After a shocking first half, the No. 7 Badgers came out and wore down The Citadel, salvaging a 45-31 victory at Camp Randall Stadium to remain undefeated on the season.
One thing that I think comes out of today's ball game was it's not so much what happens during the course of the game, it's how you react to it,"" Badger head coach Bret Bielema said.
The Badgers used the running game to fuel their second half surge. Sophomore tailback P.J. Hill had a career day, netting 168 yards on 25 carries and a school-record five touchdowns, one as a reception. Hill is now one of just five players in UW history to record five touchdowns in one game. The last was tailback Brian Calhoun, who scored five touchdowns at Illinois in October 2005.
""I was feeling pretty good, but it wasn't just me, it was the guys up front,"" Hill said. ""I always tell them, you guys do your job and just let me go to work, and I had a good day.""
Just one week after coming back to survive a 23-16 contest over UNLV in Las Vegas, the Badgers (0-0 Big Ten, 3-0 overall) found themselves tied 21-21 at the half with the Division I FCS Bulldogs.
With 59 seconds remaining in the first half, Bulldogs' senior quarterback Duran Lawson found Tory Cooper over the middle of the field for a 19-yard score in what looked like a blown coverage by the UW secondary to tie the game.
""A lot of the open stuff, basically that was us not reading our keys,"" junior cornerback Allen Langford said. ""Basically that's not going to our man. They threw some wrinkles in there that we hadn't seen in practice or we hadn't seen on film.""
On the ensuing possession, UW went three-and-out, capped by a sack of senior quarterback Tyler Donovan on third down. The Badgers ran off the field amidst boos by the 80,327 stunned fans at Camp Randall.
""It's kind of shocking, but things like that happen,"" junior Badger tight end Travis Beckum said. ""The fans want to be pleased. The way we were playing, we weren't doing that, we weren't pleasing them and we weren't pleasing ourselves. But then we just went into the second half and just came out ready to play football and put more points on the board. The defense stepped up and made a couple big plays.""
Following a one-yard touchdown run by Hill that put the Badgers back ahead with 8:38 left in the third quarter, the Badger defense made two huge plays that completely swung the momentum. On The Citadel's first play of the drive, sophomore safety Aubrey Pleasant came untouched around the left side on a blitz to sack Lawson for a nine-yard loss. The play sent Camp Randall into a frenzy, and on the following play, sophomore safety Shane Carter came over the top of a stop-and-go route and made a leaping grab of an interception. The pick lead to a 22-yard field goal by senior Taylor Melhaff.
The UW defense was able to keep The Citadel (2-1) in check for the remainder of the game, allowing only a field goal and a touchdown late in the second half after the game had already been in hand.
""We played a heck of a ball game in the second half,"" freshman cornerback Aaron Henry said. ""That sack that Aubrey had, that really made everybody get up. We used that sack to get some momentum, and really played a good second half.""
Henry saw a lot of playing time after junior cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu left the game in the first half after suffering a ""shot to the upper (right) thigh,"" according to Bielema, on the first play of the game. Bielema said he is optimistic Ikegwuonu will be back at practice Tuesday.
With the exception of a holding penalty that help set up The Citadel's first score, Bielema was pleased with Henry's performance on the whole.
""Aaron has a pretty good mind, he understands what he's doing, but he's still a freshman,"" Bielema said. ""That's really the most extensive work he's had at corner in a live situation.""
Hill's career day marked the fifth time he has rushed for over 150 yards, as well as his tenth 100-yard rushing performance. The tailback also showed his speed throughout the game, finding a hole on the left side and getting to the sideline for a 40-yard run that set up his third touchdown of the game. He also found the outside on a 22-yard scamper on UW's first offensive drive, following a great lead block by fullback Chris Pressley.
""Another statement from P.J. on what he's able to do,"" Bielema said. ""I thought he tempo'd the ball really well, he was patient, and understood where the blocks were coming from.
