gutsy fake field-goal attempt – to take a 14-13 lead with 14:15 left in the game.
The Broncos were facing fourth-and-6 from Wisconsin’s 30 when they lined up for a 47-yard field-goal attempt. Western Michigan kicker Palmer Domschke already had missed a 48-yarder earlier in the third quarter and had gone just 3 of 8 from 40-49 yards out last season.
Domschke never attempted a kick this time.
Holder Ryan Millmore flipped the ball back over his right shoulder to Domschke, who raced 26 yards down the right sideline before Wisconsin’s Preston Zachman pushed him out of bounds.
The fake gave Western Michigan first-and-goal at the 4 to start the fourth quarter and led to Buckley’s 1-yard touchdown run around the left end.
Western Michigan followed up that touchdown by forcing Wisconsin to punt for the first time all night. That’s when the Broncos committed the turnover that turned the game around.
Top 25
Top 25
(At) No. 16 Oklahoma 51, Temple 3: Jackson Arnold threw four touchdown passes – three to newcomer Deion Burks – and Oklahoma rolled.
Oklahoma forced six turnovers and held Temple to 197 yards in its first game as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Sooners joined the league this summer after a long run in the Big 12.
Arnold, a sophom*ore, completed 17 of 25 passes for 141 yards in his first career victory as a starting quarterback for the Sooners.
Burks, a transfer from Purdue, never caught more than two touchdown passes in a game for the Boilermakers. He had three scores at halftime Friday and finished with six catches for 36 yards.
Freshman Taylor Tatum ran for 66 yards and a touchdown on just four carries, the best run a 35-yard burst that showed off some of his immense potential.
The Sooners led 34-0 at the half. They forced four turnovers and held the Owls to 80 yards before the break.
Oklahoma's Jaren Kanak returned a fumbled punt return 21 yards for a touchdown to put the Sooners up 44-3 early in the fourth quarter.
Forrest Brock passed for 128 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for Temple. The Owls fumbled four times and lost them all.
UNC's Johnson out for season
North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson will miss the rest of the season after having surgery for a broken right leg, coming after he was carted off in the season-opening win at Minnesota and taken to the hospital.
The school announced Johnson's status on Friday, saying he had surgery in Minneapolis and is accompanied by his parents there. He will return to Chapel Hill in coming days and is expected to make a full recovery.
Conner Harrell, who played for the Tar Heels in last season’s bowl game after Drake Maye declared for the draft, led the team the rest of the way in Thursday's 19-17 win at Minnesota and would be positioned to take over the starting job for Saturday's home game against Charlotte.
Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, had transferred from Texas A&M and won the starting job over Harrell to replace Maye, the No. 3 overall NFL draft pick. But he was hurt when his leg bent awkwardly as he was taken to the ground on a blitz by Justin Walley in the third quarter of the game.
Johnson immediately clutched his leg around the knee and stayed down for several minutes before being carted off the field.
The fifth-year quarterback, who started his career with two years at LSU, finished 12 for 19 for 71 yards with one interception while also running for a score. The team awarded Johnson a game ball afterward.
