MADISON - In the aftermath of a back and forth slugfest last Saturday, redshirt freshman Ricardo Hallman remained on the turf and looked off into the scoreboard amidst a celebration from Michigan State.

Hallman had tight coverage on the game-ending play against Jayden Reed, who went up and snagged the ball for a 27-yard touchdown. That put a final exclamation point on what was a rough day for the first-year starter. Pro Football Focus had Hallman tabbed for five allowed catches on eight targets for 85 yards and three touchdowns, along with four missed tackles.

"I think when it first happens it's like the world is crashing down," Hallman said.

"It humbles you a little bit. It definitely humbles you and it just lets me know that I still need that work to put in against the top-tier guys, top-tier talent. I think it taught me."

Lifting Hallman off the ground were senior teammates Alex Smith and John Torchio. The two were just the start in a team-wide motion of support for Hallman. Nick Herbig, Darryl Peterson and the entire defensive back room reached out to Hallman in the moments and days after with positive messages.

"I’ve been there before," Herbig said. "I’ve been a young player before. I’ve been a guy that you kind of feel like you let your team down."

"Having that confidence from guys letting me know they still believe you that definitely helps me move forward," Hallman said. "My coaches and teammates, they all made me feel confident and helped me move forward to the next one."

The game was the first rough outing for the redshirt freshman, who is in a starting role for the first time. Up until this past Saturday, Hallman had allowed just seven catches on 19 targets and hadn't given up a touchdown through 143 coverage snaps.

"He knows he can play better, he has played better," Jim Leonhard said after the game. "We got a lot of confidence in his ability and we have to remain confident at that position. If that starts to slide, then we get into problems.

“We support him. He’s played some great football for us. He’s going to grow through this one for sure."

Hallman really only had one coverage bust. On the first play of overtime, he bit down on a reverse to Jayden Reed while in man coverage and his responsibility, Keon Coleman, was open in the end zone and came down with a contested catch against Jay Shaw. A costly miscue, but aside from that, Hallman had been in good position throughout the afternoon.

"On all those plays I knew I was close the whole time but it was just a matter of if I would’ve put the hand a little higher or been more aggressive here. Just certain things like that I wish I could get back," Hallman said. “That’s the most frustrating part just realizing as you see it more like ‘damn, I was right there.’ That’s really frustrating because you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be in those moments and make those plays, and then when you’re not able to make those plays it can be very frustrating."

The flipside to the plays given up is that the errors are fixable and the adjustments aren't drastic.

"I think the best thing is realizing how close I was," he added. "I wasn’t out of position, it’s just minor things I know I can fix so that gives me a lot of confidence knowing I was really close."

When asked where his confidence was coming off the performance, Hallman never wavered and said his "confidence is still high."

"I am not going to let these plays define me because I know what I can do and I feel like I’ve shown that through all the games I’ve played so my confidence is still high."

Part of Torchio's message for the young corner: this part of his learning process. Hallman may not realize it now but he'll learn and grow from the game.

"As the day went on and then you just watch the film and all your teammates tell you this is a chance to grow, I think that really applies to me because I remember that I’m a young guy, " Hallman said.

"This is my first year starting and everything is going to come along with it. I just got to keep my confidence up. I know this is really going to be a monumental moment for me down the road so just getting past this. I would rather get this now than later so I think it’s a great opportunity to bounce back and just show resilience."

Hallman won't have to wait long for an opportunity to rebound. Wisconsin welcomes Aidan O'Connell and Purdue to Camp Randall this weekend. O'Connell has thrown 14 touchdown passes and is completing 66.2 percent of his attempts. He leads an offense that averages 34.0 points and 446.6 yards per contest.

"That definitely helps me out a lot,” Hallman said. “Knowing I’m going to get a lot of opportunities with Purdue throwing the ball as much as I do, so it gives me a lot of confidence that, hey, you have another week, don’t worry about it."

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