MADISON, Wis. (AP) -Arizona State apparently picked the wrong guy to fire up.
Wisconsin tight end Lance Kendricks said some Sun Devils were barking at him during Saturday’s game at Camp Randall Stadium, but he just brushed it off. Then he went on to have one of the biggest days of his career, helping the No. 11 Badgers fend off an upset for a 20-19 victory.
“I thought, ‘All right. Whatever,”’ Kendricks said. “I think it worked out in my behalf. When I heard them talking, I kind of sensed that they were a little afraid.”
The Sun Devils probably didn’t have much to say at the end of the game.
Kendricks caught a team-high seven passes for 131 yards, including a touchdown and a critical third-down conversion as Wisconsin ran out the clock at the end of the game.
Kendricks’ contributions were critical for the Badgers, who were missing wide receivers Nick Toon and David Gilreath because of injuries, and Arizona State’s speedy defense was geared up to stop the run first.
Quarterback Scott Tolzien needed someone to throw to, and Kendricks was ready.
“He doesn’t say much, he just works and works and works, and just lets the game come to him,” Tolzien said. “He’s a tremendous asset for our offense and a really good teammate. He’s a guy that you’re really excited for when things go good, because he deserves all of it.”
And Tolzien figures Kendricks will play an even bigger role in the offense as the Badgers get into the meat of their schedule after maintaining the No. 11 ranking they brought into Saturday’s game.
“Each week we’re trying to find ways to get Lance the ball just because of what a talent he is, and just what an asset he is for our offense,” Tolzien said. “I think today, it was good to get the ball to him, especially in those third down situations. We’re going to need that from Lance. I know we’re expecting that and Lance is expecting that. In those big-play situations, he needs to come up big for us.”
Kendricks, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound senior, showed his ability to create matchup problems near the end of the first half.
With the Badgers facing second-and-goal on the Arizona State 20-yard line after a holding penalty, Tolzien looked to Kendricks and he drew a pass interference penalty on the Sun Devils’ Omar Bolden, who returned a kickoff for a touchdown earlier in the game.
Now facing first-and-goal on the 14, Tolzien looked to Kendricks again – and this time he caught a touchdown, with Bolden again all over him.
“That play in the end zone to make that grab with that guy draped all over him (was impressive),” Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. “But if you know Lance, that’s just kind of who he is. He works incredibly hard. We’ve had a lot of great tight ends here, and he’s probably playing as good or better than any of them that we’ve had.”
Tolzien said any quarterback would try to get the ball to a player like Kendricks in one-on-one press coverage.
“It was a decently thrown ball but Lance really did all the work, was strong with the ball and really hauled it in,” Tolzien said. “It was a nice play.”
With the extra point, Wisconsin took a 13-10 lead into halftime, only after backup defensive back Shelton Johnson made a last-ditch tackle to prevent Arizona State from running back another kickoff for a touchdown.
After Jay Valai’s remarkable blocked extra point preserved the Badgers’ 20-19 lead late in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin needed one last big play to put the game away.
Facing third-and-2 at the Arizona State 45, Tolzien threw to Kendricks for a 17-yard completion, allowing the Badgers to continue their drive and eventually run out the clock.
“I knew he was going to throw it (to me),” Kendricks said. “So I’m like, ‘You’ve got to get a good route.’ As soon as I got off the ball well I knew it was either going to be high or behind me. He threw it kind of like a back-shoulder throw. It was perfect.”
And another big step in Kendricks’ development.
“I think it all went smooth,” Kendricks said. “I accept it, putting a lot on my shoulders because that’s what they (the coaches) expect out of me. I think in this third game I calmed down a little bit and was able to go out there and play and perform well.”
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