MADISON, Wis. — Jake Ferguson had spent the past year developing behind the scenes as a rising star in Wisconsin’s tight end group, earning offensive scout team player of the year honors, becoming a constant pass-catching threat in practice and making it clear that he was ready to contribute as a redshirt freshman. But even Ferguson wondered how well he would execute Friday night at Camp Randall Stadium in front of 74,145 fans and a national television audience during his first Badgers game.
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Now, the results are in. The verdict? Ferguson shined brightly in the spotlight, performing like a veteran in his debut and showing why Badgers coaches and teammates have been so high on him for so long.
Ferguson caught four passes for 43 yards during Wisconsin’s 34-3 romp of Western Kentucky. All four of Ferguson’s catches went for first downs. He demonstrated crisp route running, strong hands and good instincts. Ferguson also produced a monster block to spring running back Jonathan Taylor for a 47-yard touchdown run and was the lead blocker on a second Taylor score.
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking getting out there for the first time,” Ferguson said afterward. “But the coaches really prepared me and also my teammates really helped me focus in. All through the whole week, I was kind of mentally preparing for this, and it was awesome to kind of get that.”
The 6-foot-5, 239-pound Ferguson credited Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook in particular for making his transition smooth. Ferguson said Hornibrook texted him almost every night from the film room during the week about potential check downs from a particular Western Kentucky defensive look.
“I’m waking up at 4 a.m. with texts from him, like four of them,” Ferguson said. “He’s just going through, ‘We can really get this. It’s open all the time.’ I’m like, ‘All right, Alex. Just let me sleep.’ He throws a great ball. He basically puts it on the button. All I’ve got to do is put my hands on it.”
All those text message exchanges ultimately paid off for Ferguson, whom Hornibrook targeted five times, the third-most on the team. A.J. Taylor had nine targets, and Kendric Pryor was targeted six times. The only target that Ferguson did not catch came when Hornibrook lofted a pass toward the end zone into coverage while under pressure on first-and-10 at the Western Kentucky 16-yard line early in the second quarter. Wisconsin settled for a field goal and took a 10-0 lead.
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Ferguson’s emergence comes at the perfect time for the Badgers. Wisconsin entered the season searching for ways to fill the void left behind by Troy Fumagalli, a Second Team All-America selection who earned Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors and became a fifth-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos. Fumagalli led the Badgers last season with 46 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns.
Ferguson was thrust into an even bigger role Friday because projected starter Zander Neuville missed the game while recovering from a right leg injury. Luke Benzschawel, the team’s best remaining blocking tight end, then sustained a right leg injury during the game.
“He was good,” Badgers coach Paul Chryst said of Ferguson. “What you appreciate is that he was who we saw in camp. Because you’re talking about his first game action, and that’s not always the case. I thought Ferg was really good there, and I think he did some things with the run game that were good. For us to be good, Ferg is a guy who can contribute, and we’re going to need him to be good and continue to grow.”
Here are six plays from the season opener — four as a receiver and two as a blocker — that highlight Ferguson’s immense skill set and versatility.
Play 1: First Quarter (11:10 left)
The scenario: Third-and eight at the 50-yard line (game tied 0-0).
The play: Wisconsin lines up with three receivers wide to the left. Jack Dunn is at the top on the outside, A.J. Taylor is in the middle and Ferguson is on the inside. Pryor is lined up wide on the other side of the formation. Ferguson runs an out route but breaks back to the ball just beyond the first-down marker before Western Kentucky safety Antwon Kincade wraps him up for an 11-yard reception. This is Ferguson’s first career catch and keeps the drive alive.
“With the catches that Ferg makes and the things he does, people see a Troy Fumagalli, kind of similar to him, which will help open up for the outside men,” Pryor said. “Plus we’ve got JT in the backfield, so that will help open the outside, too. He’s doing some good things. You can see it in the game today. He made some big plays for us on third down, some big catches.”
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Play 2: First Quarter (7:47 left)
The scenario: First-and-10 at the Western Kentucky 47-yard line (game tied 0-0).
The play: Ferguson is lined up to the right, next to tight end Kyle Penniston. He pulls around to the left as lead blocker forBadgers running back Jonathan Taylor. Ferguson then lowers his shoulder and unloads on Western Kentucky safety Drell Greene at the 40-yard line.
That block frees Taylor, who is not touched until he’s 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Hilltoppers safety Kyle Bailey attempts to pull down Taylor by the bottom of his jersey at the 32-yard line. But by then, it’s too late. Taylor’s 47-yard touchdown run gives Wisconsin a 7-0 lead with 7:38 left in the first quarter.
While Ferguson has been widely praised for his catching skills, he also has taken great pride in developing as a blocker. This particular play represents one of the best blocks of the night from any Badgers player.
“It’s always good to be versatile,” Ferguson said. “Fum taught me if you’re going to catch some passes, you might as well get some good blocks in there every once in a while. So I kind of took that to heart last year, working on it and kind of working on my blocking all through spring ball. I think I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m taking the right steps.”
Play 3: Second Quarter (5:53 left)
The scenario: Third-and-five at Wisconsin’s 40-yard line (Badgers lead 10-0).
The play: Wisconsin has a four-receiver set that looks similar to what we saw in Play 1. Ferguson is inside again, flanked in the middle by A.J. Taylor and on the end by Dunn. Pryor is at the top on the other side. This time, Ferguson runs a sideline route and finds himself matched up with Western Kentucky linebacker Ben Holt. Ferguson converts the third down with a 10-yard reception to midfield. Even at 220 pounds, Holt still is 19 pounds lighter than Ferguson, whose big frame makes him a matchup problem for opponents.
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Hornibrook does indeed appear to make a check at the line of scrimmage. After the game, Hornibrook credited Ferguson for winning nearly every 1-on-1 matchup that he was presented with Friday.
“He kind of knew coming in that there was going to be some third downs where we were going his way,” Hornibrook said. “We saw a coverage that we could take advantage of. He did a good job every time. They kind of knew what was coming and he was going to win, and it was a good job from him.”
Four plays later, Jonathan Taylor scores on a 30-yard touchdown run. Ferguson is heavily involved again as a blocker on that play, which is seen next.
Play 4: Second Quarter (3:55 left)
The scenario: First-and-10 at the Western Kentucky 30-yard line (Badgers lead 10-0).
The play: Ferguson is lined up on the right side of the formation and pulls around to the left side in front of Taylor again. Ferguson doesn’t level anybody the way that he did on Taylor’s first touchdown run. In fact, Ferguson doesn’t have to do much at all. But his mere presence forces Greene to take a different pursuit angle.
Taylor runs past Western Kentucky linebacker Masai Whyte near the 25. Greene then falls down at the 5 with Ferguson charging forward. Taylor’s 30-yard touchdown run puts Wisconsin ahead 17-0 with 3:48 remaining. And Ferguson’s willingness and ability to stick his nose into the play once more does not go unnoticed by Taylor, who finishes the game with 18 carries for 145 yards — 77 coming on his pair of touchdowns.
“He definitely helps out a lot,” Taylor said. “On my two touchdown runs, he was the guy whose block I was reading. That was huge. He busted his tail all the way downfield to try to make a block. When you have guys working like that, you know they’ll be just fine.”
Play 5: Second Quarter (1:47 left)
The scenario: Second-and-six at the Wisconsin 29-yard line (Badgers lead 17-0).
The play: Ferguson is lined up inside on the left in a four-receiver set, with two receivers on each side. He runs upfield and turns back to make a lunging 11-yard grab with Greene draped all over him. It is Ferguson’s third catch and third first down. Wisconsin goes on to an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Pryor’s 2-yard touchdown catch to give the Badgers a 24-0 lead before halftime.
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“He’s young, so there’s still little things that he needs to learn,” A.J. Taylor said of Ferguson. “But he helps open up the offense for us by being able to make big plays and plays in crunch-time situations.”
Play 6: Third Quarter (0:52 left)
The scenario: First-and-10 at the Wisconsin 47-yard line (Badgers lead 27-3).
The play: Ferguson is now lined up as an H-back. He runs up the middle and finds an opening once again in front of Holt. A.J. Taylor runs a crossing route that pulls a defender toward him and away from Ferguson.
Ferguson makes the catch one yard in front of the first down marker and pushes forward for an 11-yard gain. Wisconsin finishes a seven-play, 86-yard drive with a 43-yard touchdown dump-off pass from Hornibrook to tailback Garrett Groshek to account for the final margin.
Ferguson has done his job well in the absence of Neuville and Benzschaswel. And he has provided his teammates with plenty of confidence that he’ll be able to replicate the performance throughout this season.
“It just makes the offense more diverse,” Wisconsin left guard Michael Deiter said. “We can do a lot more stuff with him. And when you’ve got two guys out, you need guys to step up. It’s encouraging. We noticed we have good depth at tight end.”
(Top photo of Ferguson: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
Jesse Temple is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Wisconsin Badgers. He has covered the Badgers beat since 2011 and previously worked for FOX Sports Wisconsin, ESPN.com and Land of 10. Follow Jesse on Twitter @jessetemple
