The University of Wisconsin football team was held scoreless in the second half as 19th-ranked Fresno State came from behind to hand the Badgers their second straight loss in a 32-20 decision today at Camp Randall Stadium.

Wisconsin (1-2 overall) led 20-10 at halftime, but Fresno State’s Bernard Berrian opened the second half with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. A successful run by halfback Alec Greco for the two-point conversion cut Wisconsin’s advantage to 20-18. After intercepting UW quarterback Jim Sorgi on the Badgers’ next possession, FSU quarterback David Carr connected with Rodney Wright for a 16-yard touchdown reception to give the Bulldogs (3-0) their first lead of the game.

A pair of Asen Asparuhov field goals gave Fresno State its final margin of victory.

“We were defeated by a team that played much better than us today. Fresno State is a good football team,” said UW head coach Barry Alvarez. “I thought they showed a lot of character. They showed that they’re a veteran team and a good football team coming on the road, falling behind and being able to come back and win that football game. I really felt that the kickoff return to open the second half really swung the momentum. We never seemed to recover after that.”

UW junior Lee Evans caught seven passes for a career-high 182 yards, the fourth-best total in school history, while freshman Anthony Davis led the Badges on the ground, rushing 24 times for 137 yards. Sorgi tossed for a career-high 246 yards, including one touchdown, and went over the 1,000-yard mark for career passing yardage, bringing his total to 1,242 yards.

Wisconsin struck first in the game, using just four plays and 1:14 to complete a 72-yard drive on the opening possession. Sorgi connected with Evans for a 24-yard gain, followed by a 43-yard run by Davis to set up Sorgi’s 1-yard dive for a touchdown.

Fresno State evened the score at 7-7 at the 9:00 mark when Carr connected with Marque Davis for a 20-yard strike. The Badgers again took the lead on a 53-yard completion to Evans. The Bulldogs cut Wisconsin’s lead to 14-10 with a Asparuhov field goal.

Freshman walk-on Mike Allen booted two field goals, including a 50-yarder in the second quarter to give the UW a 10-point lead at the break. Allen is now 4-5 on field goals and 8-9 on extra points this season.

Wisconsin continues its 2001 season at home next Saturday against Western Kentucky. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CST.