The conversation around USC has drifted ahead to Ohio State, but the Trojans still have business in Madison first, and Todd Blackledge doesn’t sound like someone treating this week as a formality.
USC, ranked No. 16, heads into its third road game of the season on Saturday for a primetime matchup against Wisconsin. NBC will televise the game, the fifth USC contest the network has carried. Blackledge, who has worked all four of those USC games on NBC with Noah Eagle, broke down what the Trojans have to handle during an appearance Monday on Yogi Roth’s Y-Option.
His message was simple: Wisconsin is not the kind of team you breeze past.
“This is no gimme, this is not a layup going into Madison this week for this team,” Blackledge said. “Yes, USC should be favored.
Yes, they are a better team on paper, but, again, this is a physical and gritty defense that typically does not give up a lot of big plays. They make you earn it.”
That defense just held UCLA to 17 points last week and limited the Bruins’ ground game, especially Wayne Knight, who finished with 23 rushing yards and a touchdown. For USC, that means the trip to Madison is less about reputation and more about execution.
Blackledge also tied the matchup to what he’s seen from the Trojans away from home under Lincoln Riley. USC survived a tight road game at Rutgers earlier this season, winning 42-35 in a battle that went the distance. At Penn State, the Trojans handled the road stage much better.
“On the road this year they did not play well against Rutgers. They played very well on the road against Penn State and now, they are going to have to play very well on the road again in Madison,” Blackledge said.
A big reason Wisconsin can make this uncomfortable is quarterback Colton Joseph. The Old Dominion transfer brings a real running element, and Blackledge made clear that USC can’t treat that as a side note.
“I think if the game is close, then that run threat and that run ability of Colton Joseph is for real,” Blackledge said of the Badgers quarterback. “It’s not just getting him out of the pocket, a lot of what they do with the run game is by design for the quarterback.”
Joseph has piled up 333 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns already this season. He broke off a 47-yard score against Michigan State, and last week in Pasadena he ran for 71 yards and scored Wisconsin’s only touchdown.
That puts extra pressure on Riley and defensive coordinator Gary Patterson as they try to keep Joseph from dictating the game. Camp Randall Stadium will add another layer to the test, with more than 75,000 fans packed into one of the loudest venues around. It will also be USC’s first visit to Madison since 1965.
If the Trojans want to leave with a win, Blackledge pointed to one familiar formula: start fast, just like they did against Penn State.
USC and Wisconsin kick off Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
In Other News...
Wisconsin May Have An Obvious Fix For Its Roster-Building Problem
Wisconsins new football front office already has a familiar connection to one of the NFLs more respected talent evaluators. The Badgers recently hired Morocco Brown as Football General Manager, and Brown comes from the Chris Ballard tree after working under the former Indianapolis Colts GM, who was relieved of his duties after a poor season in Indianapolis. For a program trying to sharpen how it builds and manages its roster, that link alone makes the situation worth watching.
Ballards availability has naturally raised a bigger question for Wisconsin: whether the Badgers could lean on his experience in some kind of consulting or temporary capacity to help modernize the way they evaluate and assemble talent. Nothing of that sort is confirmed, but the logic is easy to follow given Browns background and the programs stated need for better roster management. If Wisconsin is looking for an obvious way to accelerate that process, the answer may already be sitting in the same professional orbit. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces One Brutal Question With USC Coming To Camp Randall
Wisconsin came back from its trip to UCLA with a frustrating reminder that one sturdy part of the defense can still be undone by everything else around it. The Badgers held down the Bruins rushing game, but they were exposed through the air and never found enough on offense to make up for it, leaving a loss that felt more about missed answers than one isolated breakdown.
Now the conversation shifts to USC coming into Camp Randall, and the matchup only sharpens the concern. The Trojans bring a strong passing offense but a softer pass defense, which puts Wisconsin in a familiar spot: needing to clean up the secondary while also finding enough offense to keep pace. The line has USC favored by 2.5 points, a reflection of how much this game may hinge on which team can solve the passing game first. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Volleyball Just Earned A Crucial Edge For The Stretch Run
With the final month of the regular season approaching, Wisconsin volleyball has put itself in a position that should matter come NCAA tournament time. The Badgers are No. 6 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, but the selection committee has them even higher, slotting them No. 4 among the top 16 teams and projecting them as a No. 1 seed.
That early advantage looks tied to the kind of schedule Wisconsin has embraced and the wins it has piled up along the way, including victories over Louisville, Florida, Oregon and Purdue. At 13-5 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, the Badgers still have work to do, but theyve already built a rsum that gives them a strong foothold for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]