Wisconsin ushers in the Big Ten season with a fullback touchdown (Video)
Wisconsin made sure to score the most fitting kind of touchdown to open the Big Ten’s 2020 season against Illinois.
The first touchdown of the Big Ten season came courtesy of a Wisconsin fullback.
New Badger quarterback Graham Mertz, a redshirt freshman, floated the ball to Mason Stokke, a senior fullback. It was Mertz’s first career touchdown pass and Stokke’s first career touchdown catch.
And it was a thing of beauty for those who enjoy fullbacks.
✅ First B1G TD of 2020
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 24, 2020
✅ First passing TD of Graham Mertz's career@BadgerFootball jumps out to the early 7-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/nuqbFs0ifJ
Wisconsin dialed up a fullback touchdown to the delight of Twitter
If your first reaction to Wisconsin’s fullback touchdown was to note the Big Ten-ness of it all, you’re not alone.
A lot of people went there.
A fullback scoring the first touchdown of the Big Ten season is so Big Ten. #Wisconsin
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) October 24, 2020
Wisconsin has thrown a touchdown pass to a fullback.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) October 24, 2020
THE BIG TEN IS BACK!!
Fullback touchdowns, the Big Ten is officially back.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) October 24, 2020
The first TD of the 2020 Big Ten season is a fullback reception. INTO MY VEINS.
— Jack Crosby (@JCrosbyCBS) October 24, 2020
"Where we're going, we don't need wide receivers." - Wisconsin, completing their first touchdown pass of the season to a fullback
— The Daily Gopher (@TheDailyGopher) October 24, 2020
I understand the Big Ten was excited to get back to football, but the first TD being a Wisconsin wheel route to a fullback named Mason is just heavy-handed by the writers. You can't take the audience to climax that early in the show
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) October 24, 2020
The jokes really do just write themselves.
Wisconsin’s second touchdown was also a great reminder of the Big Ten’s style. Mertz hooked up with junior tight end Jake Ferguson to put the Badgers up 14-0 in the first quarter. The young QB had a heck of a time with 10-of-10 passing, 80 yards and two touchdowns early.
While the SEC, ACC and Big 12 have taken center stage to open this strange college football season, this is the Big Ten’s weekend. After Wisconsin and Illinois settle the first game of the campaign, Nebraska and No. 5 Ohio State will duke it out on Saturday in Columbus. Finally, fans will get to see Justin Fields launch his Heisman campaign after he successfully campaigned for the return of football.
Other interesting matchups include, No. 8 Penn State getting their first test against Indiana and a primetime matchup between No. 18 Michigan and No. 21 Minnesota.
It’s been a long time coming, but Big Ten football really is back. Maybe a wide receiver or two will catch touchdown passes eventually. For now, it’s worth celebrating fullbacks and tight ends.
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