MADISON, Wis. — Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns and No. 8 Wisconsin overcame a slow start from its running game to beat Oregon State 35-0 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.
With Oregon State’s defense stuffing running backs Montee Ball and James White early on, Wisconsin pounced on special teams mistakes and leaned on Wilson and the defense to do the rest.
In his second career start for the Badgers (2-0), Wilson was 17 of 21 for 189 yards and the three touchdowns, including a pair to tight end Jacob Pedersen. Wisconsin’s running game broke through after halftime, and Ball had a pair of touchdowns in the second half.
Sean Mannion most of the snaps at quarterback while the game still was in doubt but struggled to move the ball for Oregon State (0-2).
Ryan Katz, the team’s starter last season, also played for the Beavers.
Wilson, a former North Carolina State standout who gave up a minor league baseball career to return to college football, continued his successful start with the Badgers.
And Wisconsin’s offense certainly got some unintended help from Oregon State. The Badgers’ first touchdown was set up by a shanked punt and their second touchdown drive was helped by a personal-foul penalty on a punt.
Coming off a head-scratching loss to Sacramento State, Oregon State came into the game unsettled at quarterback and probably didn’t walk away with any answers. Mannion and Katz both struggled to move the ball.
Oregon State did play well on defense early on but the Beavers still trailed 21-0 at halftime, undone in large part by special teams mistakes.
The first came on the Beavers’ second possession, when punter Johnny Hekker bizarrely shanked a ball out of bounds for a four-yard loss that gave the ball back to the Badgers deep in Oregon State territory.
Oregon State’s defense held on first and second down, then gave up a 17-yard touchdown from Wilson to a wide-open Pedersen.
The Beavers made another mistake early in the second quarter, when a personal foul penalty on long snapper Marcus Perry on a punt gave the ball to the Badgers near midfield.
Facing third-and-5 at the Oregon State 46, Wilson hit Nick Toon for a 17-yard catch-and-run and a first down. Wilson finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Toon, who made a leaping grab in the end zone.
With Wisconsin leading 14-0, Oregon State needed a drive to stay in the game. Instead, kick returner Kenyan Parker decided to field a kickoff inside the 5-yard line and step out of bounds to back the Beavers up into their own end zone. Then the Beavers took a delay-of-game penalty on first down.
Mannion hit Jordan Bishop for a 32-yard gain, but he was sacked by the Badgers’ David Gilbert two plays later and the Beavers had to punt. Wisconsin took over at its own 28 and put together a 12-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Pedersen.
The Badgers’ running game began to break through on the final scoring drive of the first half, then took over on the first drive of the second half. Ball and White both ran effectively on a drive that ended with Ball’s 19-yard touchdown run. Wisconsin led 28-0.
The Badgers then put the game away when they stopped Oregon State’s offense on a fourth-and-2 conversion attempt late in the third quarter.
