MADISON, Wis. — Chez Mellusi’s grandfather died Friday, but he didn’t tell Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell until after the game ended Saturday.
By this time, Mellusi had already achieved a feat that his grandfather would have been proud of.
Mellusi ran for two touchdowns, Tyler Van Dyke threw another and Wisconsin beat South Dakota 27-13. Mellusi told a few people – but not many – about his grandfather’s situation earlier this week.
“I didn’t want pity,” Mellusi said. “I need to do a better job of explaining to my boys what I’m going through. That’s on me.”
Van Dyke completed 17 of 27 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown for the Badgers (2-0). Mellusi had 16 carries for 60 yards and Cade Yacamelli rushed for 73 yards on eight attempts, the most on his team.
Mellusi said he was close to Cesare Mellusi and took the situation very seriously. Mellusi’s father Mario Mellusi did not attend Saturday’s match.
“That’s life,” Chez Mellusi said. “I know he would have wanted me to be the best version of myself. And I have to get better. Today I did pretty well. I definitely left a few things on the field.”
Fickell said Mellusi’s influence within the program has grown particularly this season.
“I’ve never seen him so good — as a leader, as a guy who can bring energy and momentum,” Fickell said. “It’s a great reminder for us, especially for us who understand that the landscape of college football is changing, that even the older players can really grow.”
Cade Yacamelli ran for 73 yards on eight attempts, the highest performance of his team.
Wisconsin took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with a 9-yard touchdown from Mellusi and a 50-yard touchdown pass from Van Dyke to CJ Williams.
South Dakota (1-1) reduced the lead to 17-13 in the third quarter, but did not get any closer.
Nathanial Vakos’ 50-yard field goal tied the game at 20-13 late in the third quarter. Mellusi’s 1-yard touchdown run with 7:35 left put the game out of reach at 27-13.
Vakos also scored a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.
South Dakota’s Charles Pierre Jr. rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries and Aidan Bowman completed 12 of 23 passes for 114 yards. Keyondray James-Logan scored South Dakota’s only touchdown on a 35-yard run early in the third quarter.
South Dakota got back into the game in the third period after a botched punt by Wisconsin’s Vinny Anthony. But the Coyotes failed to score a touchdown and settled for Leyland’s 32-yard field goal that cut Wisconsin’s lead to 17-13.
South Dakota coach Bob Nielsen said the Coyotes couldn’t keep up with the Badgers in the fourth quarter.
“We dropped a lot of points,” Nielsen said. “And you can’t drop points against a team like (Wisconsin). They wore us down, they put a little pressure on us. We had a drive with the three penalties, and they did a good job late in the game to make it a two-point game.”
THE RESULT
Wisconsin: The Badgers had four first-half gains of at least 22 yards, an encouraging sign after they had no plays of more than 17 yards in their season opener (28-14 against Western Michigan). The biggest plays were Williams’ 50-yard touchdown and a 32-yard catch by Anthony.
South Dakota: The Coyotes lost the game but had some great plays on defense and special teams. Nyle Dickel recovered a botched Wisconsin punt in the third quarter. Mi’Quise Grace and Mosai Newsom each managed a sack on Van Dyke.
Next
South Dakota: At Portland State on September 14th.
Wisconsin: Hosts No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 14.
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