MADISON, Wis. – Jonathan Taylor had two long touchdown runs, Alex Hornibrook threw for 257 yards and two scores and No. 4 Wisconsin opened the season with a 34-3 victory over Western Kentucky on Friday night.
A young defense working in seven new starters forced two Western Kentucky turnovers inside the Wisconsin 5-yard line. A.J. Taylor paced the shorthanded receiving corps with five catches for 85 yards, while Garrett Groshek turned a screen pass into a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 31-point lead.
The Badgers finished with a flurry, scoring on five of six drives after punting on three of their first four possessions.
Leave it to Jonathan Taylor to get the offense going. He finished with 145 yards on 18 carries, even watching most of the fourth quarter from the sideline.
He picked up right where he left off last year, when he gained an FBS-record 1,977 yards as a freshman.
"He gave us a heck of a spark," Badgers coach Paul Chryst said of Taylor. "He didn't do it alone. JT did a lot of really good, and there's going to be some things he can clean up and get better at."
Three tight ends and the burly offensive line helped spring Taylor for a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He scored from 30 yards with 3:48 left in the second quarter.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
