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09/19 14:58 CDT Henry sets receptions record and Joseph has big day as Wisconsin pounds Eastern Michigan 54-10 Henry sets receptions record and Joseph has big day as Wisconsin pounds Eastern Michigan 54-10 By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MADISON, Wis. (AP) --- Tyrell Henry caught 14 passes to set a Wisconsin single-game record and Colton Joseph threw for 362 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as the Badgers trounced Eastern Michigan 54-10 on Saturday. Henry's 14 catches included a 13-yard touchdown and totaled a career-high 160 yards. Matt Nyquist previously owned the single-game record with 13 receptions in a 33-20 loss to Iowa in 1995. Joseph's 362 yards passing rank seventh in school history. Joseph went 23 of 33 with three touchdowns and an interception, and he also rushed for a team-high 46 yards and one touchdown on nine carries. Wisconsin (2-1) was playing without Abu Sama III, whose 107 yards rushing in a 36-9 victory over Western Illinois last week included a 72-yard touchdown. The Badgers gained just 117 yards on 30 carries. The Badgers erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 41 straight points. Wisconsin got 35 of those amid a steady rain during a nine-minute span that ended in the first minute of the third quarter. Three of Wisconsin's five touchdowns during that stretch resulted from the Badgers' first three takeaways of the season. Cooper Catalano capped that spurt by scoring on a 10-yard fumble return after a Sebastian Cheeks strip sack, giving Wisconsin a 38-7 lead. Joseph started the onslaught by scoring on a 4-yard keeper on third-and-goal. Joseph also threw a 75-yard touchdown completion to Chris Brooks Jr. and a 13-yarder to Henry that sandwiched a 10-yard scoring run from Darrion Dupree. Dupree's touchdown came after a 24-yard interception return from Mason Posa gave Wisconsin the ball at Eastern Michigan's 42-yard line. Matt Jung picked off a Noah Kim pass at midfield to set up Henry's score. Eastern Michigan (1-3) had taken a 7-0 lead after Noah Kim threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nick Devereaux to cap the Eagles' opening drive. Devereaux left the game with his arm in a sling later in the first half. Kim went 16 of 28 for 140 yards with two interceptions and a fumble to go along with that touchdown.

The takeaway Eastern Michigan: After getting a 67-yard touchdown drive on its opening possession, its offense wouldn't cross midfield again until the final minute of the third quarter. Wisconsin: The Badgers need this kind of big-play defense to be competitive in Big Ten competition. Last season, Wisconsin had just six takeaways to match the lowest total of any Bowl Subdivision team. Wisconsin's defense recovered just one fumble the entire 2025 season. Before Saturday, Wisconsin was one of only nine FBS teams without a takeaway. The Badgers nearly had a fourth takeaway, but an offside penalty wiped out a 70-yard pick-6 from Eric Fletcher Jr. to start the fourth. Fletcher did block a 48-yard field-goal attempt on the game's final play, and Donovan Dunmore returned it for a 55-yard touchdown.

Up next Eastern Michigan: Hosts Championship Subdivision program Lindenwood next Saturday. Wisconsin: Opens its Big Ten schedule at No. 14 Penn State next Saturday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here.

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