LOS ANGELES - Wisconsin played an excellent first 30 minutes but fell apart in the second half to fall to 2-2 on the season.
BadgerBlitz.com has grades and game balls from Wisconsin's Week 5 defeat at the hands of the Trojans.
OFFENSE: C+
The Badgers' offense looked good in the first half, scoring three touchdowns on six drives. Still, the 21-point outburst in the first half was fools' gold. The Badgers' first score came on a four-play drive, as Vinny Anthony took a go ball 63 yards to the house. The second touchdown came on a one-play drive, as Wisconsin took over on USC's 18 yard-line following a muffed punt. Only one of the Badgers' scoring drives was a true sustained drive.
It's nice to be able to move the ball in chunks, and it's certainly encouraging to see for an offense that had struggled mightily in that category. But that's not the whole answer for a unit that still looks like it doesn't do any one thing particularly well.
In the second half, Wisconsin's offense continued to be unable to sustain drives. The difference? It was also unable to hit on the big plays. The result was a unit that couldn't do anything. The Badgers failed to possess the football, and it hurt them in the second half when they couldn't create big plays downfield.
In his first start of 2024, Braedyn Locke was very hot-and-cold. His 63-yard touchdown pass to Anthony on the first drive was an absolute dime down the sideline. Still, he missed receivers here and there, and finished the day with just 180 yards, a touchdown and a pick-six on 50 percent completion. The downfield passing was a nice addition to the offense, but again, it wasn't accompanied by improvement in any other area.
The ground game started off humming, with 73 yards and 5.6 yards-per-carry in the first half. In the second half, it disappeared entirely. Wisconsin ran for 32 yards on 2.9 yards-per-carry in the second period, and were unable to use the rushing attack to stay on schedule. There were nice carries from several backs, such as Tawee Walker's 18-yard touchdown run. Still, no tailback truly got hot, meaning the Badgers had no hot hand to ride.
Wisconsin was able to conceal its lack of rhythm in the first half with big plays, but it was on full display in the final 30 minutes. The Trojans were also able to contain Will Pauling to the tune of two grabs for 11 yards, which is another big reason why the Badgers finished a lowly 2-for-10 on third down. Another reason is that they averaged 7.7 yards to go in order to move the sticks, another sign that this offense failed to stay on schedule.
Ultimately, the big plays through the air were a step forward. The first half, where Wisconsin managed to reward its defense for creating turnovers, was a positive. But it was far from a complete game, and this unit still has a long way to go.
