PASADENA, Calif. - Wisconsin’s four-game winning streak ended in a 17-7 loss at No. 12 UCLA, and the story of the night was split in two: the Badgers did the hard part defensively, then watched the rest of the game slip away because the offense never got unstuck and the secondary gave up too much to a backup quarterback.
The most frustrating piece for Wisconsin was that the Bruins’ rushing attack never really got going. That was supposed to be the major assignment, and the Badgers handled it. But the payoff never came because the offense spent most of the evening spinning its wheels, while UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach completed 67% of his throws for 264 yards against Wisconsin’s pass defense.
That kind of night can turn fast in college football. Wisconsin came out of its bye week feeling good, but now the picture looks a lot different with USC next and a trip to Iowa after that.
There were still a few individual bright spots for the Badgers. Poyser kept causing problems in the middle of the defensive line, just as he had against the Spartans.
He added another pass breakup and later powered through a block to get pressure on Dieffenbach in the first half, forcing the quarterback to move left and throw incomplete. Wisconsin didn’t create much disruption overall, but the Buffalo transfer kept finding his way into the backfield.
Burks had the kind of game that can jump off the page. He came away with two interceptions and nearly had a third after breaking on a throw over the middle in the first half.
The picks came on shaky throws, but Burks still made the plays and gave the Badgers some needed havoc on the back end. He’s been strong in coverage all season, and this was the first time that production showed up in a big way.
Clayton also got a personal milestone, notching the first sack of his career. It was a big one too, a 16-yard loss on Dieffenbach in the second half. He didn’t do a ton beyond that, but it was still a welcome moment for the outside backer and pass rusher.
Wisconsin also got a clean debut from Domingeaux. The quarterback looked his way on the first play of the game, and he delivered a difficult catch over the middle on third-and-25 for 23 yards before the Badgers punted. That reception showed why he can matter in this passing game, even if Wisconsin’s rotation at receiver makes it hard to know how steady that impact will be from week to week.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tressel’s zone coverage belongs in the loser column again. The same issue popped up that did after the opener against Notre Dame: Dieffenbach kept working Wisconsin over in zone.
No single defensive back carried the blame, because the scheme itself kept getting picked apart. UCLA’s receivers weren’t presented as overwhelming one-on-one threats, and Wisconsin still didn’t shift into enough man coverage.
At the moment, the Badgers’ pass defense simply looks poorly schemed.
Joseph avoided turnovers, which matters, but the rest of his night was rough. He finished 6 of 16 for 66 yards with a 38% completion rate, and the numbers only tell part of the story.
Wisconsin’s offense never found rhythm, never built momentum, and never looked comfortable. The line didn’t help much in pass protection, and the run game never produced steady push either.
Joseph, a California native, came home to a forgettable result.
The offensive line shuffle didn’t solve much. Wisconsin allowed three sacks, matching the total it had given up before Saturday.
The ground game wasn’t a total collapse, but it also wasn’t consistent, and 71 of the rushing yards came from Joseph. The Badgers started Stylz Blackmon at center over Ryan Cory, who had played well in Austin Kawecki’s absence in Week 5, and PJ Wilkins returned to the starting five at right guard.
The film will tell more, but the front line wasn’t up to standard in Pasadena.
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