MADISON, WIS. -- Army came into Camp Randall Stadium and gave quite a scare by closing to within one-score twice in the fourth quarter.
However, Wisconsin utilized a key turnover to its advantage, then held on thanks to an onside kick recovery en route to a 20-14 win on Saturday night.
BadgerBlitz.com presents its takeaways from a game that boosts UW (3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) to the .500 mark before the conference schedule revs up.
TALE OF TWO HALVES FOR WISCONSIN'S DEFENSE AGAINST ARMY TRIPLE-OPTION
We spoke all week about Army's vaunted triple-option, flexbone offense and the unique challenges it would present. It came into the game averaging 318.2 yards per game, second in the FBS behind Air Force. Wisconsin entered the contest first in the country in rush defense, holding foes to just 41.4 yards per contest.
On Saturday, Army accumulated 179 yards on 3.6 yards per carry.
The two halves told two completely different stories. Wisconsin contained Army in the first half to just 48 rushing yards on 2.4 yards per carry. Those final two quarters, however, the Black Knights gained 131 yards on 4.4 per attempt on way to 218 total yards after halftime.
Wisconsin's defense gave up three runs of 10 or more yards in the second half, plus two passing plays of at least 35 yards in that span.
However, UW came up with a huge turnover on a Leo Chenal sack in the fourth quarter, which eventually led to a game-deciding score on a Graham Mertz one-yard sneak.
