Wisconsin’s defense turned Saturday night into a showcase, and the snap counts tell the same story the scoreboard did: the Badgers leaned on a core group, got huge production from just about every level, and squeezed USC into a long night in Madison.
Up front, Hammond Russell IV handled the biggest workload with 49 snaps, while Junior Poyser slid into the No. 2 role with 27. Charles Perkins followed at 20, DeNigel Cooper played 19, Nolan Vils logged 16 and Dillan Johnson got six.
Wisconsin’s defensive line rotation looked much the same as it did a week ago, with the main change being Poyser moving ahead of Perkins. That push made sense after Poyser batttened a pass at the line, recorded two quarterback hits and blocked a field goal.
Russell’s 49 snaps were his highest total of the season.
At linebacker, Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano were on the field for every defensive snap for the second week in a row, each finishing with 76. That left very little room for Jon Jon Kamara and Aaron Witt, who both played just one snap. It was Witt’s lowest total of the year, though he also played only one snap in the opener against Notre Dame.
Sebastian Cheeks kept driving the outside linebacker group, posting a career-high 62 snaps. Tyreese Fearbry was right behind him with 43, and his day included strong edge-setting against the run and occasional pressure.
Nick Clayton set a career high too, with 28 snaps, and he has now reached at least 25 snaps in each of Wisconsin’s last four games. Justus Boone played 18, while Michael Garner got three, matching his season low and marking another game without double-digit snaps since Week 3 against Eastern Michigan.
In the secondary, Jai’mier Scott again led the way with 76 snaps, giving him back-to-back games playing every down. Bryce West was right there too with 68, a career high even while dealing with a shoulder stinger.
Javan Robinson finished with 41 defensive snaps, his second-lowest total of the season, and the week’s injury report suggested he may not have been at full strength. Eric Fletcher added 34 snaps.
Safety was where Wisconsin had to improvise most after Marvin Burks Jr was knocked out with an upper body injury. Matt Jung was one of the few constants, playing all 76 defensive snaps.
Cairo Skanes stepped into a major role and made it count, finishing with 65 snaps, a career high, and picking off Jayden Maiava for the second interception of the night. Carson Van Dinter played 16 snaps, his most since the Eastern Michigan game, while Matthew Traynor saw defensive action for the second straight week with six snaps.
In Other News...
Mike Tressel Picked The Perfect Weekend To Make Wisconsin Fans Notice
Mike Tressel got a bit of national recognition this week after CBS Sports named him defensive coordinator of the week for the way Wisconsin handled USC. It was the kind of performance that tends to get noticed around Madison, especially when the Badgers are trying to show their defense can still set the tone in a game against a marquee opponent.
Around the same time, two former Wisconsin defensive coordinators, Dave Doeren at NC State and Dave Aranda at Baylor, were fired from their head coaching jobs. Both have had mixed results in recent years and remain under contract with their schools, which only adds another layer to a complicated coaching tree that Wisconsin fans know well. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin's USC Win Sparked A New Debate Over Its Biggest Difference-Makers
Wisconsins win over USC gave the Badgers more than a satisfying result on the scoreboard. It also offered another look at which players were driving the game in the biggest moments, with Pro Football Focus grades and the stat sheet helping sort out who made the strongest case for impact in the 24-7 home victory.
Sebastian Cheeks stood out in a disruptive defensive effort, piling up 2.5 sacks and six quarterback pressures, while Matthew Jung led the way with six tackles and three pass breakups. Chris Brooks Jr. also made his mark with a touchdown catch, and the broader ranking of 11 players reflected just how many different Badgers contributed to one of the teams more complete performances of the season. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Got Hit With An AP Poll Slide Fans Will Hate
The latest AP Poll shakeup had plenty of fans grumbling, and Wisconsin was part of the conversation as voters sorted through a messy weekend of close losses and narrow escapes across college football. The Badgers were mentioned alongside teams like Washington State, Texas Tech and Tennessee as examples of how inconsistent the rankings can feel when a teams performance on the field does not always match the size of the drop it takes in the poll.
For Wisconsin, the frustration is less about one specific slide and more about the broader message the rankings sent. Competitive losses and quality wins can look very different to voters depending on the week, and the Badgers found themselves in the same debate over fairness, perception and how much stock the AP is really putting into what teams actually do on Saturday. [Read more 🡒]