Yeah, USC helped them out in the first half. After that beautiful 6 play 75 yard drive to start the game with a 7-0 lead, Wisconsin was able to tie it up on just four plays in a minute and a half on a 63 yard TD bomb that easily found its way through the USC secondary. Then there was the Miller Moss interception on our next drive and the Badger punt that bounced off of Zachariah Branch’s arms before slipping through another USC player’s hands before being recovered by Wisconsin. And of course let’s not forget the Moss red zone fumble that helped Wisconsin go up 21-10 at the half which of course got the fans who have been generationally spoiled by their father’s and grandfather’s USC success stories upset and booing the team off the field at the break.
But if you haven’t noticed yet, D’Anton Lynn has been making great adjustments at the half of every game they’ve played. On average they have been giving up just a little over 11 points in the first half of the four games they’ve played but less than six points after the break. And the second half improvements aren’t just limited to the defense, the offense is also averaging just 12.5 points in the first half of their games but almost 22 points in the second half. And the second half of this one was no exception—as USC not only held the Badgers to a three-and-out to start the 3rd Qtr but scoreless the entire second half while Miller Moss exorcised his first half demons with two TD passes and a 7 yard TD run to put the Trojans up 31-21 deep into the 4th Qtr. Three minutes later the Trojans’ Senior LB Mason Cobb would raise a glass and toast this second half beatdown with a 55 yard interception for TD run to win it going away 38-21.
On the day, USC’s Junior QB Miller Moss connected on 30-of-45 for 308 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 interception while also rushing 5 times for 17 yards and another score resulting in a concussion evaluation after an awkward fall into the end zone. As Ryan Kartje described it for the Los Angeles Times; “He’d [Moss] pay for that final score, though, spinning out of one tackle before colliding into another as he leaped into the end zone for a game-sealing score. He fell backward through the air and his helmet hit the turf on the play.” Let’s hope that effort will encourage the first half boo birds to show a bit more grace the next time their team is struggling for a bit. On the day the Trojans rushed 37 times for 161 yards and that one Miller Moss score with Senior RB Woody Marks and Freshman Quinten Joiner combining for 25 carries and 112 of those yards. They dominated in first downs, 29-to-13; total yards, 469-to-286; had the ball for 20 more minutes and converted their third downs well over 60% of the time compared to just 20% for Wisconsin. The Trojans hit the road to take on Minnesota this coming Saturday, October 5th, and then come back home to host a crucial game against No. 7 Penn State—a game both teams will look at as “must win.”