Wisconsin didn’t make it easy on themselves — giving up big plays on defense, refusing to open up enough holes on offense in the first half and generally finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot. Yet, they found a way to grind out a 27-10 victory and move to 3-1 ahead of the Big Ten schedule.
It was far from pretty in the first half, but a quick talk and adjustment in the locker room made all the difference. Wisconsin took a 3-3 game and turned it in to a 17-3 lead in the first two drives of the second half. It was a lead that it never gave back, thanks to a ground attack that finally got going and a timely defensive stop or two.
Running back Melvin Gordon nearly went for 200 yards, ending up just 19 yards shy of becoming the first Badger back to go for 200 yards in back-to-back games since Ron Dayne in 1999.
At the end the day the Badgers offense and defense figured things out in the second half and got away with a victory that was closer than anyone expected.
It may not always be pretty for the Badgers this season, but the defense has shown an ability to buckle down and the Badgers have responded to having their backs against the wall twice in the non-conference season.
Let’s get on to the good stuff though…
Badger of the Game: Melvin Gordon
How unoriginal, right? Considering the scoreline though, it’s the right choice. Gordon sparked the Badgers’ second half offensive explosion, helping them to score 24 points in the second half (when he was in). He also had 181 yards and two touchdowns to his credit, averaging a pedestrian (by his standards) 5.7 yards a carry.
Wisconsin needs Gordon to get going earlier, but that was more on the offensive line than Gordon today.
Turning Point: Opening drive of the 2nd half
Wisconsin was plain awful on the offensive side of the football in the 1st half. They averaged 2.6 yards a carry and couldn’t get much going in any area. A quick halftime butt kicking and adjustment later and UW went out and scored on the first drive of the second half. It up UW up 10-3 and the Badgers never really looked back.
Running back Melvin Gordon got loose on a few runs on the drive and it set up the rest of the half and the UW win nicely.
Stat of the Game: 84 yards
After gaining just 50 yards in the 1st half, Gordon went off for 84 yard on the first two drives of the 2nd half. It changed the game for the Badgers and UW was on the front foot for most of the 2nd half.
Tweet of the Game:
https://twitter.com/SconnieRob/status/515908780480270336
Wisconsin apparently can’t signal to get out of the way without it being thought of as a fair catch. So, why not throw all the rules out the window, right?
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