The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 31-10 on Saturday, earning bowl eligibility for the first time in three years and improving their record to 6-2 on the season.
True freshman Ryan Hopkins earned his first career start in the blowout victory.
Hopkins made his first career start alongside another offensive line change for the Badgers. The passing attack showed life against Rutgers, with Hopkins looking fairly confident in the pocket. He was efficient, targeted all parts of the field, and made a number of good plays alongside a few he would want back that did not hurt the team.
Wisconsin now has a trial period with Hopkins over the next three games to assess his progress ahead of the 2027 season, while focusing on his development and the continued improvement of the offense.
Defensively, the Badgers came to play by getting after the quarterback and pressuring AJ Surace quite a bit. Wisconsin recorded five sacks in the game, coming from Sebastian Cheeks, Nicolas Clayton, Charles Perkins, Nolan Vils, and Junior Poyser. Stopping the run helped the defense force third-down situations, limiting Rutgers to 4 of 13 on third downs.
The victory marks a strong bounce-back performance following last weekend, returning Wisconsin to bowl eligibility after two disappointing years. Moving forward, the focus shifts to winning at least two of the next three games to take advantage of a favorable schedule, keeping the defense aggressive, and ultimately facing Minnesota in the season-ender to cap off a successful season.
