• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

No. 23 Wisconsin whips UMass in Andersen's Badgers debut

Aug 31, 2013 - 11:54 PM Madison, WI (Sports Network) - Melvin Gordon and James White combined for 287 yards and two scores, as 23rd-ranked Wisconsin whipped Massachusetts 45-0, in the first-ever meeting between the programs at Camp Randall Stadium.

Gordon struck for 144 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while White totaled 143 yards and a ground score on 11 totes, part of the victors' 393 yards rushing on Saturday.

"We competed every day in fall camp. We competed out here today to see who did the best," Gordon said about the competition for the top back. "We all did around equal, all ran for like 100 (yards), so that's a pretty solid day for us and our defense did well, so it was a pretty solid day for them too."

Jared Abbrederis caught a pair of Joel Stave touchdowns en route to 122 yards receiving for the Badgers (1-0), who finished 8-6 in 2012 with a loss in the Rose Bowl to Stanford.

Stave finished 9-of-17 for 197 yards and added a rushing score as Gary Andersen picked up an easy win in his coaching debut for the Big Ten stalwart.

"It's a tremendous victory. To get the first one of the year underneath your belt is always good," Andersen offered. "The offensive line was definitely worth noting in the protections and the run, defensively, they swarmed the ball all night long. I thought they did a nice job. Very impressed with them overall."

Mike Wegzyn was just 9-of-23 for 73 yards and one interception for the Minutemen (0-1), who are looking to improve upon a 1-11 record in the school's first season in the FBS.

A.J. Doyle finished the contest under center going 5-of-7 for 39 yards, while Stacey Bedell posted 70 yards on 19 carries in defeat. Derek Beck added 37 yards on six grabs for UMass.

The Badgers took the ball first and made the opening 70-yard drive of the contest count, as Stave's four-yard run gave the hosts a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in.

On the visitors' second possession of the contest, Wegzyn completed a pass to Beck, who dropped it on the run, near midfield. A Wisconsin defender scooped it up and rolled down the left sideline for an apparent score, but replay overturned the call and UMass retained possession for fourth down.

The ensuing punt went out of bounds at the Wisconsin 40, then Kyle French drilled a 21-yarder to cap the Badgers' next drive with seconds to play in the first quarter for a 10-0 game.

French missed a subsequent 40-yard try, and after Blake Lucas pulled a 50-yard attempt wide left, it took two plays for Wisconsin to go up 17-0, as Gordon scampered 70 yards for a score. That margin stood at the half.

It was 24-0 for the Badgers on the first play of their first drive of the second half, as Stave let fly and found Abbrederis over the middle for a 65- yard TD strike.

White's 51-yard run to paydirt pushed the advantage to 31-0 on the ensuing Wisconsin possession, and Abbrederis added a 57-yard catch and run to the end zone later in the frame.

Corey Clement's 23-yard scoring run early in the fourth pushed the hosts' margin to 45-0.

Massachusetts' lone drive of the final period stalled at the hosts' 33-yard line on an incomplete pass from Doyle on 4th-and-8.

"We came out here to Madison to win the football game and we knew it was going to be tough and we knew we needed to play near-perfect football in order for that to happen," said UMass head coach Charley Molnar. "And obviously that wasn't the case. Is our football team better than it was a year ago at this time? Absolutely it is. Does our scoreboard show it? I can't tell you."

Game Notes

Wisconsin last pitched a shutout in a 35-0 home decision against Oregon State on Sept. 10, 2011 ...Andersen was hired in December, taking over for Brett Bielema, who led the Badgers from 2006-12 ... The 49-year-old native of Utah went 26-24 over the past four seasons with Utah State, including a bowl win in 2012 ... Clement added 101 yards on 16 carries, as Wisconsin last saw a pair of 100-yard rushing performances in 2005, with Brian Calhoun and Booker Stanley doing the honors ... Both schools are in action next Saturday, as the Badgers host Tennessee Tech and the Minutemen host Maine.