Wisconsin’s two-half history against USC proved the Badgers are stuck in old habits

LOS ANGELES – Members of the Wisconsin football team walked off the field at the LA Memorial Coliseum at halftime with a brief feeling of satisfaction. For two quarters they had played as well as anyone could have hoped, building an 11-point lead that surprised a heavily favored USC team and offered a glimmer of needed optimism for the program.

It was the team Wisconsin wanted under Luke Fickell – one that was aggressive, opportunistic and high-level. Until it wasn’t the case anymore.

The Badgers went from looking like they were ready to turn a corner to being unable to fight their way out when pushed into a corner. No. 13 USC beat Wisconsin with four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to secure a 38-21 victory on Saturday.

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The Badgers looked like the team they have all too often been – unpredictable and mediocre. And even though the first half offered so many potential positives, it was hard not to feel like this was the same, always the same.

“We play every game like we played in the first half, we’re going to be really good,” Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler said. “And we have it in us. We showed it today. We have it within us. We just have to find a way to play four quarters.”

Achieving that goal proved problematic for an offense and a defense that failed to answer important questions about how to consistently raise the bar. Wisconsin trailed Western Michigan by a point in the fourth quarter of its season opener before escaping with a win, led FCS South Dakota by just four points late in the third quarter and lost by 32 points at home to Alabama two weeks ago. Now this.

In his first start of the season, Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke completed 50 percent of his passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Wisconsin has a 9-8 record since the start of last season and 5-5 in Big Ten play under Fickell. The Badgers are 2-2 this season and 0-1 in league play. And with a schedule that still includes ranked opponents Penn State and Oregon as well as undefeated Rutgers, a one-loss Iowa road game and a pesky Nebraska team, there’s no telling where they’ll end up. Fickell continues to emphasize the importance of making sure everyone is motivated and on the same page.

“I told them in the locker room that they decided to come here,” Fickell said. “We all decided to go into this situation knowing that the Big Ten is something completely different now. So that’s what we wanted. This is what we asked for and now we got it. Sometimes you have to be a man and stand up. We will all figure out how to deal with adversity, how to cope with ourselves, and what we can do to grow.”

Wisconsin deserves credit for its first-half performance against USC. Quarterback Braedyn Locke, who took over the game against Alabama after Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee, delivered two impressive deep balls to set the tone. He threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to receiver Vinny Anthony II and a 35-yard pass to receiver Bryson Green for another score. But the explosive games stopped there.

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Locke has an uncanny ability to complete 50 percent of his passes, something he has done throughout his career at Wisconsin. For the second consecutive game, he completed 13 of 26 passes. And a quarterback who only completes half of his passes struggles to win games on a consistent basis in this league – especially in an offense under coordinator Phil Longo that strives for a run-pass balance. Wisconsin finished the game with four punts, a turnover on downs and a Locke pass that was intercepted by USC linebacker Mason Cobb and returned 55 yards for a touchdown.

The running game didn’t provide much relief for Locke. The biggest backbreaker came in the third quarter, when Wisconsin led 21-17 and faced a fourth-and-a-half yard at the USC 33-yard line. The Badgers lined up shotgun and didn’t block the back of the play, allowing safety Kamari Ramsey to stuff Walker for no gain and a turnover on downs. USC scored on its next possession to take a 24-21 lead that it wouldn’t relinquish.

It was the second straight game in which Wisconsin failed to convert on a fourth-and-1 running shotgun play. Fickell has drawn anger from former players over the decision to use a shotgun in short-yardage situations as Wisconsin’s entire offense has moved away from the sub-center system established under previous staffs. He said it didn’t matter whether the play was called from shotgun or midrange because Wisconsin’s inability to block was more important.

“I have to get it,” Walker said. “It’s the quarterfinals. It doesn’t matter how many people are in this box. I have to get it.”

Wisconsin’s defense was equally uneven. Safety Preston Zachman intercepted USC quarterback Miller Moss at midfield in the first half. And safety Austin Brown came off the edge to sack Moss and force a fumble that defensive lineman Ben Barten recovered. Then the defense played in a way that, according to Zachman, was “the complete opposite in the second half.” It simply failed to get stops at critical moments as USC’s game-winning receivers wreaked havoc on Wisconsin. The Badgers finished the second half with three first downs to the Trojans’ 13.

Moss converted passes on third-and-7 and third-and-15 before throwing a 6-yard touchdown to receiver Ja’Kobi Lane on third-and-goal to take the lead. USC finished the third game with 11 of 17 points. It didn’t help that Wisconsin punt returner Tyrell Henry parried a punt that led to a USC touchdown, avenging a first-half muff by the Trojans that the Badgers converted into a score.

“We have to find a way to get back into the swing of things when things go against us,” Fickell said. “It’s probably as big a problem now as it is right now. At the end of the day, it’s not a magical thing you can say. It’s not like taking a time out and gathering them all together and giving them a speech. It’s like, ‘Okay, men.’ Someone has to come forward. Someone has to make a play. They won’t give it to us.’”

How much is half of good football worth when played away from home against a top 15 opponent? Wisconsin players tried to find a silver lining by addressing the question afterward. Wohler said that while the back-to-back losses look bad, he believes the Badgers are “on an upward trend.” Anthony said, “We have plenty of movies to show we can be with anyone,” while Zachman insisted, “We’re spot on.”

Sure, Wisconsin showed its potential on Saturday. But it will take a lot more for the Badgers to become the team they want to be. It is unclear whether they can actually overcome this hurdle.

(Top photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)