[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In a game mired by penalties and missed chances, Wisconsin turned to the same formula it used in its season-opening victory over Bowling Green: ride tailback Brian Calhoun to a win. This time the Badgers survived a major road test, grinding out a narrow 14-5 decision over the North Carolina Tar Heels in a Saturday night match-up.

Calhoun accounted for 197 of Wisconsin's 304 total yards of offense, carrying the ball 38 times for 171 yards and catching a pair of John Stocco passes for 26 yards. More importantly, the junior tailback scored the only two touchdowns in a contest that's start was delayed 19 minutes due to possible inclement weather.

"That's the kind of game it was. In the flow of the game I'm not counting snaps," Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez said. "I've got my best guy in there carrying the ball. If he's fresh, he's going to be in there."

The storms held off and Wisconsin took control in a field-position-oriented defensive battle. North Carolina's offense struggled out of the chute; punting on three of its first four possessions, interspersed with an interception by fifth-year senior quarterback Matt Baker.

The Badger offense moved the ball effectively for much of the first half, but only generated seven points in the opening half on an eight-yard touchdown scamper from Calhoun. Alvarez elected to gamble on fourth-and-inches rather than send sophomore kicker Taylor Mehlhaff onto the field, and it paid off when Calhoun took the handoff off the left tackle for the score, capping an eight-play, 45-yard drive.

"Obviously I was a big focal point of the offense, but they called my number and I had to come up and provide a spark for our offense because we were kind of in a stalemate sometimes," Calhoun said. "So, we got a few big runs and the o-line did a terrific job."

On its last possession prior to Calhoun's touchdown, Wisconsin once again drove deep into Tar Heel territory only to come up empty handed following a Booker Stanley fumble. UNC linebacker Doug Justice knocked the ball out of Stanley's grip at the 11-yard line on the running back's first touch of the game, and UNC defensive end Brian Rackley recovered at the eight.

North Carolina finally got on the board via a 43-yard field goal from Connor Barth with 6:33 remaining in the second half. Barth had previously made a 52-yard attempt in the quarter only to have it nullified by a delay-of-game penalty. The Tar Heels were no stranger to yellow flags throughout the contest, racking up 12 penalties for a whopping 115 yards, 58 more than their rushing total.

"There were a lot of flags and I'm sure you're sitting down here in North Carolina saying that's a Big Ten crew," Alvarez said. "But it was both ways. I think, quite frankly, what they called was there."

Wisconsin didn't help itself either, totaling eight infractions for 74 yards. One of those penalties negated a Stocco touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels late in the second quarter. Instead, the Badgers settled for a field goal attempt, which Mehlhaff missed wide right from 51 yards with 2:06 remaining in the first half.

Despite the offensive deficiencies, the Badger defense held strong with an undermanned defensive line to extend its streak of quarters without allowing a touchdown to eight. Starting end Jamal Cooper went down with an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the second quarter, but the line continued to pressure Baker, sacking him four times. Baker left the game at one point during the third quarter and appeared shaken up on several different occasions. The Tar Heels' only points of the second half came when Badger punter Ken DeBauche stepped out of the end zone after time expired for a safety.

"I thought our defensive coaches really had a nice game plan and the kids executed," Alvarez said. "A lot of guys play[ed] in the secondary, and we had to have them. As thin as we were up front, boy oh boy that's quite an effort."

Even so, North Carolina hung tough, stuffing Calhoun on another fourth-and-one attempt in Wisconsin's first drive of the second half and forcing three straight punts on UW's ensuing possessions. However, a missed field goal by Barth from 50 yards out gave the Badgers yet another opportunity to distance themselves from the Tar Heels, and Calhoun made sure they did just that.

The junior tailback carried five times for 47 yards and capped the scoring drive with a four-yard score to give Wisconsin a 14-3 lead with 7:12 remaining in the game.

"Our offense needed a big play," Calhoun said. "It was 7-3 so we definitely needed an extra score and everybody on the offense kind of looked at each other, this is the drive that we need to seal the deal."

The win capped an emotional week for Alvarez, who missed practice last Wednesday to attend his father, Tony's, funeral, who passed away last Sunday night in Washington, Penn.

"This has been a very emotional week, you can imagine. I am just emotionally drained right now," Alvarez said. "I'm zapped. I'm just totally zapped. I'm really pleased to walk out of here with a win."