TAMPA -- Does anything in football quite compare to a "Big Man Touchdown?"

On Friday night in the second quarter of Wisconsin's 49-0 win over South Florida, defensive end Matt Henningsen found himself with the ball in his hands racing towards the end zone after a strip-sack by redshirt senior outside linebacker Zack Baun.

What was the former walk-on and third-year defensive end thinking when he crossed the goal line?

"I don't know what I was thinking. Don't fumble," Henningsen said after the game. "I was thinking don't fumble, hold the ball tight."

Henningsen's 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown extended the Badgers' lead to two scores in an eventual lopsided road win.

On South Florida's first drive of the second quarter on 2nd-and-9, Baun came off the edge and hit quarterback Blake Barnett. The outside linebacker utilized "a basic chop, dip, rip around the edge," which popped the ball up into the humid Florida air.

"Their left tackle came from guard," Baun said. "He played guard last year so we knew that his set is a little flatter, so we knew we could beat him with hands and speed."

The pigskin proceeded to hang up in the air. Henningsen, who played in all 13 games last season and saw significant snaps on Friday evening, grabbed it and began running towards the end zone.

"The hit was big. That was awesome," Henningsen said. "I didn't know whether he passed it or fumbled it, but I was like, 'I got to catch it.'"

So Henningsen came down with the ball, ran with it and scored.

"I mean, you practice this all the time whenever you have the ball -- go score, right?" Henningsen said. "That's what you do."

While Henningsen saw the hit by Baun on Barnett that jarred the ball loose to create the takeaway, the latter admitted he didn't know he forced the fumble. He just knew he got to the passer and made a hit on him.

"I was celebrating by myself," Baun said with a smile. "I look at the sideline, and they're cheering, and I hear cheering behind me. Then I turn around and all my teammates are celebrating in the back of the end zone by the Hooters sign. I wasn't sure, so I had to go celebrate with them."

Though it appeared to be a pick-six with the return for the touchdown, the official ruling was recorded as a sack and forced fumble by Baun with the 16-yard fumble recovery for Henningsen. Most importantly, it was a significant touchdown in the first half that jolted Wisconsin (1-0) when its offense stalled the two series previously after an initial season-opening score by running back Jonathan Taylor.

Both players cranked up the pressure on South Florida (0-1) on Friday night as Baun and Henningsen each recorded one sack and one quarterback hurry. The defense as a whole tallied four sacks, five tackles for loss and three turnovers in a win where the unit allowed a mere 157 total yards to the Bulls.

"I mean, Coach (Paul) Chryst has been harping on just you never know when the big play's going to happen," Henningsen said. "He actually went around the room and asked everyone what their favorite play was that they've ever had here. Every single time it was different play, different game. It was just like you didn't know when it was going to happen.

"Thankful that I had the chance today to make a big play."