Wisconsin
Wisconsin football insider: A closer look at Darrion Dupree’s 84-yard touchdown run
Journal Sentinel beat writers break down Wisconsin’s win over Illinois
The Journal Sentinel’s Mark Stewart and John Steppe discuss some of their takeaways from the Badgers’ 27-10 win over Illinois.
MADISON – A look back at Wisconsin’s 27-10 victory over Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Camp Randall Stadium.
Big picture
Playing the nation’s toughest schedule appears to have made the Badgers a tougher team. Wisconsin entered play assured of a second straight sub .500 season and Illinois was ranked in the College Football Playoff top 25, but pretty much from start to finish the Badgers showed they were the better team. They never trailed and held Illinois to what tied its season-low point total. The Illini’s 298 total yards were also third-lowest behind Indiana (161) and Ohio State (295).
Turning point: Darrion Dupree breaks loose, gives UW a cushion
There was still almost two whole quarters left to play when sophomore Darrion Dupree broke loose for an 84-yard touchdown run that, after the extra point, pushed the Badgers advantage to 17-7.
Besides putting a jolt into the crowd the score gave a Wisconsin team that doesn’t have much room for error a two-score lead. The Badgers went 80 yards for a touchdown on their first possession and closed the half with a field goal, but this was the first point in the night they had control of the game.
Thumbs up: Dupree gets a lot of help on TD run
- It took a lot of blocks to pave the way for Dupree’s 84-yard TD run. Tight end Tucker Ashcraft started things with a block out of the backfield and center Davis Heinzen and guards Joe Brunner and Kerry Kodanko created space up the middle.
- Another gem from Dupree’s run: Receiver Eugene Hilton fooled Illinois cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. into thinking a pass was thrown his way and ran his defender off the play. It’s the main reason there was no one downfield to challenge Dupree at the end of the run.
- Wisconsin fumbled three times but didn’t lose any of them. The biggest recovery was made by Ashcraft, who covered the ball after a 6-yard gain by freshman quarterback Carter Smith on the Badgers’ first drive. That possession ended up going 80 yards for a touchdown.
- Graduate outside linebacker Darryl Peterson finished with three sacks, raising his career-best in that statistic for the second straight week. The last Badgers with three sacks in a game was Nick Herbig in 2021.
Box score | UW schedule | Standings
Thumbs down: UW gets hit with personal fouls, takes unnecessary sacks
- Tyrese Fearbry was hit with a personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter that allowed Illinois to start possession at its 40-yard line.
- Smith was sacked five times, but two of those came when he ran out of bounds on a scramble rather than throwing ball away.
Wisconsin football schedule: The Badgers travel to Minnesota in battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Nov. 29
The trophy cases are bare for the Badgers, but they can fix that next Saturday in Minneapolis. Wisconsin has lost three of the last four meetings to the Gophers, including a 24-7 loss last season that guaranteed UW a losing season. Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) has lost two straight and three of its last four.
Wisconsin
Sister Bay, Wisconsin: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards
Wisconsin
Vote: Who is Wisconsin High School Boys Basketball’s Top Guard of 2025-26?
With the action-packed Wisconsin high school boys basketball regular season completed and March Madness beginning, it’s time to take a look at some of the outstanding players and cast your vote for the best.
We began by looking at the most prolific individual scoring threats, talented 3-point shooters,strong rebounders, and top free-throw shooters so now it’s time to take a look at the high-caliber guards from throughout the state.
There are hundreds of high-caliber boys basketball players in Wisconsin, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive.
Voting remains open until March 9 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
(Players are listed in alphabetical order and all nominees are leaders from the 2025-26 season as compiled by Bound.com, and WIAA; the poll is below the list of athletes)
Castillo is averaging 25.4 points per game with 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals for Greendale (18-6 overall record).
Collien is averaging 15 points per game with 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Oakfield (21-3 overall record).
Edwards is averaging 14.1 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists for D.C. Everest (21-3 overall record).
Gray Jr. was averaging 24.3 points per game with 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals prior for West Allis Central (22-2 overall record).
Hereford is averaging 36.4 points per game with 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 steals for Beloit Memorial (22-2 overall record).
Johnson is averaging 27.3 points per game with 8.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 steals for Milwaukee Juneau (22-1 overall record).
Jones is averaging 23.3 points per game with 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.6 steals for Germantown (15-9 overall record).
Kern is averaging 16 points per game with 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists for New Berlin West (21-3 overall record).
Kilgore is averaging 14.6 points per game with 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 steals for Kewaunee (24-0 overall record).
Kohnen is averaging 16.3 points per game with 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals for Slinger (20-4 overall record).
Knueppel is averaging 17.4 points per game with 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.4 steals for Wisconsin Lutheran (24-0 overall record).
Loose is averaging 18.2 points per game with 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals for Port Washington (23-1 overall).
Manchester is averaging 35.8 points per game for Mount Horeb (19-5 overall record).
Platz is averaging 19.5 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals for Brookfield East (19-5 overall record).
Prochnow is averaging 21.3 points per game with 11.1 assists, 4.8 assists, and 3.2 steals for Reedsville (21-3 overall record).
Resch is averaging 21.3 points per game with 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals for Arrowhead (18-6 overall record).
Schultz is averaging 27.4 points per game with 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals for Plymouth (17-7 overall record).
Schwalbach is averaging 15 points per game with 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals for Kaukauna (21-3 overall).
Sweeney is averaging 15.5 points per game for Appleton North (20-4 overall record).
Vandenberg is averaging 13 points per game with 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds for Freedom (23-1 overall).
About Our Player Poll Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
— Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com
Wisconsin
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