Shouldering the majority of the Badger offensive attack, junior running back Brian Calhoun starred in Wisconsin's 14-5 road victory over North Carolina (0-2).
Rushing for 171 yards on 38 attempts, Calhoun scored both Badger touchdowns for an offense incapable of converting most scoring opportunities on the night.
Notching his seventh and eighth touchdowns in only his third game in a Badger uniform, Calhoun elevated himself near the elite of NCAA running backs.
\That's what difference-makers do, and he certainly was the difference in that game,"" UW co-offensive coordinator Brian White said. ""In my humble opinion, [Calhoun] was the best football player on the field. And there were a lot of good football players on that field.""
The young Badger secondary was exposed throughout the night, but the defensive front seven held North Carolina to a meager 57 yards rushing as the Badgers improved their record to 3-0 on the year.
Wisconsin led 7-3 for more than two quarters until Calhoun scored the decisive touchdown with only 7:12 left in the contest. Despite a valiant effort by UNC quarterback Matt Baker, the Tar Heels were hurt by penalties throughout the game.
Coping with an absent running game, Baker, who had to leave the injured both his ribs and ankle during the game, put up respectable numbers, going 16 of 37 for 281 yards. The Tar Heels were kept out of the end zone the entire game, caused by 12 penalties for 115 yards and consistently poor field position.
""I thought our quarterback was very gutty staying in there,"" North Carolina coach John Bunting said. ""I know he would like to have played better. I also would like to protect him better.""
The Badgers moved the ball consistently, but were incapable of finishing what had been promising drives. The mistakes began early in the first quarter as junior running back Booker Stanley fumbled in the redzone.
""I didn't think we played our best game."" head coach Barry Alvarez said. I didn't think we played well. We made more mistakes in this game than we probably did in the first two combined.""
John Stocco was steady, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards but failed to produce a single passing touchdown. At times the junior quarterback looked much improved as he threw several first downs to his primary target senior wide receiver Brandon Williams (5 catches for 62 yards), but the passing attack faltered several times in scoring position.
The Badgers now enter the Big Ten Conference schedule with a crucial home contest next weekend against Michigan (2-1).
""It was one of our goals, to come out of the non-conference season undefeated and make the game against Michigan a big game for us,"" senior tight end Owen Daniels said. ""We've done all we can do. We're going to get ready for those guys.""
The Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this report.
