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The Wisconsin Badgers football team (9-4 overall) finished off their 2021 season with a 20-13 win over Arizona State on Thursday night in the Las Vegas Bowl. Despite playing without multiple traditional starters, the Badgers managed to take care of business and leave Vegas with some new hardware.

Lets dive into three storylines that emerged from the win.

As mentioned in the lede, the Badgers were without some key pieces against ASU. On defense, without Faion Hicks and Collin Wilder in the Wisconsin secondary, Alexander Smith, John Torchio, and Hunter Wohler all saw more opportunities. Linebacker Jordan Turner acquitted himself well in meaningful snaps to spell Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal. Freshman outside linebacker Darryl Peterson earned reps throughout the game as well and bull-rushed the tackle across from him on Torchios early interception.

On offense, wide receivers Markus Allen and Skyler Bell each had critical grabs with Danny Davis unable to go and Kendric Pryor injured for most of the second half. 17-year-old Braelon Allen was his usual studly self with 29 carries and 159 rushing yards. Reserve tight end Jaylan Franklin and converted fullback Riley Nowakowski saw playing time as well in blocking situations. Lastly, along the offensive line, Tanor Bortolini and Cormac Sampson played well in place of Logan Bruss and Joe Tippmann.

Overall, the Badgers leaned on some of their younger players to help pick up the bowl win. At one point the weapons around Mertz consisted of three true freshmen (Braelon Allen, Markus Allen, Skyler Bell). While the results on offense were not always perfect, the extra reps from bowl prep and in the game could pay major dividends heading into a crucial off-season for the team.

Its hard to read too much into a singular game, but there were some positives to glean from the performance at some notable positions where these young players will be called into larger roles next season. Beyond the two receivers, Jordan Turner was a player that specifically caught my eye, and I also enjoyed seeing freshman safety Hunter Wohler bounce back quickly from a misplayed deep ball with a critical tackle for loss.

Jim Leonhards defense was once again active on Thursday. The Badgers managed to sack Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels five times and also forced an intentional grounding/sack as well on a trick play.

Sophomore Nick Herbig was particularly good in pass-rushing situations as he personally got home for two sacks, but I thought that the defense, in general, put together a strong performance. The Badgers held Arizona State to only 13 points and 219 total yards, while also adding a pivotal takeaway early to help give the offense plus field position.

Wisconsins defense came into the bowl game as one of the top units in the entire country, and despite missing some key pieces they did not disappoint. Even when the Badgers offense was sputtering in the third quarterback, the defense was able to notch a couple of big stops to keep the lead in their favor.

The Wisconsin defense is built on creating pressure and Daniels was running for his life throughout the contest. Given the number of young players that saw playing time on Thursday night, I would imagine that the group should be great once again next season.

Wisconsin held a 20-6 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the offense laid an egg, however, and Arizona State was able to make things interesting by the fourth quarter.

Pinned near their own goal line, Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin offense put together one of their best drives of the season to salt the game away. In total, the drive took nearly 10 minutes off the clock on 19 plays, including multiple impressive third-down conversions. Braelon Allen toted the rock 10 times in that period, including a 14-yard pile driver that absolutely appeared to break Arizona States will. Equally crucial, Graham Mertz stood tall in the pocket and delivered a huge 30-yard toss to Chimere Dike while getting blasted by an oncoming blitzer.

Mertz and the offense were far from perfect, especially in the third quarter, but the group weathered injuries to secure the win on one of the top drives of 2021. Mertzs third-down throws were on the money most of the night and it was fun to see them come to the young guns in the wide receiver room. The interception early in the game on a poorly run route by Kendric Pryor, and off-the-mark toss by Mertz, was obviously not ideal, but it was nice to see No. 5 bounce back late in the game when the team needed it most.

That final drive was Wisconsin football, and that was a great way to cap off the season.

See more here:
Wisconsin Badgers football: three things that stood out from the Las Vegas Bowl win - Bucky's 5th Quarter

Dec15

Today, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), released the following statement regarding Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler pursuing major rulemakings with inadequate public comment periods: Im disappointed Chair Gensler continues to pursue significant, and often partisan, rulemakings without adequate time for public comment, said Republican Leader McHenry. This is part of an alarming trend of President Bidens financia...

Today, Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee, led by Patrick McHenry (NC-10), opened an investigation into the unprecedented, attempted power grab by Democrats on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporations (FDIC) Board of Directors, including Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, acting head of the Office of Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, and FDIC Board Member Martin Gruenberg. In a letter to Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine W...

Today, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), joined Yahoo Finance to discuss yesterdays hearing with CEOs of digital assets organizations, Web3, and the future of crypto regulation in the U.S. Watch the full interview here or by clicking the image above. Read excerpts from Republican Leader McHenrys interview: On burdensome regulations pushing digital asset innovation overseas: I don't think it's a question of tough or lax regulation. We curren...

The top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), issued the following statement regarding an attempt by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director, Rohit Chopra, and a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Director, Martin Gruenberg, to circumvent FDIC Chairwoman Jelena McWilliams: Rohit Chopra and the White House are attempting an unprecedented power grab at the FDIC," said Republican Leader McHenry. "Todays action was highly problema...

Link:
Financial Services Committee | Republicans

Republican leadership from the Kentucky House of Representatives released its proposed map for redrawing state legislative house districts on Thursday.

The plan from the GOP supermajority which has power to effectively control the process and outcome of the current redistricting cycle was presented by House Speaker David Osborne at a press conference.

Osborne said the focus of the presented map which covers the states 100 House legislative districts was on accounting for population shifts and staying within the legal bounds of the process, while also making districts more compact.

I think that, by any objective, if you look at the compactness of these districts, the continuity of these districts, clearly we did not move any legislator to another part of the state, he said. But, I think that also, by any objective, you will see a map that is much more reflective of Kentucky, and the needs of Kentucky and equal representation of Kentucky.

But Kentuckys House Minority Leader, Democrat Joni Jenkins, called the situation an attempt at fake transparency, saying the Republicans should not have released the plan on a state holiday. She also said the available information lacks the detailed information the public needs, since digital maps arent expected to be online until next week.

Citizens and candidates alike wont have that information online until late Tuesday, less than two days before the entire House votes, Jenkins said in a statement. That gives them precious little time to absorb the many changes and then offer input, something that goes against the very hallmark of the legislative process.

The proposed map would force four incumbents to face off against one another two pairs of Democrats from Louisville, and two pairs of rural Republicans. Osborne also said the new map would increase the number of majority-minority districts where most of the voters are members of a racial or ethnic minority from two to four.

The Republicans that would meet in a primary would be Reps. Norma Kirk-McCormick and Bobby McCool, who represent districts 93 and 97; and Reps. Lynn Bechler and Jim Gooch Jr. who represent districts 4 and 12.

The Democrats are Reps. Mary Lou Marzian and Josie Raymond, who represent districts 34 and 31; and Reps. McKenzie Cantrell and Lisa Willner, who represent districts 38 and 35.

The new proposed majority-minority districts would be 40 and 44 in Jefferson County, which are represented by Democratic Reps. Nima Kulkarni and Jenkins, respectively.

On Thursday, Osborne said that filing deadlines for candidates will likely move from Jan. 7 to Jan. 25.

Virginia Woodward, chair of the Louisville Jefferson County Democratic Party, said in a statement that the redistricting plan puts an unnecessary burden on the states biggest city:

Interesting, that the GOPs proposed redistricting plan for Jefferson County for the Kentucky House of Representatives provides maps and precinct lists that appear to be discriminatory at best, as they propose to pit already filed candidates in two other minority held districts against the incumbent Representative Pamela Stevenson and four of the most outspoken women legislative leaders, Representatives Mary Lou Marzian, Lisa Willner, McKenzie Cantrell and Josie Raymond against one another. Why? What are they afraid of? The Louisville Jefferson County Democratic Party (LJCDP) is appalled by this raw abuse of power and calls up the Kentucky State Legislation to pass a bipartisan proposal to repair the damage of the proposed GOP redistricting plan.

When the Kentucky General Assembly convenes for its 2022 session on Tuesday, Jan. 4, its likely that redistricting is one of the first topics addressed.

Redistricting takes place every 10 years, following the U.S. census. The law requires that districts must have close to equal populations and can not be drawn on a discriminatory basis. While the prospective map released on Thursday covered the House of Representatives, the state Senate has yet to release a plan for its 38 districts.

Osborne also said that the Kentucky Senate is working on the U.S. Congressional maps.

There was talk circulating a few months ago that the GOP was working to break up Louisville into multiple U.S. Congressional districts, instead of the city being surrounded by the clean circle that currently is the 3rd District, but Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders have been wary of the idea, warning it might lead to court battles and be a burden on area business. When Congressman John Yarmuth, who currently represents the 3rd District, landed at the Muhammed Ali International Airport the day after his retirement announcement in October, he told a press core that he thinks that the district will stay in tact.

Ive heard from my Republican colleagues in the House, all of whom I have a good relationships with, and they have been very honest with me, that they decided not to do that that the numbers are such that the 3rd District has to pick up a few voters, maybe four precincts or something, but that they are not going to make any other changes to the district, and thats kind of been verified by the leadership in the Kentucky General Assembly as well they said theyre not going to split Louisville up, Yarmuth said.

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Kentucky Republicans Reveal Their House Redistricting Map That Could Change Louisville Politics - Louisville Eccentric Observer

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans doubt that President BidenJoe BidenFDA authorizes second at-home rapid COVID-19 test Pentagon awards 6.7M contract for domestic production of material critical for rapid COVID-19 tests Armed man with 'hit list' including Biden, Fauci arrested in Iowa on way to White House MOREs 2020 electoral victory was legitimate, according to a new poll from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Seventy-one percent ofGOP respondents said they dont believe that Biden was rightfully elected to the White House, echoing former President TrumpDonald TrumpKeith Olbermann criticized for tweet targeting Romney family Prince Andrew's legal team say accuser 'lives in Australia,' cannot sue in US court Is China's power peaking? And other top national security questions for 2022 MOREs baseless claim that he was theactual winner oflast year'selection.

Twenty-fivepercent of Republicans said Biden's win was probably not legitimate, while 46 percent said it was definitely not legitimate, according to the poll.

Only 6 percent of Republicans said that Biden is definitely the rightful winner, while another 15 percent said he probably is.

Most Americans 58 percent believe that Bidens election was legitimate. That includes 91 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents.

Still, the poll underscores the extent to which false and misleading claims about the 2020 election by Trump and other prominent Republicans have become ingrained in the minds of many GOP voters, said Tatishe Nteta, an associate professor of political science at UMass Amherst and the polls director.

Given the continued questioning of Bidens victory by prominent Republican elected officials, conservative media personalities and former President Trump, it is no surprise that 7 in 10 Republicans, conservatives and Trump voters view the results of the 2020 election with skepticism, if not outright disbelief, Nteta said.

The poll also found that an overwhelming majority of Republicans 80 percent see the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol as a protest. Among all respondents, however, 55 percent described the events as a riot. Whats more, about a quarter of Republicans described those who participated in the events of Jan. 6 as patriots, while a similar number said the perpetrators were Antifa.

The UMass Amherst poll was conducted by YouGov from Dec. 14-20 and is based on responses from 1,000 people nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

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Nearly three-quarters of GOP doubt legitimacy of Biden's win: poll | TheHill - The Hill

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said former President Trump would likely have the Republican nomination for the 2024 elections if he wants to run.

"Unless there's something coming out of left field I don't see coming, it's his nomination if he wants it," Graham told guest host Pete Hegseth on "Hannity" Wednesday. "The Republican base appreciated him. We don't appreciate all the things he does sometimes. But from a policy point of view, he was the most successful president from a conservative's point of view since Ronald Reagan."

"[Trump] will be in the White House in 2024 if he runs a disciplined campaign," Graham said.

TRUMP CALLS MCCONNELL 'DISASTER,' SAYS GOP NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP

Trump should remind Americans that he secured the southern border and destroyed the Islamic State caliphate, among other achievements, Graham said.

Republicans on Capitol Hill should talk about Trump's achievements during their elections, he added.

"Remember the Trump years on the border, ISIS, Afghanistan, [and] energy independence," Graham said. "We should talk [about this] every day."

If Republicans focus on getting through to the American people with an "America-first" message, Graham said, 2022 will be "a blowout year" for the party in the House and the Senate.

In addition to driving home the Democrats' failures, Graham continued, Republicans "need to be for things" such as securing the border, building the wall, and boosting America's energy independence.

"I'm looking for an America-first agenda led by Donald Trump that we can run on as a team and point out the flaws of the Biden agenda."

U.S. Capitol (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

"We will clean their clock. In 1994, we won 73 seats to take over the House for the first time in 40 years. If we play our cards right, we will exceed that."

Democrats are stuck between the radical left and the more moderate wing of their party, Graham said.

"The radical left has Biden in a box," Graham said.

In terms of national policies, Biden can't make a dent in cleaning up the border because the left won't allow him to, Graham said, adding that Biden has a conundrum with the left on expanding drilling for oil and natural gas for the same reason.

In terms of foreign policy, however, Graham said Biden is failing because he's Biden.

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"When it comes to foreign policy, is not a left problem. He's just incompetent. He's been wrong on about everything for 40 years."

"There's a one-two punch brewing here. Radical Islam is on the rise and raging in Afghanistan, and you have an open southern border. If something doesn't change, 2022 could be the most dangerous year for America since 1939 and the world at large."

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Donald Trump has the Republican nomination for president if he wants it: Lindsey Graham - Fox News