Badgers Football Survives Scare at Home VS Georgia State: Game Recap

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Hornibrook Claws the Badgers to a Victory at Home

Coming in as a 35.5 point favorite, nobody saw the result of Saturday’s win coming the way it did. The Badgers struggled on all sides of the ball, especially the offense in the first half. The Badgers opened the game with a solid drive led by Taiwan Deal until he left the game with a right leg injury and did not return. On the same drive the Badgers star tight end Troy Fumagalli left with a similar injury. With the loss of two vital offensive pieces the Badgers went stagnant for much of the remaining first half. Special teams struggled as well as normally sure footed Rafael Gaglianone missed a field goal attempt to end the half.

Sep 17, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook (12) drops back to pass during the third quarter against the Georgia State Panthers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

With the offense lifeless the Badgers turned to Freshman Quarterback Alex Hornibrook to provide a spark, and he did just that. Hornibrook came in to start the half and led a great drive by hitting his targets with beautiful touch passes and converting on third down. The drive was capped off by a Dare Ogunbowale touchdown run to give the Badgers a 13-3 lead.

With Hornibrook awaking the offense it looked like the Badgers would begin to pull away with the defense being its usual self. But the Panthers flipped the script with a 51 yard pass completion followed by a score to pull them back within three. On the ensuing Badger possession George Rushing dropped a pass which ended up in the Panthers hands. The Panthers quickly struck again to put them ahead.

With their backs again to the wall Hornibrook led another drive and capped it off with a touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Penniston, giving the Badgers the lead. This would end up being all the Badgers needed as finished the game with a 23-17 victory after another Gaglianone field goal.

Hornibrook was the shining spot for the Badgers this week as he finished the day 8-12 for 122 yards and a touchdown. The more impressive feat was Hornibrooks ability to convert on third down and hit his targets efficiently, something Houston had struggled with all season. All signs point to Hornibrook to be the starter next week, but we will await a decision from Coach Chryst in the coming days. More analysis from Saturday’s action will be coming soon.