# 2017 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 2017 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by third-year head coach Paul Chryst, were members of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Coming off a Cotton Bowl-winning season in 2016, the 2017 team began the year ranked ninth in the preseason AP Poll and were the favorites to repeat as West Division champions and return to the Big Ten Championship Game. The Badgers fulfilled that expectation by winning all 12 of their regular season games, including wins over ranked opponents Iowa and Michigan. They entered the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game ranked third in the AP Poll, with a potential spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, but fell to No. 8 Ohio State, 21–27. Wisconsin was invited to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Miami (FL). Their 13 wins were the most in school history.
The Badgers were led on offense by freshman running back Jonathan Taylor, who led the Big Ten and was third in FBS in rushing yards with 1,977 yards. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook finished with 2,644 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. On defense, linebacker T. J. Edwards was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press and ESPN.

## Recruiting
### Recruits

The Badgers signed a total of 18 recruits.
College recruiting information (2017) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kayden Lyles OG | Scottsdale, Arizona | Middleton HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 323 lb (147 kg) | Oct 1, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Aaron Vopal DE | De Pere, Wisconsin | De Pere HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Jan 25, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Logan Bruss OG | Kimberly, Wisconsin | Kimberly HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Feb 22, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Alex Fenton TE | Menomonie, Wisconsin | Menomonie HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Feb 22, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jack Coan QB | Sayville, New York | Sayville HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Mar 24, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jake Ferguson TE | Madison, Wisconsin | Memorial HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | Mar 31, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Cade Green WR | Austin, Texas | Lake Travis HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 31, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tyler Beach OT | Port Washington, Wisconsin | Port Washington HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Apr 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Izayah Green-May DE | Bolingbrook, Illinois | Bolingbrook HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 23, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Madison Cone CB | Kernersville, North Carolina | East Forsyth HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 6, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Danny Vanden Boom QB | Kimberly, Wisconsin | Kimberly HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | Jul 5, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Faion Hicks CB | Pembroke Pines, Florida | Flanagan HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 16, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Adam Bay LS | Mesa, Arizona | Desert Ridge HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 30, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Emmet Perry WR | DeSoto, Texas | DeSoto HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Oct 31, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Andrew Van Ginkel DE | Rock Valley, Iowa | Iowa Western Community College | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 1, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jonathan Taylor RB | Salem, New Jersey | Salem HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 211 lb (96 kg) | Nov 1, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Scott Nelson S | Detroit, Michigan | University of Detroit Jesuit HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | Jan 9, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Danny Davis WR | Springfield, Ohio | Springfield HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Wisconsin Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017. "2017 Wisconsin Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017. |||||||

## Watchlists and preseason awards

* Michael Deiter
    Rimington Trophy
* Troy Fumagalli
    John Mackey Award

## Schedule

Wisconsin's 2017 schedule consisted of seven home and five away games in the regular season. The Badgers hosted Big Ten foes Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, Iowa, and Michigan, while traveling to Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota.
The team also played three non-conference games: the Utah State Aggies from the Mountain West Conference (MWC), the Florida Atlantic Owls from Conference USA, and the FBS independent BYU Cougars
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 8:00 p.m. | Utah State* | No. 9 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN | W 59–10 | 75,324 |
| September 9 | 11:00 a.m. | Florida Atlantic* | No. 9 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN | W 31–14 | 77,542 |
| September 16 | 2:30 p.m. | at BYU* | No. 10 | LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT | ABC | W 40–6 | 61,143 |
| September 30 | 11:00 a.m. | Northwestern | No. 10 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC | W 33–24 | 80,584 |
| October 7 | 7:00 p.m. | at Nebraska | No. 9 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (Freedom Trophy) | BTN | W 38–17 | 89,860 |
| October 14 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 7 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN | W 17–9 | 78,580 |
| October 21 | 11:00 a.m. | Maryland | No. 5 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | FOX | W 38–13 | 78,058 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at Illinois | No. 5 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | ESPN | W 24–10 | 42,101 |
| November 4 | 11:00 a.m. | at Indiana | No. 9 | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | ABC | W 45–17 | 43,027 |
| November 11 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 20 Iowa | No. 8 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (Heartland Trophy) | ABC | W 38–14 | 80,462 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 24 Michigan | No. 5 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (College GameDay) | FOX | W 24–10 | 81,216 |
| November 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at Minnesota | No. 5 | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe) | ABC | W 31–0 | 47,327 |
| December 2 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Ohio State | No. 4 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game) | FOX | L 21–27 | 65,886 |
| December 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Miami (FL)* | No. 6 | Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl) | ESPN | W 34–24 | 65,032 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 31 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Utah State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 9 Badgers | 0 | 10 | 28 | 21 | 59 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 9 carries, 87 yards (long 41), 9.7 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 15 completions, 23 passing attempts, 244 yards, 16.3 avg, 3 touchdowns
* Receiving: Troy Fumagalli – 5 receptions, 105 yards (long 44), 21.0 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: T. J. Edwards – 7 Tackles (5 solo), 1 tackle-for-loss for 1 yd, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception for 7 yds

### Florida Atlantic

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • No. 9 Badgers | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 26 carries, 223 yards (long 64), 8.6 yards/carry, 3 touchdowns
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 16 completions, 28 passing attempts, 201 yards, 12.6 avg, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
* Receiving: Troy Fumagalli – 8 receptions, 92 yards (long 20), 11.5 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: Chris Orr – 8 Tackles (6 solo), 1 tackle-for-loss for 3 yds, 1 sack for loss of 3 yds

### At BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 10 Badgers | 10 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 40 |
| Cougars | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 18 carries, 128 yards (long 18), 7.1 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 18 completions, 19 passing attempts, 256 yards, 14.2 avg, 4 touchdowns
* Receiving: Quintez Cephus – 5 receptions, 54 yards (long 16), 10.8 avg, 2 touchdowns
* Defense: Dontye Carriere-Williams – 8 Tackles (6 solo), 1 interception for 0 yds

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| • No. 10 Badgers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 12 | 33 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 19 carries, 80 yards (long 11), 4.2 yards/carry, 2 touchdowns
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 11 completions, 20 passing attempts, 197 yards, 17.9 avg, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
* Receiving: Quintez Cephus – 4 receptions, 99 yards (long 61), 24.6 avg
* Defense: Garret Dooley – 9 Tackles (3 solo), 5 tackles-for-loss for 20 yds, 3.5 sacks for loss of 17 yds

### At Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Badgers | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Cornhuskers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 25 carries, 249 yards (long 75), 10.0 yards/carry, 2 touchdowns
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 9 completions, 17 passing attempts, 113 yards, 12.6 avg, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
* Receiving: Quintez Cephus – 4 receptions, 68 yards (long 31), 17.0 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: D'Cota Dixon – 9 Tackles (6 solo), 1 pass breakup

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| • No. 7 Badgers | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 30 carries, 219 yards (long 67), 7.3 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 13 completions, 18 passing attempts, 199 yards, 15.3 avg, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
* Receiving: Quintez Cephus – 5 receptions, 100 yards (long 41), 20.0 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: Leon Jacobs – 9 Tackles (4 solo), 0.5 tackle-for-loss for 1 yd, 1 interception for 2 yds, 1 QB hurry

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Terrapins | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| • No. 5 Badgers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 22 carries, 126 yards (long 15), 5.7 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 16 completions, 24 passing attempts, 225 yards, 14.1 avg, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
* Receiving: Troy Fumagalli – 7 receptions, 83 yards (long 20), 11.9 avg
* Defense: T. J. Edwards – 5 Tackles (3 solo), 1 interception return 54 yds for a touchdown, 1 pass breakup

### At Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Badgers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 12 carries, 73 yards (long 29), 6.1 yards/carry
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 10 completions, 19 passing attempts, 135 yards, 13.5 avg, 1 interception
* Receiving: Kendric Pryor – 2 receptions, 37 yards (long 19), 18.5 avg
* Defense: Garret Dooley – 5 Tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle-for-loss for 6 yds, 1 sack for 6 yd loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass breakup

### At Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 4 Badgers | 0 | 14 | 10 | 21 | 45 |
| Hoosiers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 29 carries, 183 yards (long 45), 6.3 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 13 completions, 20 passing attempts, 158 yards, 12.2 avg, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
* Receiving: Kendric Pryor – 3 receptions, 63 yards (long 32), 21.0 avg
* Defense: Nick Nelson – 5 Tackles (5 solo), 1 tackle-for-loss for 3 yds, 4 pass breakups

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Hawkeyes | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • No. 6 Badgers | 3 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 29 carries, 157 yards (long 19), 5.4 yards/carry
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 11 completions, 18 passing attempts, 135 yards, 12.3 avg, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
* Receiving: Danny Davis – 4 receptions, 74 yards (long 28), 18.5 avg
* Defense: Ryan Connelly – 9 Tackles (6 solo), 2 tackles-for-loss for 14 yds, 1 sack for loss 12 yds, 1 forced fumble, 1 QB hurry

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Wolverines | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 5 Badgers | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 19 carries, 132 yards (long 52), 6.9 yards/carry
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 9 completions, 19 passing attempts, 143 yards, 15.9 avg, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
* Receiving: A. J. Taylor – 3 receptions, 79 yards (long 51), 26.3 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: T. J. Edwards – 11 Tackles (7 solo), 2.5 tackles-for-loss for 12 yds, 1 sack for loss 10 yds, 1 pass breakup, 1 QB hurry

### At Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 5 Badgers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Golden Gophers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 20 carries, 149 yards (long 53), 7.5 yards/carry, 1 touchdown
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 15 completions, 19 passing attempts, 151 yards, 10.1 avg, 3 touchdowns
* Receiving: Danny Davis – 5 receptions, 41 yards (long 10), 8.2 avg, 1 touchdown
* Defense: Ryan Connelly – 6 Tackles (5 solo), 3.0 tackles-for-loss for 26 yds, 2 sacks for loss 24 yds

### Vs. Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 8 Buckeyes | 14 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| No. 3 Badgers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 21 |
The No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (12-1, 9-0) were defeated by the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2, 8-1) 27-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Big Ten Championship. Paul Chryst is now 0-2 versus the Buckeyes, and Urban Meyer is now 5-0 versus the Badgers, though two of the victories came in overtime. This was Wisconsin's fifth appearance in the Championship game, and their second straight and Ohio State's third.
Statistical Leaders
* Rushing: Jonathan Taylor – 15 carries, 41 yards (long 7), 2.7 yards/carry
* Passing: Alex Hornibrook – 19 completions, 40 passing attempts, 229 yards, 12.1 avg, 2 interceptions
* Receiving: Troy Fumagalli – 5 receptions, 45 yards (long 11), 9.0 avg
* Defense: Andrew Van Ginkel – 3 Tackles (1 solo), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception returned 9 yds for touchdown

### Vs. Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 6 Badgers | 3 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| No. 11 Hurricanes | 14 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 24 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 (10) | 6 | 7 |
| Coaches | 10 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 (21) | 6 | 6 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | Not released |

## Roster
### Injuries

At the start of the season four players were announced as out for the season due to injury; Senior ILB Jack Cichy (right knee), Freshman ILB Mason Stokke (right leg), Sophomore OLB Zack Baun (left foot), Freshman RB Sam Brodner (right knee).

## 2018 NFL draft

2018 NFL draft selections :
| Round | Pick # | Team | Player | Position |
| 4 | 110 | Oakland Raiders | Nick Nelson | Cornerback |
| 5 | 156 | Denver Broncos | Troy Fumagalli | Tight end |
| 5 | 164 | New Orleans Saints | Natrell Jamerson | Safety |
| 6 | 202 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jack Cichy | Linebacker |
| 7 | 230 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Leon Jacobs | Defensive end |

### Signed undrafted free agents

* Garret Dooley, LB, Minnesota Vikings
* Alec James, DE, Arizona Cardinals
* Austin Ramesh, FB, Arizona Cardinals
* Connor Sheehy, DE, Green Bay Packers