The No. 17 Wisconsin football team received a scare Saturday, and unfortunately for the Badgers, it had nothing to do with Halloween.
Faced with an early 18-point deficit and trailing at halftime for the first time this season, Wisconsin rallied for 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat Illinois 30-24 at Camp Randall stadium.
""We knew we were going to be in for a dog fight,"" Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema said. ""Unfortunately, we performed poorly in certain phases in the first half. But at halftime, it's a brand new ball game.""
Indeed, the Badgers looked like a completely different team in the second half. The Wisconsin defensive unit that allowed Illinois freshman quarterback Isiah ""Juice"" Williams to rush for 51 yards and throw for 122 more in the first half grew stingy in the second, limiting the Illini to just 86 total yards and no points after the break.
But as strong as Wisconsin looked in the second half, the first half was a nightmare for the Badgers. Senior quarterback John Stocco completed just four of 11 passes, though he finished the game with 217 passing yards and two touchdowns. The offense also failed to get the running game going. Freshman running back P.J. Hill, who left the game with a nerve injury in his neck, rushed for a season-low 51 yards on 12 carries, while his replacement, freshman running back Lance Smith carried the ball 21 times for 57 yards, a 2.2 average.
The slow start was as evident on the scoreboard as it was on the stat sheet. Illinois jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter when freshman defensive back Travon Bellamy intercepted a Stocco pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
After a field goal from junior Taylor Mehlhaff narrowed the deficit, Illinois responded with 14 consecutive points. Senior running back Pierre Thomas scored one touchdown on the ground and one through the air in staking the Illini to a 21-3 lead.
""We just killed ourselves,"" Stocco said of the slow start. ""We just had a lot of mental errors and weren't really on like we wanted to be.""
But just before halftime, Stocco and the Badgers' offense started clicking. Sophomore tight end Travis Beckum helped turn the tide by making two big catches for 46 yards as part of an 11-play scoring drive. Smith's one-yard touchdown run gave the Badgers some momentum heading into halftime, when the team's senior leaders were able to rally the troops.
""We just told the guys we have to put the first half behind us, and go out there and play the way we know we can,"" senior safety Joe Stellmacher said. ""We told the guys, ‘Anybody that didn't believe we were going to win this game should stay in the locker room and not even come out for the second half.'""
Senior linebacker Mark Zalewski responded right out of the gates, intercepting a pass at the Illinois 44-yard line. The play set the stage for a 17-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Luke Swan. Swan recorded career highs with four catches and 85 yards on the day.
""He's very consistent with his routes, and that's great to have as a quarterback, to have a guy that you always know where he's going to be,"" Stocco said. ""He had another big game for us today, and made a ton of big plays.""
Mehlhaff added a field goal late in the third quarter before Stocco hooked up with junior tight end Andy Crooks for a 22-yard touchdown pass, claiming the Badgers' first lead of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. Mehlhaff's 33-yard field goal extended the Badgers' lead to 30-24 with 4:24 remaining.
While the Badgers certainly aren't happy with the poor first-half performance, Bielema said he was pleased the team was able to rebound in the second half, crediting its finishing power and character.
