Senior running back Tawee Walker rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries to help Wisconsin defeat host Rutgers 42-7 on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.
Walker’s touchdowns came on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, a 9-yard run in the third and a 55-yard run with 11:11 to play. Wisconsin ran for 309 yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry.
Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten Conference) also received a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Braedyn Locke to Will Pauling in the first quarter, a 2-yard touchdown run from Darrion Dupree in the third and Locke’s 1-yard TD run in the fourth.
Locke finished 20 of 28 for 240 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was 12 of 32 for 103 yards and one pick.
The Badgers led 14-0 at halftime and 28-0 entering the final 15 minutes.
Rutgers (4-2, 1-2) scored on a 13-yard run by running back Kyle Monangai with 13:48 to play.
The Scarlet Knights were 5 of 17 on third down and were held to 103 yards passing. They totaled 271 yards, to 549 for the Badgers.
Wisconsin opened the scoring on Pauling’s for a 16-yard touchdown catch with 9:10 remaining in the opening quarter, and then added Walker’s 2-yard TD run with 1:39 left in the quarter. Pauling caught four passes for 49 yards before he left the game in the first half with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Rutgers’ best scoring opportunity in the first half came when Jai Patel attempted a 37-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the second quarter, but there was a bad snap and the kick was blocked by Ricardo Hallman.
Dupree’s TD helped Wisconsin take a 21-0 lead before Walker added his two second-half touchdowns. Locke’s TD and Nathanial Vakos’ sixth point-after kick capped the scoring.
The Badgers played without starting wide receiver Bryson Green, who left Wisconsin’s 52-6 victory over Purdue last week with a lower-body injury.
Rutgers was missing senior cornerback Robert Longerbeam and senior linebacker Tyreem Powell. Both are defensive starters who didn’t play because of injuries.
