Coming into Saturday’s game as a 34-point underdog to Wisconsin, South Florida had to feel good about where they were, down just 20-10 with wide receiver Kennar Swanson running down the sidelines after a 52-yard pass completion. Swanson was just ten yards away from putting the Bulls within three points of the No. 19 Badgers in the fourth quarter, but in came a swarm of Wisconsin defenders.
True freshman safety came Lubern Figaro flew in and hit Swanson on the 10-yard line, forcing the ball out of his hands. There to pick up the ball was UW outside linebacker Vince Biegel. The forced fumble gave the ball back to Wisconsin, who would then go on an 18-play, 90-yard drive that took 9: 33 off the clock and ended in a touchdown pass from Tanner McEvoy to Sam Arneson that put the Badgers up for good, 27-10.
“I was kind of eyeing the ball up the whole time,” Biegel said. “Lubern [Figaro] hit the ball with his helmet, and I kind of simultaneously picked up the ball as it kind of hit it so it was a fortunate play by us. And it was a huge play. I think it kind of really was a huge momentum swing. [South Florida] was about to go down there and score…it was a huge play by our freshman free safety.”
Forcing a big turnover when it’s needed has been a theme for the Wisconsin defense this season, and it continued against USF on Saturday as the Badgers forced two turnovers and allowed only ten points to the Bulls.
Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen admitted after the game that his team can’t always rely on a turnover to bail out the defense, but was still impressed that Figaro came up with such a big play when the defense really needed it.
“Huge play by Lubern [Figaro],” Andersen said. “What an unbelievable play by a true freshman in a situation to make that play in that moment was impressive.”
While the Wisconsin offense struggled in the first half, scoring only three points, the Badger defense was right there to keep them in the game, giving up only three points and 101 yards to the Bulls through the first two quarters of play.
The players on the defensive side of the ball described the win as a sloppy one, including on defense, but it’s hard to argue with the results that occurred on the field. South Florida finished with only 245 yards of total offense including just 173 yards through the air and 72 on the ground. Freshman Marlon Mack, who entered Saturday’s game as the nation’s ninth-leading rusher, finished the game with only 34 yards on just 10 carries for the Bulls.
USF quarterback Mike White went just 8-for-19 for 173 yards, with 52 of those yards coming on the pass completion to Swanson that ended in the fumble.
An area of concern for the Badgers on defense, which was showcased on Saturday as well, is the susceptibility to the big play. Saturday, South Florida had five plays of over 20 yards, four of which came through the air.
But senior linebacker Marcus Trotter sees those situations as a time for the defense to step up and take the ball away. While they have surrendered the big plays this season, UW is still the only team in the nation who has not allowed a red zone touchdown so far this season.
“That’s what you need to do as a defense. If it’s not going your way you have to find a way to get the ball back and what better way than a takeaway. So we’re getting better at that and the coaches are really focusing on that,” Trotter said.
Wisconsin’s other turnover on defense came in the first quarter with the game tied at three. Linebacker Derek Landisch picked off a pass that was dropped by South Florida’s Mike McFarland, and returned it 19 yards to the USF 36 yard-line. Landisch, who finished the day with three tackles, also had the only sack of the game for the Badger defense. Both tackles for loss from the UW defense on Saturday were also courtesy of Landisch, who is without a doubt having his best season as a Badger, and Andersen recognizes the senior’s strong leadership on the defense.
“His presence is felt on the field, his presence is felt in the locker room more every single day and every single week,” Andersen said of Landisch. “You can see it on Tuesday just as well as you can see it on Saturday. He’s a huge part of that defense.”
Most players on the defense recognize that they have a lot of things to work on as Big Ten play arrives next weekend against Northwestern. However, the defense can certainly build upon the fact that they have given up an average of 10 points per game over their last three contests, and rank in the top 25 when it comes to most major defensive categories, including scoring defense, and total yards per game.
It’s a defense that, barring the big play, appears to be ready for the gauntlet that is the Big Ten season, and one that can keep a slow-starting offense in the game.
“I think we built some momentum and we kind of have an identity on defense,” Landisch said. “We want to make big plays, we want to create turnovers and we want to carry that into Big Ten play.”
“Had a few good warm-up games, had a good LSU game, but now it’s time to really roll,” defensive end Konrad Zagzebski said. “It’s really time to hone in, get serious, and run the Big Ten as we like to say.”
