Sometimes, the best response to a disappointing performance is to stop talking about what needs to change and show everyone what you’re capable of doing. That’s precisely what the Wisconsin football team did on Saturday night.
One week after an ugly offensive showing at UCLA raised familiar questions about the direction of Luke Fickell’s program, Wisconsin returned to Camp Randall Stadium and knocked off No. 16 USC, 24-7, improving to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play.
It wasn’t particularly pretty, but that’s what made the performance encouraging. Wisconsin controlled the line of scrimmage defensively, committed to running the football, and gradually wore down a talented USC team that never found much offensive rhythm.
The Badgers finished with just 200 yards of offense, so there are still plenty of limitations worth discussing. But they also held the Trojans to minus-17 rushing yards, forced two interceptions, recorded five sacks, and put together three touchdown drives that demonstrated exactly what this offense can look like when it plays to its strengths. Wisconsin didn’t need to be explosive to win. It needed to be physical and opportunistic.
With that as the backdrop, let’s hand out some grades.
