Wisconsin got the kind of win it had to have Saturday night, knocking off No. 16 USC 24-7 at home with a familiar recipe: the defense set the tone, and the run game did just enough to keep the Badgers in control when it mattered.
The victory pushed Wisconsin to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten, and the schedule doesn’t ease up now. Next up is another massive one, this time on the road at Iowa for a Halloween Big Noon Kickoff matchup.
After a performance like that, there were plenty of players who made a real impact. Jackson was one of them, and he made sure everyone knew it when he punched in a five-yard touchdown against his former team in the second quarter.
He wasn’t just scoring, either - he was delivering contact right at the heart of the USC defense to help Wisconsin grab a 10-7 lead. Later, on the Badgers’ final touchdown drive, he added 26 yards and kept pounding the Trojans’ front, appearing to finish off the score before tight end Ryan Schwendeman ultimately got it across.
West came up with Wisconsin’s first turnover of the night, staying with the play after Javan Robinson’s coverage on the sideline helped force a tip-drill interception. He also took some shots in the first half, and NBS Sports sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen reported that he was dealing with a shoulder stinger. Even with that clearly bothering him, he kept playing through the night and continued to look like one of Wisconsin’s most reliable defenders this fall.
Skanes also delivered a big moment, recording his first career interception by jumping a Jayden Maiava throw after linebacker Cooper Catalano forced the issue with pressure. With starter Marvin Burks limited by an upper body injury and barely on the field, Skanes handled extra snaps and showed he can take on a bigger role. That’s a good sign for Wisconsin’s secondary moving forward.
Sama gave Wisconsin exactly what it needed from the backfield. Whenever he touched it, he looked difficult to bring down, showing patience, balance and the kind of quickness that makes defenders miss in tight spaces.
He finished with 17 carries for 71 yards, but the numbers only tell part of the story. More importantly, he reminded everyone why the Badgers need to keep feeding him.
Injuries slowed him in the first half of the season, but he looked like Wisconsin’s best back in this game.
Brooks also turned in a moment worth remembering. The fifth-year wide receiver, who has stayed with the program through everything, found the end zone for the third time in his career - and this one was his best by far. On a 4th-and-2, he took a screen from Colton Joseph, followed the lane his blockers created, made a defender miss and stretched the ball over the goal line for a touchdown.
Then there was Poyser, who continued to do what he’s been doing all season: wrecking plays from the defensive line. He finished with one tackle and two quarterback hits, added another batted pass, and even blocked a field goal to snuff out a USC drive after the Trojans had already converted multiple third-and-longs. There isn’t one clear headliner in that group, but Poyser, Charles Perkins and Hammond Russell IV keep making life miserable for opposing offenses.
As for the losses, there wasn’t much to point to after a win of this size. The Badgers did have some penalty issues, including Jai'mier Scott’s face-mask on third-and-goal and Charles Perkins’ face-mask on the same series, but it’s hard to single out a player whose stock truly dropped in a victory over the No. 16 team in the country.
Collins’ sideline fraction penalty was the one real gaffe. After Sebastian Cheeks had just produced an eight-yard sack that would have pushed USC into third-and-long, Collins drifted too far onto the field as the play ended and ran into an official moving down the sideline, drawing the flag. USC ended up scoring on that drive, though it was the Trojans’ only touchdown of the night.
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Wisconsin's Kingston Allen Is Making This Recruitment Much More Tense
Kingston Allen keeps giving Wisconsin plenty to like and just as much to worry about. The high school running back, already the touchdown leader in Wisconsin state history, recently added another milestone by setting a school rushing record, a reminder that his production has stayed at a level few recruits can match. Badgers running backs coach Jayden Everett has been making sure Allen knows how strongly Wisconsin wants him, and the program has good reason to stay aggressive.
The tension comes from the fact that Allens recruitment is no longer one-sided. He has also visited Ohio State, which has offered him a scholarship, adding a heavyweight suitor to a race Wisconsin would prefer to keep quiet. For now, Allen remains publicly committed to the Badgers, but the combination of his continued standout play and Ohio States involvement has made this one of the more competitive recruiting battles Wisconsin has on its hands. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Got A New Reason To Believe Against USC
Saturdays matchup gives Wisconsin a fresh point of optimism against USC, even with the Badgers entering as a slight underdog. The pregame read is straightforward enough: Wisconsin has leaned on a strong pass defense, while USC has been especially efficient on third down, setting up a classic strength-on-strength feel for a game that could swing on a few key possessions.
The added intrigue is that Wisconsin already has some national attention leaning its way, with the College GameDay crew picking the Badgers to win. For a team looking to prove it can hang with a high-profile opponent, that kind of support does not decide anything, but it does reinforce the idea that an upset is at least within reach if Wisconsin can make USC uncomfortable in the right spots. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces One Problem That Could Kill Its Upset Shot
Wisconsin comes home after the loss to UCLA with a chance to reset against USC, and the matchup asks the Badgers to lean on what has kept them competitive. Their defense has been the steadier part of the team, while the offense has faced real questions, especially with the run game needing more consistency against a Trojans front that can make life difficult. With Wisconsin listed as a three-point underdog, this is the kind of spot where a home crowd can matter, but only if the Badgers can control enough of the game to keep USC from dictating the pace.
The concern is obvious enough: if Wisconsin cannot move the ball on the ground, the burden shifts to a defense that will have to create extra possessions and win the hidden battle of turnovers. USC brings the kind of offensive skill that can punish mistakes quickly, which means the Badgers will need a cleaner performance than they showed in the loss to UCLA. There is a path to an upset at home, but it likely depends on Wisconsin finding some traction early and making USC work for every point. [Read more 🡒]