Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-19 · by Steve Megargee The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tyrell Henry caught 14 passes to set a Wisconsin single-game record and Colton Joseph threw for 362 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as the Badgers trounced Eastern Michigan 54-10 on Saturday.
asserted
Badgers → catch → Saturday
Henry’s 14 catches included a 13-yard touchdown and totaled a career-high 160 yards.
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catches → include → yards
Matt Nyquist previously owned the single-game record with 13 receptions in a 33-20 loss to Iowa in 1995.
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Nyquist → own → 1995
After catching 24 passes for Michigan State in 2023, Henry totaled six receptions for Wisconsin from 2024-25.
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Henry → catch → 2024
He already has 22 catches for 293 yards this season.
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He → have → yards
“I always knew I could do it,” Henry said.
uncertain
Henry → know → it
“It was just having the opportunity, which they’ve given me.
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they → have → me
They trust me to come do it.”
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They → trust → it
Joseph went 23 of 33 with three touchdowns and an interception, and he also rushed for a team-high 46 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
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he → go → carries
Wisconsin (2-1) erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 41 straight points.
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Wisconsin → erase → points
The Badgers got 35 of those amid a steady rain during a nine-minute span that ended in the first minute of the third quarter.
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that → get → quarter
“Our mentality for the game was to let it loose, let it fly,” Joseph said.
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Joseph → let → game
Three of Wisconsin’s five touchdowns during that stretch resulted from the Badgers’ first three takeaways of the season.
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Three → result → season
Cooper Catalano capped that spurt by scoring on a 10-yard fumble return after a Sebastian Cheeks strip sack, giving Wisconsin a 38-7 lead.
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Catalano → cap → lead
Joseph started the onslaught by scoring on a 4-yard keeper on third-and-goal.
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Joseph → start → third
Joseph also threw a 75-yard touchdown completion to Chris Brooks Jr. and a 13-yarder to Henry that sandwiched a 10-yard scoring run from Darrion Dupree.
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that → throw → Dupree
Dupree’s touchdown came after a 24-yard interception return from Mason Posa gave Wisconsin the ball at Eastern Michigan’s 42-yard line.
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return → come → line
Matt Jung picked off a Noah Kim pass at midfield to set up Henry’s score.
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Jung → pick → score
“Everything we’d been working on this offseason finally paid off,” Jung said.
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Jung → work → ?
“When we practice, the way we practice, we’re always attacking the ball.
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we → practice → ball
It showed today.”
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It → show → ?
Eastern Michigan (1-3) had taken a 7-0 lead after Kim threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nick Devereaux to cap the Eagles’ opening drive.
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Kim → take → drive
Devereaux left the game with his arm in a sling later in the first half.
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arm → leave → half
Kim went 16 of 28 for 140 yards with two interceptions and a fumble to go along with that touchdown.
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Kim → go → touchdown
Playing without Sama
Wisconsin (2-1) didn’t play Abu Sama III, whose 107 yards rushing in a 36-9 victory over Western Illinois last week included a 72-yard touchdown.
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yards → play → touchdown
The Badgers gained just 117 yards on 30 carries.
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Badgers → gain → carries
“He had practiced most of the week,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said.
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Fickell → practice → week
“He wasn’t able to hit the whole week.
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He → hit → ?
They kind of cleared him to be able to play.
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They → clear → him
We kind of just said, ‘I’m not sure that he’s really ready.’
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he → say → ?
We kind of made a decision, a game-time decision.”
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We → make → decision
The takeaway
Eastern Michigan: After getting a 67-yard touchdown drive on its opening possession, its offense wouldn’t cross midfield again until the final minute of the third quarter.
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offense → get → quarter
The Badgers need this kind of big-play defense to be competitive in Big Ten competition.
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Badgers → need → competition
Last season, Wisconsin had just six takeaways to match the lowest total of any Bowl Subdivision team.
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Wisconsin → have → team
Wisconsin’s defense recovered just one fumble the entire 2025 season.
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defense → recover → fumble
“I definitely think it will lead to more, for sure,” Posa said.
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Posa → think → more
“I definitely think this team has more ball awareness than ever.”
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team → think → awareness
The Badgers nearly had a fourth takeaway, but an offside penalty wiped out a 70-yard pick-6 from Eric Fletcher Jr. to start the fourth.
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penalty → have → fourth
Fletcher did block a 48-yard field-goal attempt on the game’s final play, and Donovan Dunmore returned it for a 55-yard touchdown.
asserted
Dunmore → block → touchdown