Airtight defense and confidence-building measures abounded in the performance of the Wisconsin football team Saturday afternoon. The Badgers (3-0) scored a 14-0 victory at Camp Randall Stadium, one week before their much-anticipated opener in Big Ten play.
The storyline of this game was a breakout showing by the UW defense, which was firing on all cylinders. And once again, freshman running back P.J. Hill had a career day on the ground, posting 184 yards rushing and the longest play from scrimmage by a Badger this season.
""One of the things we talked about all along was to get through the non-conference schedule, [to get] to this point undefeated,"" head coach Bret Bielema said following the win, which was the Badgers' 13th in their last 14 games at home.
It was UW's first shutout since beating Temple 65-0 last season, and it came in dominating form. The defense allowed just 115 yards, blitzing liberally and completely taking away the Aztecs' running game. And after two games in which the Badgers had trouble getting off the field on third down, the third down problems disappeared.
""It does wonders for our defense â_ mentally, emotionally, in every phase, from the defensive line all the way back to the secondary, we all played together,"" sophomore cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu said. ""It was really a team effort today.""
The two teams played to a scoreless first half, the first time the Badgers had done that since 1995. Both Wisconsin and the Aztecs punted on their first four possessions.
In the second quarter, UW drove 75 yards all the way to the San Diego State seven-yard line, where they elected to go for it on fourth and three. Hill was stopped after a one-yard gain, however, and the teams traded punts until the end of the half.
""We didn't start off the first half as fast as we were supposed to,"" said Hill, who had 92 yards at halftime, including a 32-yard run in the second quarter. ""We weren't executing very well.""
Hill essentially changed that trend himself midway through the third quarter, as UW was starting from its own 47-yard line after an Aztec personal foul. On the first play, he showed a burst of speed and ran 53 yards for the first score of the game.
""I usually use my power a lot, but if I got a chance, I'm going to put on my speed,"" said Hill, who went down twice in the game, once after taking a hit in a spot not fit for print.
The Badgers, again in prime field position after a punt minutes later, moved the ball to the 38-yard line before facing a fourth-and-one. Junior kicker Taylor Mehlhaff had shown the ability to hit a 55-yard kick in pre-game, but was unable to convert.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Badgers again were on the move. Keyed by senior running back Dywon Rowan's 48-yard run, they drove all the way to the SDSU six-yard line. Senior quarterback John Stocco then hit junior wideout Paul Hubbard on third-and-goal for the game's final score. It was the lone bright spot for Stocco, who received excellent protection on an otherwise subpar day.
""Sometimes as a quarterback, you kind of overanalyze things, and once you do that you have no chance,"" Stocco (12-23, 85 yards) said. ""I think that happened to me a couple times out there today.""
Even so, he had the best Badger defense of the season backing him up.
""It just came together nicely,"" sophomore linebacker DeAndre Levy said of the defense's effort. ""We came out ready to play, ready to swarm, ready to answer a lot of the questions that were posed last week.""
Next up for the Badgers is a showdown on the road against No. 6 Michigan to open the Big Ten season. The game begins at 11 a.m. in Ann Arbor.
