No. 13 USC used a second-half rally to top Wisconsin 38-21 at the Coliseum on Saturday. The Trojans improve to 3-1 after slipping up in their first Big Ten game against Michigan while the Badgers fall to 2-2.
Wisconsin, coming off a bye week after its loss to Alabama, led 21-10 at halftime but let the opportunity to clinch a quality conference win slip away in a scoreless second half. Quarterback Braedyn Locke made his first start of the season since starter Tyler Van Dyke’s ACL injury. Locke went 13-of-26 passing for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Trojans outgained Wisconsin 205-82 in the second half. Quarterback Miller Moss completed 30 of his 45 passes for 308 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Here’s what we learned from the game:
USC’s second-half response
The Trojans’ first-half performance was inexcusable on Saturday. There were drops, interceptions, sloppy penalties, and just an overall lack of discipline on both sides of the ball. It was the worst half of football USC has played this season.
As a result, the Trojans found themselves trailing by 11 points at halftime for the second consecutive week. USC responded well and showed some toughness last week as it put itself in position to beat Michigan. Ultimately, the Trojans fell short.
USC responded similarly this week. After trailing at the break, it scored 21 consecutive points to take a 31-21 lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
This time, the rally started when Wisconsin muffed a punt and the Trojans recovered at the Badgers’ 30-yard line. Moss found Ja’Kobi Lane often on that drive and capped it off with a 6-yard touchdown toss to the young sophomore.
Fellow sophomore wideout Duce Robinson made some big plays on the ensuing offensive possession, including an 8-yard score. The offense picked up yards in bunches on the possession after that, which ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Moss.
The defense also played more disciplined football. Safety Kamari Ramsey came up with a critical fourth-and-1 stop when Wisconsin was deep in USC territory and then lit up a Badgers pass catcher on third down the series after that to force a punt, which allowed the Trojans to continue the rally. — Morales
Badgers come up short
Wisconsin was coming off a 42-10 throttling by Alabama two weeks ago at Camp Randall Stadium, the program’s worst home loss in 16 years. Given the way the Badgers performed against the Crimson Tide, as well as in two closer-than-expected wins to open the season against lesser foes, it was fair to wonder how ready Wisconsin was for Big Ten play.
The Badgers breathed optimism into the program for two quarters, taking a halftime lead before wilting in the second half. USC simply possessed too many playmakers on offense, and Wisconsin didn’t have the answers. The loss dropped Luke Fickell to 0-4 against ranked teams while at Wisconsin and means he still is in search of his first signature win since he took over the program.
There were questions before this contest about how many winnable games remained on Wisconsin’s schedule because it includes ranked foes Penn State, Oregon and Nebraska, as well as Iowa and unbeaten Rutgers. That concern isn’t likely to change. If you’re looking for optimism, Wisconsin at least made a game of it into the fourth quarter. But that doesn’t change the fact the Badgers are now 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten and have a tough road ahead. — Temple
Ja’Kobi Lane steps up for USC
USC’s receiver unit is spearheaded by four talented but young sophomores who are still growing into their roles. So far, that group’s on-field performance has been inconsistent. Each player is good but nobody had emerged as a true No. 1 option through three games.
That might’ve changed with Lane’s performance against Wisconsin. Lane caught nine passes for 108 and two touchdowns to help spearhead the Trojans’ second-half rally.
Moss has distributed the ball fairlt evenly in his four career starts. He’s thrown for at least 229 yards in each of those games, but entering Saturday, there hasn’t been a 100-yard receiver in any of the games he’s started.
That is due to how much he spreads the ball around, but has there been a real alpha who has necessitated more target share?
Lane looked like that guy on Saturday afternoon as Moss went to him in several critical situations. Moss went to Lane in key fourth-quarter moments against LSU and Michigan as well. So Lane might be growing into that No. 1 role. — Morales
There goes that man @cantGuardJak1
📺 @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/alSJ2bOK0l
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) September 28, 2024
Questions remain for Wisconsin’s offense and defense
Van Dyke suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee against Alabama, which thrust Locke into action under difficult circumstances for a second consecutive season. Locke entered Wisconsin’s idle week knowing he would have nine full regular season games to prove himself and delivered a couple big plays early in the game against USC.
There was a beautiful 63-yard touchdown pass to receiver Vinny Anthony II, who beat USC cornerback Jacobe Covington down the left sideline for the longest Badgers play of the season to tie the score at 7-7 with 10:52 remaining in the first quarter. There was also a 35-yard completion to receiver Bryson Green that led to running back Tawee Walker’s touchdown run and a 21-10 second-quarter lead.
But Locke and Wisconsin simply didn’t have enough firepower to sustain that momentum. A big blow came when Walker was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 run from the shotgun at the USC 33-yard line during the third quarter. The Trojans scored on the next drive to take the lead. Rare were the effective rushing plays, and Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo continues to search for answers.
Wisconsin’s defense, meanwhile, could not consistently get off the field at critical moments and gave Moss too much time to throw. Three straight Trojans touchdown drives in the second half sealed the Badgers’ fate. During that stretch, Wisconsin failed to stop five consecutive third downs and then couldn’t keep Moss out of the end zone on a fourth-and-1 run. — Temple
(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
