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Loss to No. 13 LSU leaves Wisconsin players frustrated at the end of disappointing season

jeff potrykus, milwaukee journal sentinel
·4 min read
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TAMPA – A recap of Wisconsin’s 35-31 loss to No. 13 LSU in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday at Raymond James Stadium.

Big picture

Several UW players noted afterward that they expect a better team in 2024, which will be Year 2 for Luke Fickell and his staff.

They raved about the play of quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who finished with the No. 5 mark in program history for passing yards in a game with 378. That was also the No. 2 mark by a UW quarterback in a bowl game, behind Ron Vander Kelen (401) in the 1963 Rose Bowl against USC.

Yet when LSU ran out the final 31 seconds after the Badgers turned the ball over on downs, the reality was that Fickell's team had finished 7-6 overall. A team that was picked to win the Big Ten West Division twice blew 14-point leads against No. 13 LSU and ultimately did not achieve any of the major goals set before the season.

“I don’t think expectations were too high at all,” said safety Hunter Wohler, who broke up two passes and recorded seven tackles. “The talent is there. I think the will is there. We’ve just got to close it out. Like I said before, we were right there in almost every single one of our games this year.

“The expectations weren’t too big. We had the pieces. We had the guys that wanted to be here. We fell a little bit short.

“Now you take a step back and figure out how to get that right.”

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker C.J. Goetz (98) and safety Hunter Wohler tackle LSU running back Josh Williams during the second half at the Reliaquest Bowl.
Wisconsin Badgers linebacker C.J. Goetz (98) and safety Hunter Wohler tackle LSU running back Josh Williams during the second half at the Reliaquest Bowl.

Turning point

LSU got back into the game in the second quarter, thanks largely to two special-teams miscues by UW.

UW’s lead was 14-0 when when Atticus Bertrams rolled left and shanked a 17-yard punt out of bounds.

That gave the Tigers, who had zero points and a combined 96 yards on their first four drives, the ball at their 40.

LSU needed just eight plays to drive the distance and cut UW’s lead to 14-7 on Harold Perkins’ 1-yard run with six minutes left in the half.

UW then drove from its 31 to the LSU 33 before Nathanial Vakos came on for a 51-yard-field-goal attempt. The miss left him 1 of 4 this season on kicks from 50 yards or longer.

Instead of falling into a 17-7 hole, the Tigers then drove 67 yards in seven plays to forge a 14-14 tie with 1:28 left in the half.

Thumbs up

Mordecai, who missed 3 ½ regular-season games after suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand in the loss to Iowa, battled from start to finish Monday. He completed 27 of 40 passes (67.5%) for 378 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He hit eight receivers.

Mordecai also displayed selflessness and leadership afterward.

After helping UW drive to a second-and-2 situation at the LSU 19 on the Badgers’ final series, Mordecai was sacked for losses of 13, 10 and 13 yards.

What did he say about that drive?

“We were rolling,” he said. “We were executing what we needed to execute.

“And I just didn’t get the ball out of my hands quick enough.”

Will Pauling came in leading UW in receptions (66), receiving yards (694) and touchdown catches (four).

He found holes in LSU’s secondary all day and finished with eight catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, covering 53 and 9 yards.

He finished with 74 receptions, the fourth-highest total in program history. Jared Abbrederis holds the mark of 78, set in 2013. Alex Erickson is No. 2 with 77 in 2015. Lee Evans (75 in 2001) and Travis Beckum (75 in 2007) are next.

Kudos to Jackson Acker, who didn't get the start at tailback but rushed 14 times for a college-high 86 yards and a touchdown.

Thumbs down

  • The special-teams miscues by Bertrams and Vakos were costly.

  • Wide receiver CJ Williams was targeted once and dropped a beautiful ball from Mordecai inside the LSU 10 with UW trying to build on a 14-7 lead late in the first half.

  • Guard Michael Furtney was called for holding on a 46-yard pass play from Moredecai to Vinny Anthony, who was finally brought down at the LSU 8. UW held a 14-0 lead in the second quarter at the time and likely would have pushed the lead to at least 17-0. Instead, UW ended up punting and Bertrams’ 17-yarder gave the Tigers life.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Loss to LSU leaves Wisconsin players frustrated at end of season