For the first half of Saturday’s game against West Virginia, the Wisconsin Badgers looked the best they have as a team in the last three seasons. The Badgers put up 27 points in the second quarter en-route to beating the Mountaineers 34-17.
The win moves the Badgers to 3-0 for the season, with two games remaining before Big Ten play begins.
“I really liked the way that the guys played in the first half in all three phases,” head coach Barry Alvarez said. “I liked the way our offense exploded when they had opportunities in the second quarter. I thought our defense played particularly well in the first half.”
The Badgers opened the scoring in the game on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brooks Bollinger to freshman Jonathon Orr. Orr was able to get a foot down as he made a leaping grab along the right side of the end zone with 6:54 remaining in the first quarter. The score capped off the four-play, 59-yard drive.
The Badger defense also looked extremely good in the first half. Led by captain Jeff Mack, the unit caused West Virginia to go three and out four times in the first half and allowed the Mountaineers just five first downs. Their good defense was an especially positive element for the Badgers. It was their first look at a team that plays a spread offense, which has torched the Badgers in the past.
“That first half was as good as we have played,” defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “The good thing now is that we have the ability to keep our field team out there with the speed that they have. We don’t have to be using a nickel-or-dime type defense all the time.”
The defense’s control of the game translated into scores when the offense caught fire in the second quarter.
With West Virginia packing nine men into the box on most plays, Bollinger was able to find holes in the secondary–holes he exploited on his way to passing for 203 yards in the first half.
Wisconsin’s second score of the game came with 10:09 remaining in the second quarter, when freshman tailback Dwayne Smith punched it in from the four-yard line. Smith carried the ball five times for a total of 29 yards.
“It (the touchdown) felt great–the atmosphere and all the fans. I have my family here,” Smith said. “To have my teammates cheering me on and that was a great, great feeling.”
On the following drive, Anthony Davis was able to spin off from a would-be tackler to score on a six-yard touchdown run. The touchdown gave the Badgers a 21-3 lead after the extra point. The score was also the first touchdown of the season for Davis, the leading rusher in last year’s Big Ten. Davis carried the ball only 12 times for 48 yards Saturday. It is the second consecutive game that Wisconsin has won without having a back-run for over 100 yards since Sept. 21 and 28, 1991.
The Badgers went back to the air for their fourth touchdown of the game. With 3:34 left in the second quarter, UW used play action to free up Jonathon Orr on a 43-yard Brooks Bollinger touchdown throw. The play was Orr’s second touchdown and gave him 62 yards receiving in the first half.
The last of the Badger scoring came with 1:16 left in the second quarter. Freshman fullback Matt Bernstein powered the ball in from the two-yard line after a 24-yard completion to Brandon Williams. A West Virginia penalty moved Wisconsin to the West Virginia two-yard line. Bernstein returned from a knee injury that he sustained in the opener against Fresno State.
The majority of Wisconsin’s first-half offense came through the air on passes from Bollinger to freshman receivers. True freshman Brandon Williams led the Badgers in receiving as he had six receptions for 125 yards. His good performance came on the heels of fellow freshman Jonathon Orr’s 150 yards last week.
“All things considered, there were some very positive steps for this football team,” offensive coordinator Brian White said. “We scored 34 points in the first half, so I would consider that a pretty good improvement.”
West Virginia cut into the Badger lead in the second half, as the Badger offense became more conservative and the defense appeared somewhat fatigued at times in the 85-degree-plus temperatures.
The Mountaineers were able to take the opening drive of the second half 80 yards on nine plays to bring the score to 34-10. The West Virginia touchdown came on a rush by Avon Cobourne in which he stiff-armed Scott Starks to get around the corner and into the end zone from six yards out. Cobourne carried the ball 18 times for 79 yards while also adding three receptions.
The final score of the game came on a quarterback keeper by Marshall with 7:18 left in the game. The score brought the Mountaineers to within 17 points, but they got no closer in the remaining minutes.
