[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

They knew it was coming.
They knew they had a target on them. Maybe that’s why they were able to stop
it.

Fully aware that the
Marshall attack was going to be coming after them, the Wisconsin secondary rose
to the challenge Saturday, forcing three interceptions that helped put away the
Thundering Herd.

“We felt like they were
going to try and go deep on us, try to attack the young guys,” cornerback Allen
Langford said. “That’s what they did; that’s what we came out doing. We came in
the second half, and we stopped it. We took it upon ourselves to stop the big
plays, and that’s what we did.”

It started on Marshall’s
first possession of the second half. With his team down just three points,
quarterback Mark Cann — who had already thrown for 183 yards — had his
third-down pass intercepted by Niles Brinkley and returned to the Marshall
22-yard line.

Two plays later, P.J.
Hill scored on a 1-yard run, and the Badgers made it a two-possession game.

Cann rebounded, though,
and on Marshall’s next possession the quarterback drove his team across
midfield into Wisconsin territory. But safety Shane Carter intercepted another
third-down pass, and after a long return that extended from one sideline to the
other, the Badgers had the ball on the Marshall 26-yard line.

Just one play later the
Badgers scored, and a 17-14 contest quickly turned into a 31-14 blowout.

After a strong first
half, Cann was pulled less than six minutes into the third quarter, and though
he returned late in the game, the damage was too much for Marshall to overcome.

Cann’s replacement,
Brian Anderson, didn’t fare much better. His first passing attempt was
intercepted by Brinkley as well. It was the third straight Marshall possession
to end in an interception.

The three takeaways were
a vast improvement for a unit that struggled in the team’s opener against
Akron.

Brinkley’s performance
was especially impressive. The sophomore didn’t have much experience under his
belt but was thrust into extended playing time against Marshall when starter
Mario Goins aggravated an injury early on.

“When we saw [Goins]
maybe not running full speed we made a decision to go with Brinkley,” head
coach Bret Bielema said. “We thought Niles would give us a better opportunity
today, and obviously he took advantage of it.”

Despite lining up
against Marshall’s star receiver Darius Passmore at times, Brinkley didn’t
blink. Two interceptions later, it was clear Bielema’s decision had paid off.

“All I wanted to do was
get the offense the ball back so they could be in position to score,” Brinkley
said. “All big plays like that give the team a boost of energy.”

The first of Brinkley’s
two picks came after reading the route and stepping in front of the pass.

“I was basically just
reading my keys, going through the progressions, doing what the coaches tell
me,” Brinkley said. “I saw him throwing the ball and I just broke on the ball.
There wasn’t anything going through my mind. I was just focused on the receiver
and trying to make a play.”

His second interception
was a little more athletic. After the pass was tipped off of Passmore’s hands,
Brinkley reacted immediately and caught the ball as it went out of bounds.

“He’s got good ball
skills; he’s a physical kid,” Bielema said. “The awareness on the second
[interception] is hopefully a good corner in the making.”

Carter’s interception
came on a questionable pass that was suspect enough for Marshall coach Mark
Snyder to pull his quarterback over.

Carter’s return was a
little questionable as well.

The safety cut across
the entire width of the field searching for a path to the end zone before
finally being brought down deep in Marshall territory.

“I think we need to work
with Mr. Carter and Mr. Brinkley on their return skills, just securing the
football,” Bielema said.

Brinkley fumbled his
first interception, but the ball went out of bounds before Marshall could
recover it.

Returns aside, the
performance of the secondary put the Badgers in a position to win and helped to
remove any lingering doubts about the unit.

“It’s hopefully
addicting,” Bielema said.