Wisconsin wrestling on ‘upward trajectory’ after splitting weekend duals against Iowa, Purdue

By Tyler Katzenberger STATE NEWS EDITOR

The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers picked up their first conference win Friday against the No. 24 Purdue Boilermakers before falling just short of an upset on Sunday against the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes in a weekend pair of home dual meets.

Wisconsin’s narrow 19-18 loss against the Hawkeyes came down to criteria, with Iowa winning what was originally an 18-18 tie because they scored more overall points through all 10 matches.

Hawkeye wrestlers dominated early matches after a strong start at 125 pounds, where Iowa’s top-ranked Spencer Lee pinned Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett late in the second period. Iowa won three of the next five matches to take a 15-3 lead.

However, Wisconsin quietly chipped away at the deficit with a pair of close wins from Dean Hamiti at 165 pounds and Josh Otto at 174 pounds before roaring to life with Tyler Dow’s stunning upset over No. 8 Abe Assad at 185 pounds. Dow hit double over hooks to pin Assad midway through the first period, sending Badger fans into a frenzy.

While Iowa ultimately prevented an upset, the Badgers’ performance Sunday exceeded expectations.

The undefeated Hawkeyes entered the Wisconsin Field House as one of the nation’s top teams and had more ranked wrestlers than the Badgers, according to Intermat.

Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono cited the electric atmosphere at Sunday’s dual as a contributing factor to the Badgers’ surprising success.

A total of 5,256 Badger wrestling fans packed the Field House to shatter the program’s previous attendance record of 4,168 set during the 2018-19 season, according to UW Athletics.

“This is what I envisioned when I came here,” Bono told reporters Sunday afternoon. “It’s such a home-field advantage for us.”

Sunday’s loss was the second meet in a three-day stretch for the Badgers, who secured their first conference victory Friday evening with a 28-9 home win over the No. 24 Purdue Boilermakers.

Purdue jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in hard-fought lightweight bouts, but Badger wrestlers outshot the Boilermakers to clean up seven out of eight remaining matches.

Wisconsin’s highlight win came midway through the evening at 157 pounds, where Garrett Model upset Purdue’s No. 3 Kendall Coleman. Though Coleman led most of the match, Model hit a last-second takedown and rode out Coleman for a 4-3 decision that electrified the Badger crowd.

“Not giving up eight, 10 points in the first period, my track record says, helps me go get that takedown at the end [and] secure the match,” Model said after the dual.

Wisconsin’s win over Purdue on Friday was their first taste of victory in a Big Ten conference that has five of the top ten NCAA Division I wrestling teams in the nation, according to Intermat Wrestling’s latest rankings from Jan. 17.

With Sunday’s loss against Iowa and three other conference losses this month to Illinois, Michigan and top-ranked Penn State, Badger wrestlers currently sit near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Still, Bono said the weekend matchups marked a “really big improvement” in energy level among Badger wrestlers and remained optimistic about the rest of the season.

“I’m super proud of the environment that has been created by this team, our administration [and] our University,” Bono told reporters Sunday evening. “We’re on an upward trajectory.”

New offensive coordinator Phil Longo is bringing the “Air Raid” offense to Madison, which will represent a culture shock relative to the traditional plodding offenses that Badger fans have become so accustomed to. Longo’s system emphasizes passing. It’s built to stretch out receivers to create open windows in the defense.

The system was pioneered by the late Mike Leach, who led moribund programs such as Texas Tech and Washington State to new heights with the help of the Air Raid.

In order for the offense to work optimally, it must be led by a dynamic quarterback with enough arm talent to throw vertically, while also providing a rushing threat.

In a matter of weeks, Fickell completely evolved the quarterback room via the transfer portal and recruiting. The wealth of new options should give the Badgers a chance to contend in the Big Ten for years to come. Let’s preview who might be behind center this year.

Tanner Mordecai

Of Fickell’s many transfer portal acquisitions, Mordecai was the big fish. The graduate transfer is coming off of two prolific seasons at SMU where he played in 24 games over two seasons, while also posting huge numbers. In those two years, he racked up 7,152 yards and 72 touchdowns, with only 22 interceptions.

Mordecai started his career in Oklahoma under the tutelage of quarterback whisperer and coach Lincoln Riley. ESPN rated him a four-star recruit out of high school, and despite barely playing for his first two seasons, Mordecai has more than lived up to his rating.

The transfer quarterback will almost certainly be Wisconsin’s starting quarterback next year, and fans will hope his one and only year will be as successful as Russell Wilson’s Badger stint a decade ago.

Evers was Fickell’s first quarterback addition out of the portal, and many viewed him as the next expected starter before Mordecai came along. Evers most likely won’t start this year, but it’s entirely possible he will get the keys to the offense after this upcoming season.

Evers is still young, as he was only a true freshman for Oklahoma last year. As a consensus four-star prospect out of high school, Rivals tapped him as the fourth best dual threat QB in his class.

Evers didn’t get the chance to prove himself this year, but considering he received offers from Auburn, Florida and Oklahoma, he is clearly a talented passer who can start for multiple years after 2023.

Chase Wolf

Wolf is the elder statesman of the Badgers quarterback room, as he is entering his sixth year on the roster. Most of his tenure has been spent doing mop up duty, as he has backed up multiple Badger quarterbacks over the years, mostly Graham Mertz.

The veteran got his moment to shine this past December, when he led Wisconsin to a win in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl by going 14-31 for 229 yards and two touchdowns in Fickell’s first game on the sideline. Wolf’s experience and leadership will be useful this season, but don’t expect him to get major playing time unless there are injuries.

Burkett is another young quarterback who is certainly intriguing, but is simply stuck behind more experienced options on the depth chart. The Franklin, Wisconsin native was a true freshman last year and is entering his sophomore season in 2023.

He was a three-star recruit — according to Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN — but had a prolific high school career. He earned the Wisconsin AP and Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior, and led his high school to a sterling 14-0 record and a Division 1 state title. Burkett is an under-the-radar name and could realistically compete with Evers for the starting job once Mordecai leaves. Keep your eye on Burkett.

LaCrue is the youngest in the room, as he will be a true freshman next fall. He was mostly recruited by the previous Badger regime as a three-star prospect, but he will have as much of a chance as any young Wisconsin signal-caller.

He led Broomfield High School to a state championship and an undefeated season in Colorado, where he threw for 2,648 yards and posted a stellar 26-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. LaCrue is a developmental project right now but will have every opportunity to learn behind more experienced Badger quarterbacks and will provide depth.